View Full Version : Chinese food in Orlando?
disney1sttimer
10-02-2009, 10:18 AM
Ive done a search but havent come up with anything. Are there any nice chinese restaurants other than the nine dragons
It seems harsh to say, but no. :( I don't know what it is about this area (greater Orlando, actually Florida in general!) but there are no truly nice Chinese restaurants.
There is a Pei Wei, and a PF Chang's (same owners, different levels of service) and they do consistently have decent food (although we prefer Pei Wei to PF Changs).
There is a new Pei Wei at the corner of Sand Lake and Turkey Lake in the new Whole Foods shopping plaza (not far from DTD).
It's one of the shortfalls of the area, along with no really decent Indian food. There used to be a good Indian restaurant near the new Whole Foods but it has disappeared. :sigh:
Keith
10-02-2009, 11:42 AM
yep agreed. Obviously Tink knows more than I do about the area but I've looked and looked and have not found an even half way decent Chinese (I've had plenty of very bad experiences along the way too :lol: )
Oh goodness, isn't that the truth! :eek: Especially the numerous Chinese buffets that the area seems to be teeming with. NEVER eat in those places!!! :lipwobble:
Keith
10-02-2009, 11:50 AM
Oh goodness, isn't that the truth! :eek: Especially the numerous Chinese buffets that the area seems to be teeming with. NEVER eat in those places!!! :lipwobble:
You've told me that time and time again and yet still I go out trying them just in case :lol: but you're 100% correct.
Last time we were there we tried another four. Two tried oh so hard. They were small and really did try to make our meal pleasant but the food was luke warm at best and pretty tasteless.
The other two well, one was highly recommended on some Internet forums and all I can say is that the folks must have considerably lower standards :/ the "service" amounted to stopping you on the way out for money and that was about it. Food was again cold and trays always empty of something or other. Trying to ask for a drink was hopeless.
The other one had a poor huge fish in a tank so small that it was unable to move or turn around ;( that put me right off straight away. The food tasted like cat. Enough said I think
If there's a good Chinese in Orlando, I'm yet to find it.
The nine dragons in EPCOT recently went through a refurb and was closed for ages. Seems a bit pointless to me, it hasnt changed that much. Food still overpriced, limited menu and inconsistent service. Yet it's probably the safest choice for Chinese-a-like other than PF Changs
Your experiences parallel mine. First, Herself doesn't like American Chinese. After having been to China, she simply cannot eat it any more. Once in a very rare while, she'll voice the desire (dan dan noodle at Pei Wei, for instance :D ) but even then doesn't always want it. (I mean like once every three or four years).
There is a huge buffet on I-Drive, Bill Wong's. Any number of people rave about the place. We went there once (granted years ago now) with visiting friends who had been before and loved it. Since they were not from here, we thought it might be ok. We were SO wrong! :eek:
Lukewarm buffet food is food poisoning waiting to happen. :( I cannot tell you how many times these places fail their health inspections. They'll do just enough to pass, and then promptly go back to the practices that caused them to fail in the first place. :(
There is a lovely Thai place but it's way over (east) on 50/Colonial Drive. Not an easy drive from WDW and there is nothing else near there worth a taxi ride. I know of it as I used to work in that area. The food was piping hot, made to order, and from fresh ingredients. Imagine that?! :D
Don't mean to bang on and on and on, but it just amazes me how truly poor the ethnic selections are in this area. I've heard the greater Orlando area referred to as "chain restaurant hell." Must say, that's pretty accurate! LOL.
Disneybumble
10-02-2009, 02:43 PM
Tink, Herself has been to China. Tell me was it wonderful.I long to go to this country.
Slowhand
10-02-2009, 02:52 PM
Tink, Herself has been to China. Tell me was it wonderful.I long to go to this country.
I`m sure that if you go on a package holiday you would have a great time in China.
I`ve been there around 6 or 7 times on business and couldn`t wait to get back home!!! On several occasions I stayed in "the sticks" miles from the tourist spots and this was quite an experience!
She loved it. It wasn't a pleasure trip, rather a delegation. "Holding up half the sky" is a saying in China. It refers to women and their "holding up half the sky."
She was there with a group of academic women the year before Hillary Clinton went over.
They visited many areas, but she talks about the Mongolians the most. She often asks if I'd like to go, and I do think I would. :yes: She was awed by the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors.
They were treated very well for the most part. Bits of their stay in Beijing was a bit off (hotel rooms searched, and that sort of not so cool stuff) but for the most part, she enjoyed it all.
And came home refusing to eat American Chinese food!
Disneybumble
11-02-2009, 01:52 PM
On my first trip to Epcot in 1990, we saw the China film in WS. And it blew me away. That's when my love for this country started. Don't agree on the power and gov of the country. But the place,people and history fascinate me.
I loved that film and really like the new film too. They had (when the new film was first out) an incredible display of artifacts representing some of the many ethnic groups in China. It was really well done and very informative.
That's the EPCOT I love, the place that introduces you to new things about different cultures and countries. :yes:
Slowhand
12-02-2009, 02:22 PM
Don't agree on the power and gov of the country.
You are so correct here. :thumbsup:
One day we were taken around Beijing for a bit of site seeing and when we arrived at Tienanmen Square I asked our interpretor exactly where that iconic "weaving tank" episode took place during the [then] recent student protests.
The interpretor hadn`t a clue what I was referring to. She was totally oblivious to the protests as there had been a total news black out of the event on the Chinese tv!
:yes: Same thing with Herself. There was a small faction of academic Chinese who knew they were coming. They were bombarded with questions (when they believed themselves to be in private) regarding such things. The US contingent was astonished and honestly saddened at how little the academics knew of the outside world. (This too was in Beijing).
Slowhand
12-02-2009, 02:52 PM
The US contingent was astonished and honestly saddened at how little the academics knew of the outside world.
On the other hand Tink, the Chinese students [one of whom was our interpretor] were very knowledgeable regarding English Literature.
She kept quizzing me about the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare etc. which made me show her my ignorance!
I found out that she also enjoyed the music of Eric Clapton and found it very amusing how she pronounced his surname....substitute the "l" for a"r" and you`ll get my drift. :lol:
:lol: Love the accents! :D
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