Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 15 and Version 4 of China China, SE13 5PT

Version 15 Version 4
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China China was a Chinese restaurant in [[Locale Lewisham|Lewisham]]. It has now closed. As of September 2019 the premises are occupied by a Japanese restaurant called Toro Ramen.
Chinese restaurant in [[Locale Lewisham|Lewisham]], offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties.
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The information below is retained for historical purposes.
Its Chinese name is &#27138;&#21619;&#39321; (l&egrave; w&egrave;i xi&#257;ng), and as of August 2010 this is actually the only name on the frontage, though it also goes by the English names of "Le Wei Xiang" and the rather idiosyncratically-translated "Happy Smell" <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4775356669/ photo]</small>. Note that as of August 2010 they accept cash only.
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<div class="old_info">
Chinese restaurant in [[Locale Lewisham|Lewisham]], offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties. They also have tabletop barbecue things for doing Korean barbecue.

Previously known as &#27138;&#21619;&#39321; (l&egrave; w&egrave;i xi&#257;ng) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4775384759/ photo]</small>, with the English names of "Le Wei Xiang" and the rather idiosyncratically-translated "Happy Smell" <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4775356669/ photo]</small>, it [http://web.archive.org/web/20170109052937/http://www.southeastcentral.co.uk/threads/le-wei-xiang.122/#post-9278 changed its name] to Taste Inn around the start of 2012 <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/9638225178/ photo]</small>. However, the menu and management remained the same. By late 2014 it had changed its name again, to China China, though again the menu remained the same. Note that as of August 2010 they accept cash only.

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Inside, the decor is pretty cafe-like. The ground floor seats around 25 people at small two-person or four-person tables. There are a couple of private rooms upstairs, one of which at least has karaoke facilities.
Inside, it seats around 25 people at small two-person or four-person tables covered with paper tablecloths. The decor is pretty cafe-like.
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[[Kake]] has visited several times now. Midweek in summer 2010, the place was practically empty, though we did note a couple of groups going upstairs for karaoke on the top floor (not audible from the ground-floor dining area). On another midweek visit in February 2011, it was somewhat busier, but this may have been because it was Chinese New Year's Eve. On a Sunday lunchtime in August 2013, [[Kake]] was the only customer.
[[Kake]] visited a couple of times in summer 2010. Both visits were midweek, and the place was practically empty both times, though on the second visit we did note a couple of groups going upstairs for karaoke on the top floor (not audible from the ground-floor dining area).
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Sliced pork with mashed garlic (&#33948;&#27877;&#30333;&#32905;/su&agrave;n n&iacute; b&aacute;i r&ograve;u; &pound;5 in July 2010) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4779813089/ photo]</small> was wonderfully pungent, with a veritable mountain of mashed garlic &#8212; the kind of dish you'll be smelling of for days. The pork was thinly sliced, and dressed with just enough chilli oil that it had a hint of chilli heat and wasn't dry at all. Slivers of cucumber added a refreshing crunch. The portion was generously-sized, too.
Sliced pork with mashed garlic (&#33948;&#27877;&#30333;&#32905;/su&agrave;n n&iacute; b&aacute;i r&ograve;u; &pound;5) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4779813089/ photo]</small> was wonderfully pungent, with a veritable mountain of mashed garlic &#8212; the kind of dish you'll be smelling of for days. The pork was thinly sliced, and dressed with just enough chilli oil that it had a hint of chilli heat and wasn't dry at all. Slivers of cucumber added a refreshing crunch. It was a generous portion &#8212; I couldn't finish it, and was very happy that they were willing to pack it up for me to take away.
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Coriander with green pepper and onion (&#32769;&#34382;&#33756;/l&#462;o h&#468; c&agrave;i/tiger salad; &pound;3 in August 2010) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4870228934/ photo]</small> was a bit disappointing, with the vegetables cut into huge chunks rather than the thin slivers that would have made the flavours blend better (see [[Sanxia Renjia, W1T 2PP]] for a better rendition).
Coriander with green pepper and onion (&#32769;&#34382;&#33756;/l&#462;o h&#468; c&agrave;i/tiger salad; &pound;3) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4870228934/ photo]</small> was a bit disappointing, with the vegetables cut into huge chunks rather than the thin slivers that would have made the flavours blend better (see [[Sanxia Renjia, W1T 2PP]] for a better rendition).
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Shredded tripe with beef slices, sesame seeds, and chilli oil (&#22827;&#22971;&#32954;&#29255;/f&#363; q&#299; f&egrave;i pi&agrave;n/man-and-wife offal slices; &pound;5 in August 2010) was good, with well-textured honeycomb tripe and small nibs of peanuts to add even more texture. It wasn't drenched in oil, but what oil there was was nicely hot.
Shredded tripe with beef slices, sesame seeds, and chilli oil (&#22827;&#22971;&#32954;&#29255;/f&#363; q&#299; f&egrave;i pi&agrave;n/man-and-wife offal slices; &pound;5) was good, with well-textured honeycomb tripe and small nibs of peanuts to add even more texture. It wasn't drenched in oil, but what oil there was was nicely hot.
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Disappointingly, fried shredded pork in Peking sauce (&#20140;&#37292;&#32905;&#32114;/j&#299;ng ji&agrave;ng r&ograve;u s&#299;; &pound;6 in February 2011) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/5419238051/ photo]</small> didn't come with the beancurd pancakes that it should have, but rather the wheat-based pancakes normally served with crispy shredded duck.
Chinese leaves in vinegar (&#37259;&#28316;&#30333;&#33756;/c&ugrave; li&ugrave; b&aacute;i c&agrave;i; &pound;4) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4779186973/ photo]</small> were nice and crunchy, with well-balanced flavours. Stir fried tong cai (&#29079;&#28818;&#31354;&#24515;&#33756;/qi&agrave;ng ch&#462;o k&#333;ng x&#299;n c&agrave;i; &pound;5) was similarly well-executed, gently flavoured with one or two dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Plain rice was pretty good, not at all mushy, and just right for picking up with chopsticks.
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Fried aubergine with mince pork in soy sauce (&#32905;&#26411;&#33540;&#23376;/r&ograve;u m&ograve; qi&eacute; zi; &pound;6 in August 2013) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/9634990509/ photo]</small> had nicely-fried aubergines, with a crisp coating slowly softening in the savoury sauce, and plenty of sliced browned garlic.
Service was fine, and tap water arrived quickly on request. They are licensed, but the house wine was nothing special (albeit cheap at around &pound;10/bottle). There was no background music, but they did have the TV on above the bar, showing Chinese soap operas with the sound on.
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Chinese leaves in vinegar (&#37259;&#28316;&#30333;&#33756;/c&ugrave; li&ugrave; b&aacute;i c&agrave;i; &pound;4 in July 2010) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4779186973/ photo]</small> were nice and crunchy, with well-balanced flavours. Stir fried tong cai (&#29079;&#28818;&#31354;&#24515;&#33756;/qi&agrave;ng ch&#462;o k&#333;ng x&#299;n c&agrave;i; &pound;5 in August 2010) was similarly well-executed, gently flavoured with one or two dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Plain rice was pretty good, not at all mushy, and just right for picking up with chopsticks.

