An evening dinner at the Red Chamber sounds ideal if you're looking to have some interesting Chinese food. Regulars often rave about their tiger salad, crispy Peking duck and much more.
Red Chamber restaurant has lived up to its expectations of serving the best North Chinese food, with a touch of Taiwanese inspired by the owner Emma Chen.
The restaurant has been voted the best Chinese spot in Johannesburg and has been operating for the past 32 years and moved to Hyde Park Corner in 1997.
Apart from the iconic food, Red Chamber is known for its quick and friendly service, which pays attention to detail, from the way your cutlery and glass are placed to how the food is served.
The décor represents Chinese culture, with paper lanterns, dragons and Chinese door gods giving the restaurant an authentic feel.
The Red Chamber menu covers a range of iconic Chinese food.
On our visit to the Red Chamber, we were served cucumber tiger salad which comprises thinly sliced cucumber with pieces of chilli, garlic and sliced onions.
The salad is dressed with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, which comes together as fresh, spicy and tangy.
For our mains, we had the three-flavour chicken. Our table could not accommodate all our mains at once. It just shows how many iconic Chinese foods the Red Chamber has to offer.
The mains were served to us sizzling hot with rich aromas of the spices that filled the room. The dish is served with egg noodles and egg fried rice, with a chilli soy sauce.
Added to this was duck meat, which is served with pancakes and a sauce. We were taught how to eat this the right way with three easy steps.
The pancakes serve as a wrap. You then spread the pancake with the plum sauce, top it with the duck, then sliced cucumber, crispy skin and finally, you fold it up and enjoy.
"There's always room for dessert," said the staff at Red Chamber, who did not stop at the main course.
The restaurant has a section of sesame ice cream and a traditional Chinese bow tie – a deep-fried egg roll wrapper that is tied in the shape of a bow tie, deep-fried in syrup.
Located in Hyde Park Corner, Red Chamber is open from Tuesday to Sunday. Call 011 325 6048.