Medium Plate Chicken – Unattended Baggage

Silk Road is Xinjiang style restaurant, Xinjiang is in China. Silk Road is a Chinese restaurant.

These statements are logical. I tend to like logic.

My girlfriend has been to China many times, her father lives there, and she often craves a Chinese meal. Unfortunately all of my previous experiences of Chinese restaurants have been terrible – although there was one in San Francisco that I remember being better than terrible, our hosts had Chinese roots, I think they knew what they were doing.

The girlfriend was in town and wanting Chinese, I was paying. I did a little research. Lots of bloggers that tend to talk sense, take glorious photographs and like other restaurants I like had been to Silk Road and raved about it. Silk Road is in Camberwell. Camberwell is not too far from Croydon. Using my powers of logic I concluded that I may too find Silk Road agreeable and promptly booked a table.

I am glad I booked a table. Arriving at 8pm we were seated in a full restaurant and before we could make an order four groups had been turned away. The girlfriend ordered some dumplings, pakchoi, some sliced cold beef I insisted on the medium plate chicken to share. I then ordered a couple of skewers of offal, because they were there, cheap and I am like that.

Everything was excellent. The girlfriend hoovered most of the dumplings with slices of soy sweet beef. Skewered lambs kidneys dropped pink blood on the plate and oozed rich spice on the tongue. The medium plate chicken was presented big enough for four. At this point the girlfriend, full of dumpling and overpowered by chili slowed down, ordered an aloe juice, and watched me go.

Developing meat and heat sweats I gnawed away at evry bone in the bowl, slurped up the noodles, then took a spoon to the broth. It was a hefty meal. At nine quid it was much cheaper and much more satisfying than a KFC bargain bucket. I have eaten both solo and I can confirm that Silk Road’s medium plate chicken wins by the length of the wall of China.

The place is busy, and rightly so. I would recommend booking and taking a large group of friends so you can try everything on the menu and still have space for some chicken.

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