On the Road to Discover Chinese/Malaysian Restaurants...

DYNASTY
Rating:
Service: 4 out of 5
Price: 4 out of 5
Food: 3 out of 5

This is the first Chinese/Asian restaurant I went to when I arrived in 80's land. I have been told that it is owned by a Malaysian. Which is why you will find dishes like sambal udang on its menu. When me and evil saint were living in this city, we would frequent Dynasty quite a bit. Only because it was close to the cinema that showed movies in English. Dynasty makes its money from high turnover of customers and its fast service.
Conclusion: The food cannot be classified as fantastic but just alright. However, one cannot be too picky with its take-away prices. You get what you pay for. They have a nice terrace overlooking the streets below for hot summer days. The dining area is very much like a Chinese restaurant, i.e. huge open area packed with tables and chairs. And there definitely is enough waiters and waitresses to go around ensuring that you will be on time for your movie! I would return to Dynasty should I be in the area and have a craving for Chinese/Asian food.

LE PAPILLON (The Butterfly)
Rating:
Service: 4 out of 5
Price: 4 out of 5
Food: 3.5 out of 5

One day after work, me and evil saint decided to do some shopping at a nearby supermarket. As we were leaving the supermarket, we noticed that what was once a kebab shop had turned into a little Chinese "take-away" shop. After some chit chat about the shop the next day at work, we were told that it actually is a pretty ok place. And so, off we went to try out the new Chinese "take-away" shop for lunch. This is what we found...

• Very quaint and cosy restaurant. Seats a maximum of 10 people only with 4 tables.
• Very simple but functional furniture and decor.
• Daily set lunch menus for CHF 14 or CHF 16, depending on your choice of main meal. The main meal is usually either a chicken, beef or prawn dish with rice or noodles. The set lunch also comes with a spring roll or fried wor-tip/gyoza as an appetizer, and a canned soft drink.
• Fast service. No need to wait forever to have your order taken or to pay the bill.
• Lots of people came in for take-away. Half of them (if not more!) were people from our office. We now know why the office has been smelling like Chinese food for the last few weeks.

Conclusion: The food tasted pretty good and they entertained all my "extra spicy" requests. The price is reasonable and affordable. For the sake of comparison, at the gas station, I would pay CHF 9.90 for a cheese and tomato sandwich with a soft drink and a small bag of chips. And a plate of pasta in a restaurant for lunch would cost me CHF 20. This means that on days when I am too lazy to cook, both me and evil saint can have a proper hot meal lunch without having to burn a hole in our wallets. Yay !!!

AU CANARD PEKINOIS (The Peking Duck)
Rating:
Service: 3 out of 5
Price: 2.5 out of 5
Food: 4 out of 5

After complaining for 3 years about the lack of good Chinese food in 80's land, me and evil saint finally ended up in the toast-of-the-town Chinese restaurant for dinner just this past Monday. Of course, it was by chance that we ended up there, but that is another story. By lunch time, evil saint had googled this restaurant and had read rather bad reviews on it. On the other hand, this restaurant had come highly recommended by quite a few colleagues. However, there was one common agreement between the reviews and recommendations, it was the most expensive Chinese restaurant in town. Right.... Chinese fine dining... evil saint reminded me not to expect the REAL Chinese fine dining, i.e. abalone, sharks fin, etc. but rather the European definition of fine dining, i.e. elaborate decorations, nicely set tables, big plates-small portions... and so with an open mind and fine dining expectations set, off we went for dinner...

• Its interior is the closest to a Chinese restaurant that I have seen in 80's land. Lots of old style Chinese red-dark wood decorations with double happiness symbols.
• Small elaborate walk path made of glass with swimming Japanese carps (not Koi's) beneath it. I can see how this elevates the restaurant to fine dining status here.
• Round tables but set with large plates, silverware, wine glasses and a set of chopsticks at each seat. No porcelain chinese soup spoons, tea cups and no turn-table in the center. I found this a bit strange as I have never seen such an arrangement on a round table in a Chinese restaurant before.
• Obviously opened by Hong Kong-ers. Typical Cantonese menu with an insertion of Beijing and Shanghai-nese dish here and there. For example, "char siew", Peking duck, fried "wor tip" and a variation of the siew lung pao.
• Highly priced menu. A normal bowl of white rice to complement a dish was CHF 4!! If you wanted Cantonese fried rice (with just specks of meat and egg) was CHF 5.40. My dry-fried beef noodles aka "Korn Chao Ngau Hor" was CHF 32.
• Service was so-so. We were attended to very well, the only downside was when I needed chilli for my noodles, the waiter was nowhere to be found. I finished my noodles without chilli.

Conclusion: Extremely expensive but it is the closest match to REAL Chinese food that I have tasted in 80's land. For the sake of comparison, at Le Papillon, a bowl of white rice would cost me CHF 2 and a plate of dry-fried beef noodles is CHF 16.50. Au Canard Pékinois does not have an extravagant menu but just a typical and simple Cantonese, Beijing and Shanghai-nese menu. I would only return to this restaurant if I was dying for Chinese food that I will not cook myself, or with my parents as a treat for them on a special occasion. Otherwise, I would save my money and eat the REAL stuff back home.

LE CAFE RESTAURANT DE COUR "TAI MAH" (Tai Mah Restaurant)
Rating:
Service: ???
Price: ???
Food: ???

This Malaysian restaurant (aptly named, Tai Mah) came recommended by an old colleague who had packed his bags and went back home to where the real food is. I have yet to visit this restaurant, but I am sure it would not take much to convince evil saint to drop by after church one Sunday. The prices published on their website seem reasonable, given that it is a restaurant and not a take-away like Le Papillon.
On the menu, we have chef's specialities, set menu, appetizers, soups, salads, veggies, rice & noodles, beef, pork, duck, chicken, fish and prawn.