Chinese food in Berlin

OK. So here it is. A whole topic just about chinese food - one of my favorite things to talk about.. eating!!

In response to a request for recommendations from JGrasso, I must admit, maybe I just like to complain.

Unfortunately for me I suppose, Ming Dynastie has been the only chinese restaurant I've been to in Berlin so far. I've got a growing list of chinese restaurants that I would like to try, mostly around Charlottenburg area, which have gotten pretty decent reviews. When I get the list a little more organized, I will post for feedback - maybe some of you have been to these places already??

As for dim sum this saturday, or rather, tomorrow. Maybe a little too late to organize something? If anyone is still interested, write back and we can set something up. I will be out n about doing some last minute shopping so could definitely use a dim sum/chinese food break in between all the bratwurst I've been having!!

hi de4now,

Yea it is perhaps too late to do something today. i have tried Dim Sum once at a chinese rest at the corner of Wielandstr (small rd) and Kantstrasse (main rd). Not too bad. And another time I had dinner at another chinese rest ( same row but maybe one block away - where they hang all the chicken and siew yuk by the window ) - this restaurant sucks. Even my German other half could tell that it sucked - big time !

Well, who is up for a Dim Sum Christmas celebration next Sat 23rd Dec ?

thanks for the interest guys! if you find anything good, let me know!

Has a consensus been reached on the best place to have Dim Sum? I take it there's no place where they have a Chinatown-style dim sum with people going by on carts, so we have to settle for ordering off a menu? I was thinking this might be a nice activity for a future Sunday Brunch meetup.

it is sad the Chinese restaurants don't have the carts going round the premises. Yea, order off the menu. Kantstrasse/Wielandstr is not bad,though

Is the one on the corner of Wielandstr. "Good Friends"? I know I've been to one on Kantstr. but not sure whereabouts!

not really been out trying much... cooking alone mostly... hehe... well, just that my first Chinese food here makes me given up or lost interest in some way... lol

I've walked past a dim sum place just south of Kottbuster tor a few times that I'd like to check out one lunch/dinner. they have a decent size buffet. I only seem to go by there before it opens or between usual meal times so not sure how busy/popular it is.

There are 2 places practically next to one another on the Ku'Damm in Charlottenburg, north side of the street, I guess near Hektorstrasse. Neither of them were all that overwhelming; they did a few things really well, the rest badly.

I heard of a very good place next to the water in Mitte near the Jannowitzbruecke station. My Vietnamese friends told me that they prefer a place near Zoo station for dim sum... I wish I could remember which one, though!

I heard Lou Yao Kei in Kantstr. is pretty good... anyone know anything about it?

Hi Schnucki, you've been spoilt by all that Malaysian food lah. I think the place with the pork and duck in the window must be Good Friends. It's not so bad albeit pricey. The larger dishes aren't so good, but I always stick to just a plate of duck or pork and am usually satisfied. Dim sum is on the menu, but I never tried it.

Off topic and not Chinese, but Good Times which now has 3 or 4 places in Berlin does some very good Indonesian stuff.

yea yea, I might have been spoilt by all the Msian food. Well,based on your opinion, I shall try one of those ducks and pork hanging there one day.

This is 'Good Friends' that the others have been talking about.

I've been there about five times now, and only one time was I disappointed, but that was basically because I didn't order well enough. I don't feel disappointed in it the way some of the others here seem to feel.

(BTW, am not Chinese, but lived in China for a year, and ate plenty of much worse food there!. Also, my sister in law is a Malysian-Chinese foodie, and she was happy with the food at Lou Yao Kei also).

As far as I can see, there are three sections to the menu. First is dim sum - not a huge selection, and don't bother with the deep fried options such as spring rolls, but the steamed ones range between okay to very good. They also have radish cake, which is something I adore, but never have enough time to make, but it tends to get sold out pretty early.
Then there is a section aimed at Germans, I think, with all of the usual crappy stuff that German Chinese restaurants offer, such as sweet and sour, and chaomien, and so on. Just skip that section entirely.
Then there is the proper food...in that section, a few of the dishes that they think Germans are completely not going to eat (such as chicken feet) are listed only in Chinese.

Their roast duck, and other roast meats are good, also really liked some of their stewed dishes, such as chicken pieces (with bone) stewed with Chinese sausage and shiitake mushrooms (i.e. donggu). Their plain greens are nice too, such as kangkung/ongchoi, or mustard greens. Done with lots of garlic and pork (??) stock, so nice and flavorful.

Is "Lou Yao Kei" also known as "Good Friends". I thought it would be "Peng Yao Hao" or something, but then again that's Mandarin, which just like Cantonese I can't speak a word of.

I agree with Anzu. I was in Good Friends once, and a neighbouring table had ordered a really nice looking dish. It looked just like being in Hong Kong or Singapore or somewhere. So, I had no hesitation in asking for the same. It turned out to be a 20 euro huge plate of eels which was OK but after 25 or so, I wish I'd gone for a kebab across the street.

Only order such dishes if going in a group of at least 20 people.

As I said, now I just got for a plate of duck or pork, don't even bother with veggies. Even the asparagus, which is one of my faves in Malaysia, is grim.

I heard that there are 2 menu, one in German and one in Chinese?? and the Chinese menu actually have more choice from... anyone can conform? Well, it´s not a problem for me as I read chinese... because a friend of mine has just told me that the other day...