Names of Chinese restaurants

[artsfartsyjanet]

What are the fast food Chinese restaurants in your area? The ones I know in my area are:

Wok 'n Roll
Lam's Garden
Chung Wah
Chinese Express
Panda Express
China Chop Suey

... and that's all i can think of right now. What kind of foods do you normally get at a chinese fast food place?

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by artsfartsyjanet@May 19 2003, 10:22 AM
Chung Wah
that sounds like http://www.chinalanguage.com/cgi-bin/char.cgi?4E2D.gifhttp://www.chinalanguage.com/cgi-bin/char.cgi?83EF.gif, which is just a really formal way of saying "Chinese". (not as in the language, but as an adjective.)

[SunWuKong]

if i opened a americanised chinese restaurant, i'm going to name it Suk Mai Egg Roll.

[AngryABCGirl]

Originally posted by artsfartsyjanet@May 19 2003, 06:22 AM
What are the fast food Chinese restaurants in your area? The ones I know in my area are:

Wok 'n Roll
Lam's Garden
Chung Wah
Chinese Express
Panda Express
China Chop Suey

... and that's all i can think of right now. What kind of foods do you normally get at a chinese fast food place?
All the Chinese Restaurants in my area don't attempt to appeal to America ears, except maybe for one of the restaurants is called SinBala, but I know the owner and she's kind of wacky.

Some favorites I like to go to are (I should really learn Pin Yin, all I ever learned was Bue Peh Meh Phoh:

Tsau Di Ren
Sin Ba La
Tai Pan Tsau Tsu (not the chain, some dude bought it over but didn't take off the big Taipan sign)
Da Ching

[applehead]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@May 19 2003, 07:37 AM
if i opened a americanised chinese restaurant, i'm going to name it Suk Mai Egg Roll.
that's very um, creative.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Peking Garden. Hunan Garden. Green Garden. Hong Kong Flower Garden. Shanghai Garden. Sichuan Garden. Cathay Garden. Lucky Garden.

don't these stupid ass new england chinese people have any creativity at all?

[Chester]

There's not too much thought that goes into the names of Chinese places' English names. Usually they're technically descriptive -- i.e., "Hunan [X]" -- or follow certain clichés -- i.e. "Panda Garden" -- or are generically straight-forward, i.e. "Dynasty Seafood House."

Many places seem to follow an unwritten rule that one or more of the following words must be incorporated into the name: garden, dynasty, dragon, palace, garden, garden, and garden.

If an owner is not gearing themselves specifically toward the Western market, then the names really don't matter. I've seen restaurants change ownership, with the Chinese name changed, but with the English name kept just as it is. There used to be a good chao-zhou-style place in Santa Clara that took over a location formerly doing business as a coffe-shop-lounge sort of a place. It had been named The Pines, and when they put in the Chinese restaurant, it was still named "The Pines."

Anyway, some of the bigger places around the Bay Area: Koi Palace, ABC Seafood, Joy Luck Place, Mayflower Restaurant, Fook Yuen, Hong Kong Flower Lounge, Dynasty Seafood.

[yoMAMA]

Manchu Wok anyone?

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by Chester@May 19 2003, 01:20 PM
Anyway, some of the bigger places around the Bay Area: Koi Palace, ABC Seafood, Joy Luck Place, Mayflower Restaurant, Fook Yuen, Hong Kong Flower Lounge, Dynasty Seafood.
Heh ... my grandma loves HK flower lounge for some reason, never figured out why. food seemed kinda forgettable to me.

[Chester]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@May 19 2003, 10:51 AM
Heh ... my grandma loves HK flower lounge for some reason, never figured out why.
Probably vestigial fondness. It used to be amongst the cream of the crop.

food seemed kinda forgettable to me.

That's about where it's at now. Nowadays, I consider it useful for being a mid-Peninsula place with banquet facilities.

