Eat out: From China, via Lebanon

Lebanese Chinese anyone?

No, it's not a newly invented fusion cuisine, this is Chopsticks.

For most Lebanese expats like myself, the restaurant is known as the biggest Chinese food chain back home, and arguably the one which made Asian food popular there.

I admit I do feel nostalgic — if not for the food, for the whole ambiance at its most popular Beirut downtown branch, where my friends and I used to wait almost an hour sometimes to get a table.

This is how popular and successful the chain is in Beirut, and with the news that it had opened a branch in Dubai, I was curious to see if Chopsticks would keep its popularity in a place with no shortage of authentic Chinese restaurants.

Located at The Dubai Mall yet fairly far from the crowded food courts, when we first entered Chopsticks, there was only one table occupied inside. But 6.30pm was probably too early for dinner and an hour later the place started filling up.

After our welcome shots (a Chopsticks tradition started in Beirut) we were handed the extensive menus to choose from. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of Chinese teas on offer (different variations of oolong, herbal and Chinese flower tea, Dh12). I don't remember if this was the case in their franchise in Lebanon, but then I wasn't a big fan of Chinese tea back then.

Light and tasty

For starters, my dining companions (one of whom is half-Chinese and the other a Chinese food aficionado) and I ordered shrimp balls kwelin style (Dh20), shrimp dumplings (Dh25) and half shredded duck (Dh105) to share. The fried shrimp balls and dumplings were light and tasty. As for the duck, there was hardly any grease on it, which made it work well as a light starter even if it was a little dry for my palate.

Our main dishes consisted of squid in sambal tumis sauce (Dh49), beef in XO sauce (Dh55), shrimps with mixed vegetables (Dh50) and chop suey (mixed vegetables, Dh25), accompanied with steamed rice (Dh12) and crab fried rice (Dh38). While all the dishes looked and tasted fresh, the squid was a favourite for its non-chewy texture, which is not always the case with squid dishes in Dubai. With a hint of pepper and chilli, the taste of the squid was nicely complemented without being overpowering.

The beef in XO sauce was the least favourite dish of the evening. The beef was sliced too thin to be able to swim against the tide of the sauce that was drowning and overpowering it.

Surprise hit

When the time for dessert came, we were full but not heavy, so we decided to try a couple of their specialities: the fried ice cream (Dh19) and fondant vanilla ice cream (Dh21). The fried ice cream was a surprise hit and unlike what it sounds, was quite nice and not too heavy.

While it is impossible to import the ambiance which Chopsticks has in its Beirut branches, my dining experience at the Dubai Mall branch was still pleasant.

It might not be the best Chinese food I've had (it'll be hard to match my Chinese mother-in-law's home cooking), however the fresh ingredients, light and tasty dishes and variety makes it authentic enough and good value for money.

CHOPSTICKS