De Lange Muur, Rotterdam by Bureaucrat

Our food experience in Holland was a mixed one: we had good food, tried new cuisines and also walked out of a few restaurants.

Upon arriving in Rotterdam during lunch time, we made our way to 'Chinatown'. It was more of a single street that housed some Asian shops and eateries.

I really wanted to try this famed Surinamese restaurant that was recommended by all the tourist/city guides but it was completely full and had a long line of people ordering take away.


With my blood sugar levels plummeting, we had yum cha at De Lange Muur (translates to 'The Great Wall') instead.

As it was peak hour, there weren't any small tables left. Only a big table (8+ seats) was available. The staff offered us the table, which I thought was very good of them. I can't stand places that turn away prospective diners on the off chance they get a big group of diners.

I don't have yum cha often (the grease, noisyness and the potentially slow dishes often puts me off). However, when I do go, I always order my favourites.


One of my favourite yum cha dishes is Lor Mai Gai (glutinous rice in tea leaves). This was a good one, which had plenty of ingredients - chinese sausage, salted egg, chicken, pork, etc.


Another favourite is Har Cheung Fun (prawn in rice noodles). Good sized prawns - slippery deliciousness.


Up next was pan fried turnip cake. I never eat Chinese turnip unless it's in this form. Nicely pan fried, with the morish crispy outer. As with most restaurants that offer this dish, it could have done with a bit more filling. In my view, nothing beats my mum's turnip cake, which is packed full with dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, spring onion and dried shiitake mushrooms, topped with toasted sesame seeds.


The pan fried dumplings. These were the best of the dishes. Plump, crispy dumplings.


Last but not least, we had the Beef Ho Fun. By this point we were completely stuffed and could only eat about a third of the plate, which was a shame. It was a very big serve. However, it could have been better if it had some egg in the dish.

Overall
The quality was pretty good - above average. Service size was also pretty good too. Service was friendly and prompt. The place was clean and spacious. Easy to find, as it is at the start of Chinatown.

Address
De Lange Muur
West Kruiskade 1
3014 AJ Rotterdam
Telephone: 010-280 05 18