Chinabar is one of those restaurants that have been around forever or so it seems. I remember when it had newly opened and there was such a hype about it. Nowadays it’s a little bit calmer, but the place is still busy. It had become a neighborhood staple and there were a couple of tables with one person as well as larger groups.
ChinaBar @Vienna
The restaurant offers, additionally to its regular menu, a couple of main dishes in starter size, which is perfect for everyone who wants to sample two dishes without stuffing one’s face. I went ahead and ordered the tuna tartare with pumpkin seed oil to begin with and veal tongue with chili peppers. The tartare was rather disappointing with way too much tofu and swimming in a pool of oil. I had imagined differently, which is of course my problem. But the same variation of tuna tartar is also served at Teka Sushi, just a lot tastier there!
tuna tartare @ChinaBar
My main dish, tongue with chili peppers, didn’t fare a lot better. The tongue had been cured and was completely salty. While it was soft and tender as it should be, it was just not pleasure to eat. The vegetables were oily and there was no heat to be found. Not a dish I would order again.
tongue with chili peppers @ChinaBar
We also got a Wan-Tan soup, according to the menu mildly spiced. My friend found it very spicy, something that I cannot confirm. While it didn’t appear to be too hot, it was definitely heavy on the salt. My friend though had her work cut out with this soup, and had to dab her forehead dry more often than not.
Wan-Tan soup @ChinaBar
The last starter we ordered was celeriac – tofu “pow”, also mildly spiced. Again, I couldn’t detect the mild seasoning, but it was fine for my friend. It was two kinds of celery, the celeriac and the celery. Both were fried as well as the tofu. I found a bit heavy and lacking of acid, but friend mentioned there was some vinegar at the bottom of the plate. I still couldn’t detect it. Bit portion for a starter, but also not something light tot start with.
celeriac – tofu “pow” @ChinaBar
The other main dishes had all the same problem at ChinaBar, they were too greasy. This was especially noticeable with the corn fed chicken with house noodles. At the end of the meal there was a pool of frying oil on the plate.
corn fed chicken with house noodles @ChinaBar
The vegetable wok with tofu and rice was also not a winner. It was deemed too boring and overall didn’t really satisfy the diner. I thought that the veggies looked overcooked and lacked the typical bite.
vegetable wok with tofu and rice @ChinaBar
The house noodles with the pickled tofu didn’t fare any better. They got the verdict as being too greasy and just not interesting enough.
house noodles with pickled tofu @ChinaBar
As much as I like ChinaBar the food here is not the draw. It’s a shame that the standard of the kitchen declined so much over the last couple of years. Because the menu doesn’t ask for an award winning chef. A simple line cook with a good feeling for seasoning and with some more attention to the wok can easily elevate the level of enjoyment for the guests.
Because the service was friendly and willingly brought water to the table. Always something I take into account when judging a restaurant. Furthermore ChinaBar has a delicious house wine, which doesn’t break your bank. Which really speaks for the restaurant, so let’s hope that the kitchen will find its strife again and put in more care. Or maybe next time I will just eat something that hasn’t been fried. Yours, Pollybert
ChinaBar
1070 Wien, Burggasse 76
Tel: +43 1 5220831
Email: office@chinabar.at
Mon-Sun: 12:00–24:00
https://chinabar.at/
