.CN - Authentic Chinese Cuisine - Restaurant Review!

Recently I went for dinner at .CN - the authentic North Chinese restaurant on City Road.  As part of my previous life I was a douch-y backpacker in China, and I have fond memories of eating my way through the streets of Zhuhai.  I ate four or five times a day, I ate everything I could get my hands on.  I'm the only backpacker I know who lost weight in Italy but gained weight in China.

The restaurant was clean and medium full at 8pm on a Sunday night:

and their menu was a world of excitement - so many choices!  So many memories!  

 We tucked in to some TsingTao

I was excited to see Jiaozi on the menu - these boiled dumplings were my favorite hangover breakfast in Zhuhai.  They were like I remembered them - the dumpling melts in your mouth but the meat is soft and delicate.  Not an overpowering flavor  but perfect dipped in a bit of Chinese vinegar and sliced ginger.  YUM!

I was also excited to see my other favorite dish from China - Mapo Tofu.  I ate this loads - often because I knew it did not have bones.  Everything I ate in China had bones.  I swear I ordered mixed vegetables once that had bones in it.  Everything was delicious, but when you're competing against yourself for a personal best eating contest then bones get in the way.  I ate Mapo Tofu like it was my job.  The Mapo Tofu at .CN was spicy and sweet and the tofu was firm enough to stay square and absorb flavor  yet so soft and succulent.  It was prepared with a generous helping of Chilis - my mouth was on fire and I loved it.

My brewer half ordered in the very traveler style of pointing at a picture on the menu.  He chose Pork in Peking Sauce with Pancake.  Paper thin pancakes and succulent pork with amazing Peking Sauce - this dish was perfect.  It's what I want when I order Chinese, and it's mostly disappointing when I order takeaway.  Yet .CN has it just right, crunchy, flavorsome, lovely texture, ample sauce... DELICIOUS!

NOM NOM NOM!

I was going to be sensible and order some steamed rice with my Mapo Tofu, but my brewer half ordered the mixed seafood fried rice.  

They did not skimp on the seafood!  Some of the animals I didn't recognize, all of the seafoods were tasty!  I've been disapointed with fried rice for so long I've given up ordering anything but steamed rice at resturants, but .CN made me realize some people do it right!  It was not greasy, it was just full of flavour and perfectly cooked shrimps and squids and calamari and all sorts of tasty morsels.  It was the aquarium in my rice!

Yummy a squid!!

I really loved my meal at .CN and I cannot wait to go back again.  It would be great to go with an adventurous group of eaters as all the mains are surely delicious and I love trying different foods.  I would really like to go back and try the duck tongue as it's supposed to be immensely good.  They also do hot-pot for only £15.99 per person - a bargain if you're hungry!

The servers were nice, the ambiance was pleasant, the food was served quickly but with care, and the price was fab for such quality food.  Looking forward to visiting again soon!

Details:
.CN
228 City Road
Cardiff CF24 3JH
029 2048 6688
http://www.eatcn.co.uk/