I’m not sure that this counts as traditional German cuisine, but there we go. It’s the Drachen City all you can eat Chinese restaurant, although I’m not entirely sure that there was much Chinese about it either.
There was a friendly welcome and the restaurant was quite busy for a Friday afternoon. There’s a reasonably wide selection of different items available, including some more healthier options. The server who took my order came over with a microphone and I wondered if there was some sort of welcome every customer had to make, but it was just him talking to the kitchen about what food needed replacing.
This is the Gaffel Kölsch served in entirely the wrong glass, but I don’t think that it would have made much difference. The beer was clean, light and uninspiring, but at least it didn’t intrude on the flavours of the food.
I don’t claim to be classy, as that heap of noodles, spring rolls, battered chicken, chicken skewers and green beans shows. It all tasted fine, nothing exceptional, but perfectly acceptable. They had overdone the salt though, although perhaps if I hadn’t had three platefuls then I might not have noticed.
There was never any depth of spice to the food, although one of the sauces that I piled up had some heat which placated me somewhat. There was quite a focus on chicken above all other meats, but that is something that is fine for me. As another plus, as the food was constantly replaced it was all hot and nothing looked like it had been lingering for long.
To balance out the salt, there’s a heap of cherries in a sugary sauce. And some bubblegum ice cream, as that’s definitely a staple item in Shanghai.
The pricing was all very affordable, around £14 for the unlimited food and the customer base seemed primarily local people rather than tourists. The food was replaced promptly and there was also a salad area, but I forgot about that when collecting food.
The restaurant was all clean, efficient and well managed, so I can see why it’s well reviewed online. Although I didn’t get a fortune cookie like the other tables, perhaps my future is so secure I don’t need it impacted by cookies trying to divert fate.