Eating at Lan Yuan

What would you do if you walked into a restaurant and were met by a rather chemical/moldy smell?  Well, if you’re either my husband or me, you soldier on and order the spring rolls.

The restaurant was Lan Yuan on Road 9 in Maadi.  It’s located right next to Dragon House.  We looked at both menus and found the same items.  We ended up at Lan Yuan because it was cheaper, but I am certain we are never going back again.

Things got off to an inauspicious start when the water arrived.  The glasses were a bit dirty and everyone knows even a bit is too much.  The waiter poured the water from the bottle without checking the glasses and after we pointed out the dirtiness, we were given new cups, but not new water.  This later turned up on our bill.

For appetizers, we both got spring rolls.  Mine were just vegetable and my husband’s were vegetable and chicken.  They were both rather large, but a bit greasy inside and out.  They were accompanied by what I presume was supposed to be a sweet and sour or sweet chili sauce.  The first thing I noticed about my husband’s order was how very tiny the chicken pieces were.  In fact, they were smaller than the bits of cabbage.  Both rolls tasted all right, but smelled a little weird.

Next, I got a side of rice and the homestyle tofu and my husband got a side of noodles with chicken and barbecued beef.  The rice was only 4.50, but the portion was tiny.  The tofu itself was nice and the sauce was thin, but OK.  The tofu was sliced incredibly thin, which I’m not used to with this dish.

The most puzzling thing about these dishes was the overabundance of zucchini.  It was with the noodles, the tofu, and the barbecued beef.  I’ve never seen so much zucchini mixed with Chinese food.  I can only assume it’s very cheap now and they use it as a filler.  It reminded me of our trip to Peking where tomatoes were the star of every dish.  These are nice vegetables, but not what I associate with Chinese food.

My husband’s noodles were probably the nicest thing on the table.  Again the chicken was comically small, but the flavors were all right.  The beef dish seemed overpriced for what he got, which was mostly zucchini with tiny bits of beef.  It was served in a memorable style though.  Sizzling hot like a fajita.

Overall, the food was actually all right, but the atmosphere at the restaurant is quite depressing.  It all looks a bit dirty and a bit worn out.  The waiter was the only other person in the place and he seemed resigned to the quality of the offerings.  It’s right next to the train tracks, too, so it all comes together in a bad way.  We took most of our food home in doggie bags and enjoyed more away from the restaurant.

Asian Corner

Phase 2 – Pyramids Food Court

City Stars

City Stars is a behemoth.  You could get lost for days and no one would notice.  The maps are incomprehensible, but the guards are friendly enough and you will never starve.  Since my husband works within walking distance of the place, I sometimes meet him after work for a quick dinner before we head home.

Of the two food courts – Zodiac and Pyramids- I find that the Pyramids Food Court is often less crowded.  It has many of the same restaurants as the food court upstairs, too.  However, Asian Corner is only represented in the basement.  It is opposite Panda Express and is often less crowded but much tastier.

It has all of the typical Chinese restaurant fare with a dash of Indian food thrown in for good measure.  I had the vegetable spring rolls and vegetable noodles.  The spring rolls come with either soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce.  The sweet and sour sauce is light and tangy and the spring rolls were nice and crunchy.  They tasted fresher than those at Panda Express as well.

Asian Corner also improved upon the noodles.  The sauce had a better bite than Panda’s and the vegetables were much nicer, too.  At Panda Express the same plate is a soggy, waterlogged mess.

My husband got a maharaja plate that came with rice, a chicken dish, a beef dish, and a samosa.  The chicken was in a cream sauce and was very flavorful, according to him anyway.  The beef came with peppers and was also nicely seasoned.  The portions were quite generous, too.

All in all, both plates came to about 40LE and we were both satisfied.  It probably isn’t the best Chinese food in Cairo, but it might be the best choice in City Stars.