[unordinary.girl]

the closest chinese fast food restaurant from my place is hong kong express ...not really a creative :rolleyes:

[537]

Damn, nobody's mentioned:

Sam Woo BBQ
Luk Yue

[SunWuKong]

let's not forget... P.F. Chang's China Bistro! :D

[sOKaLiBoY]

we have one good chinese restaurant....Tin Sing. all the other ones suck ass

[mr. x]

Originally posted by artsfartsyjanet@May 19 2003, 06:22 AM

Wok 'n Roll

Lol do u live near Davis? my brother went there

[sandra]

i like 168.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by kasia@May 19 2003, 09:26 PM
i like 168.
hah! that's a cool name. :D

[amietron]

Originally posted by mr. x@May 19 2003, 04:12 PM
Originally posted by artsfartsyjanet@May 19 2003, 06:22 AM

Wok 'n Roll

Lol do u live near Davis? my brother went there
there's one i know of in san jose.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by amietron@May 19 2003, 11:17 PM
Originally posted by mr. x@May 19 2003, 04:12 PM
Originally posted by artsfartsyjanet@May 19 2003, 06:22 AM

Wok 'n Roll

Lol do u live near Davis? my brother went there
there's one i know of in san jose.
there's on in pittsburgh. probably coincidence though.

[AngryABCGirl]

Originally posted by 537@May 19 2003, 01:28 PM
Damn, nobody's mentioned:

Sam Woo BBQ

LoL, I remember they had to close down for awhile because the health inspector gave them such a bad rating.

[lethal]

There's lots of Wok 'n Rolls in malls. I'm pretty sure its a chain like Panda Express.

[Tao]

Originally posted by lethalweapon@May 20 2003, 12:43 AM
There's lots of Wok 'n Rolls in malls. I'm pretty sure its a chain like Panda Express.
there's one on the east side in manhattan

[tvbdude]

my uncles both owned take out restaurants in the suburbs and it's called jade chef and magic island.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

8 Chinese restaurants in my college town, they all suck ass

[artsfartsyjanet]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@May 19 2003, 04:34 PM
let's not forget... P.F. Chang's China Bistro! :D
BAH!!!!

[artsfartsyjanet]

Originally posted by mr. x@May 19 2003, 07:12 PM
Originally posted by artsfartsyjanet@May 19 2003, 06:22 AM

Wok 'n Roll

Lol do u live near Davis? my brother went there
No, St. Louis fast food chinese restaurants here are very uncreative....and I hate the word Chop Suey. It's more referred to as chop SUUUUUUUUEY by ignorant folk.

[Chester]

Originally posted by tazadar@May 20 2003, 07:42 AM
Does 99 Ranch counts?
As a stupid name? I consulted with experts and their verdict? Yes.

It's funny...virtually everyone I know refers to it as "Ranch 99" even though they might know that it's supposed to be "99 Ranch." But I think they're doing 99 Ranch a favor by reducing the idiocy of their name.

[amietron]

Originally posted by Chester@May 20 2003, 09:38 AM
As a stupid name? I consulted with experts and their verdict? Yes.

It's funny...virtually everyone I know refers to it as "Ranch 99" even though they might know that it's supposed to be "99 Ranch." But I think they're doing 99 Ranch a favor by reducing the idiocy of their name.
I thought that was a market?

ABC Seafood Restaurant
Hong Kong Flower Lounge
Hot Wok
Mr. Fong's Restaurant
Rickshaw Corner
Silver Lake

[Faithless]

King Dong (http://www.bestofberkeley.com/view_business.asp?business_id=4036) in Berkeley on Shattuck.

[lethal]

I saw a place named China Haste this weekend. I suppose they were trying to emphasize that they there "fast" Chinese food. It could've also been a typo for China Taste I guess.

[Faithless]

Speaking of Chinese Restaurant names: why are some of them so unoriginal in this sense: there's so many with "gold" or "dragon" in them. Whose benefit is that for?

[Everglaze]

Originally posted by yoMAMA@May 19 2003, 10:23 AM
Manchu Wok anyone?
Yep. Manchu Wok is the one I know of. Wok 'n Roll...hmm, I've only seen one Wok 'n Roll restaurant around here.

[iris]

New York City

AZ - French/Asian - try the tasting menu with the wine tasting as an excellent complement. Keep the menu, you'll want it for later to remember the spectacular wines. Reservations should be made weeks in advance. Ask for a table facing the street since you will be three stories up. The sight is gorgeous.

Vong - French/Thai - also recommend the tasting menu, but order the speciality cocktails seperately. Best desert is the molton chocolate cake.

