Xin nian kuai le !
Or Happy New Year if you don’t happen to speak Chinese.
Typically Chinese new year is celebrated with parades and fireworks. Traditionally people will usually spend it with their families, clean their houses and often visit temples for blessings.
Spending time with the family is always important and eating together is definitely something that can be enjoyed as a family, but it can be expensive and also stressful trying to cater for different age groups, tastes and dietary needs. Not to mention time-consuming.
One way to keep the whole family happy is to visit a buffet restaurant where there’s guaranteed to be something to suit all taste buds and gives you that all important time to spend with the family.
For this Chinese New Year, myself and a few other local foodies were invited along to Cosmo restaurant on Milton Street to welcome in the year of the dog. According to legend, the animals were chosen by the Jade Emperor, who ordered all the animals to come to him and selected the first 12 to arrive as the ones for the Chinese zodiac.
The dog was running late when the Jade Emperor made his call and is the 11th of the 12 zodiac signs.
People born in the year of the dog are thought to be bestowed with the attributes associated with the dog – loyalty.
Our evening of celebration begins with a cocktail and traditional Chinese green tea. I used to drink green tea all the time but stopped. It’s something I need to try and get back into as it is known to have many health benefits. This green tea is not too strong and really quite pleasant tasting and refreshing. I loved the teapot and cups it was served in too.
Before our food, we are entertained by the Chinese dragon, which accompanied by a drummer toured the restaurant, which is we are told to bring luck. Rather than stay in one area, to bring prosperity it must travel the restaurant, potentially even the kitchen. It really brought the evening alive and it was great to see it interacting with the diners.
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The restaurant offers many different cuisines, served buffet style, but as guests, we are here to try the Chinese menu and the dishes are brought to our table, their details explained to us.
First up is a type of Szechuan chicken. Its actual name translates as ‘mouth-watering chicken’ it is boiled first to make it tender and moist and is served cold with peppercorn and their own homemade chilli oil, which they make at Cosmo.
At the same time, we are served stuffed king prawn. We are told that this dish was once served for the Empress of China, so you can imagine that a lot of work has gone into its preparation. It is stuffed with fish and crab and cooked and served with chilli, garlic and coriander. Another cold dish which would be served as a starter, it has a tasty delicate balance of flavours with salt and pepper bringing out the flavour of the prawn. I normally don’t like prawns but this dish, with its crispy outer coating, had me reaching for more. Sadly it’s not a dish you will find regularly at the restaurant due to the sheer amount of work which goes into it, but definitely, one to look out for.
Next, we are served vegetarian Dim sum. Little savoury dumplings, their name roughly translates as ‘the hearts’ delight’ or ‘to touch the heart’. These are served with ginger slices to open the palate.
Alongside the Dim Sum we are served a mixture of tofu, courgette and dried then rehydrated shitake mushrooms. I don’t use tofu a lot in cooking as it can be bland but this is infused with the flavours of the broth in which it is served. The Courgette tastes a lot like marrow (yes, I know they’re kind of the same thing) and they are soft and delicious. Shitaki mushrooms are another food I like to eat as much as I can due to their antiviral properties. They add texture and a nutty flavour to this dish.
Szechuan Chicken is next. We’re told it is spicy young chicken as opposite to hen. There is no sauce with this dish, simply succulent and tender pieces of chicken served with peppers and chilli.
Three other dishes join the chicken on our table. A Szechuan boiled fish dish. The fish, which is first blanched, is Panguis, not one I’m familiar with. They prepare the fish by blanching it first.
A flavoursome Himalayan lamb. Almost slightly crispy on the outside, this aromatic dish is served with garlic and fried shallots and offers a real depth of flavours. We are told that this is a traditional dish and typical of the kind which families would come together to eat. The head chef, known as Winston for short, has introduced dishes to the restaurant which would have been eaten and enjoyed in his village at home. He may be short in stature when he joins us at our table, but his food certainly packs a punch.
Shredded potato salad with carrots is served as a side dish. An unusual dish as the potato seems practically raw.
Overall we are treated to some excellent food. My personal favourites are the stuffed prawns, which really surprised me. The tofu a d shiitake mushroom combination. The Shezhuan chicken and the Himalayan lamb. All delicious and my blogger pals all had different opinions on their favourites, so keep a lookout for more reviews.
We were each given a goody bag to take home too as a memento of our evening. They contained tea in a gorgeous little tin, fortune cookies, sweets and more
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Our meal was complimentary so we could taste and share with you the Chinese experience. Usually though, at just £14.99 per person for dinner and just £8.99 per person for lunch, you can’t really go wrong, with the ‘all you can eat’ buffet. it offers exceptional value for money. With 150 different dishes and 10 live cooking stations to choose from
every day, the only problem is deciding what to try first!
Words & Photos by Tanya Louise
Editor
@tanyalouise_
https://www.tanyalouise.net/