Asia de Cuba - Latin/Asian - get two appetizers and one entree, save room for a spectacularly huge desert. Go for the tuna tartare and lobster crabcakes. The fried snapper stuffed with crab in a red pepper sauce is also excellent. Skip the wine and sangria and try their extensive cocktail list instead. Ask for a table if you're on a date else you will be forced to sit at a communal long table. Parties of 3 or more may request a white booth.

Basta Pasta - Japanese/Cuban - an open-air kitchen that serves up sushi and homemade pasta. Friendly Japanese owners recommend the Pasta Parmesan, a dish where servers roll out a huge wheel of parmesan cheese and dump steaming pasta right into a carved out hole. Try the raspberry champagne and specialty drinks.

Blue Water Grill - Pan Asian Fusion - in the heart of Union Square, this mecca of delicious seafood will rock your tastebuds. The barbeque eel roll is a must-have. Order a bottle of wine and an upstairs table. Take a date. Romantic atmosphere up top, group party room down below.

Joe Shanghai's - Chinese - famous for its xiao long baos, or soup dumplings, this treasure of NYC is tucked in an alley of Chinatown. 8 soup dumplings for about $6 is as cheap as it gets in New York. Also try the hu phun, a flat fried noodle dish with beef. Be forewarned, like an angry Asian woman, Joe's only takes cash.

Ping's - Chinese Dim Sum - men in see-through tank tops, cut-off jean shorts, and flip-flops lounging at this long-time NYC establishment will make you think you're in Hong Kong again. The best dim sum in Chinatown offers cheap, but tasty fare and if you speak in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), you'll be seated faster. Same could be said of Joe's above.



St. Louis, MO

Royal Chinese BBQ - Chinese - you know a restuarant is authentically Chinese when you see roasted duck hanging in the window. Not only will you find the best Peking Duck in all of St. Louis, but you'll also get ribs racks and the odd animal body part hanging from the window, adding to the ambience. Here, you can even find Zhu Xiu, or pig's blood soup and Chinese menus. Order in Chinese and you'll get the best service this side of the Mississippi.

Vietnam Star - Vietnamese - delicious fare with a tinge of Americanism. Try a sizzling plate. Terrible service.

Mai Lee's - Vietnamese - the spring rolls wrapped in a soft skin is the best in town. Good variety of appetizers. Some Chinese influence taints the menu of an otherwise great restuarant.

[mr. x]

hey did anyone else get that same feeling when u saw the abercrummy shirts that had the "wok and bowl" thing on it and it reminded your of the wok and roll restaurant?

[ChinaLama]

Iris, you forgot the sister Joe's Shanghai in Flushing!!

anyway, I like the literal translations. Like in Chinese they sound pretty decent, but in English they sound weird.

Ren Ren something become's "People People's" when it really means, "A Restaurant for Everyone."

and there's another one that's translated as "Joy Fun Restaurant." Am I the only person who thinks that sounds like a whorehouse?

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by ChinaLama@May 30 2003, 09:30 AM
Iris, you forgot the sister Joe's Shanghai in Flushing!!

anyway, I like the literal translations. Like in Chinese they sound pretty decent, but in English they sound weird.

Ren Ren something become's "People People's" when it really means, "A Restaurant for Everyone."

and there's another one that's translated as "Joy Fun Restaurant." Am I the only person who thinks that sounds like a whorehouse?
or how about the ones that have english names that are half literal translations?

Xin Hua becomes "New Hua"

those are the funniest.

[Emperor_Mike]

Originally posted by ChinaLama@May 30 2003, 05:30 AM
and there's another one that's translated as "Joy Fun Restaurant." Am I the only person who thinks that sounds like a whorehouse?
I think it sounds like a restaurant where you can have fun and be filled with joy.

At the whorehouse downstairs.

[Chester]

Just in case you're opening a restaurant and are having a tough time naming it:

http://test.duffyshanley.com/chinrest/namer.html

[Faithless]

Originally posted by Chester@Jun 3 2003, 09:51 AM
Just in case you're opening a restaurant and are having a tough time naming it:

http://test.duffyshanley.com/chinrest/namer.html
So, that's how they do that.

I came up with Jade Pagoda, and sure enough...