Service has generally been fine, though a little slow on our February 2011 visit (we suspect the large groups in the upstairs rooms were keeping them busy). They are licensed, but the house wine we tried in August 2010 was nothing special (albeit cheap at around &pound;10/bottle). There was no background music on our first few visits, but they did have the TV on above the bar, showing Chinese soap operas with the sound on.

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* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/sets/72157624506707766/ Kake's photoset on Flickr]
* [https
://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/le-wei-xiang-closed Time Out review]
* [http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:27130/le-wei-xiang Time Out review]
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* [http://lizzieeatslondon.blogspot.com/2011/04/le-wei-xiang-lewisham.html Hollow Legs review]
* [http://richardelliot.blogspot.com/2014/07/sitting-in-window-of-taste-inn-on-lee.html Richard Elliot's review]
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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]], August 2013.</div>
</div>
address='80 Lee High Road, SE13 5PT'
category='Featured Article,Now Closed'
edit_type='Normal edit'
<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]] and friends, August 2010. Opening hours taken from sign in window, July 2010.</div>
address='80 Lee High Road'
category='Chinese Food,Featured Article,Restaurants,Sichuan Food,Takeaway'
edit_type='Minor tidying'
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host='81.187.166.218'
hours_text=''
major_change='1'
host='81.2.102.215'
hours_text='1pm-11pm Mon-Tue; 5pm-11pm Wed; 1pm-11pm Thu-Sun (may be variable)'
latitude='51.460865'
locale='Lewisham,SE13'
longitude='-0.004978'
major_change='0'
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node_image='https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1771/42935900055_049fb7c1d3_m_d.jpg'
node_image='https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4775384759_da3c2ea82f_m.jpg'
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node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/42935900055/'
opening_hours_text=''
phone=''
postcode=''
summary='Now closed; was a small Chinese restaurant in Lewisham, offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties.' summary='Small Chinese restaurant in Lewisham, offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties.'
node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4775384759/in/set-72157624506707766/'
opening_hours_text='1pm-11pm Mon-Tue; 5pm-11pm Wed; 1pm-11pm Thu-Sun (may be variable)'
os_x='538579'
os_y='175485'
phone='020 8318 2525'
summary='Now closed; was a small Chinese restaurant in Lewisham, offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties.' postcode='SE13 5PT'
summary='Small Chinese restaurant in Lewisham, offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties.'

Chinese restaurant in Lewisham, offering Sichuan and Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) specialties.

Its Chinese name is 樂味香 (lè wèi xiāng), and as of August 2010 this is actually the only name on the frontage, though it also goes by the English names of "Le Wei Xiang" and the rather idiosyncratically-translated "Happy Smell" photo. Note that as of August 2010 they accept cash only.

The menu includes both the usual Anglicised Chinese restaurant items, and a separate section labelled "Genuine Chinese Tastes" with all the good stuff, including cold dishes, pig's blood soup, Sichuan dishes, and Dongbei dishes.

Inside, it seats around 25 people at small two-person or four-person tables covered with paper tablecloths. The decor is pretty cafe-like.

Kake visited a couple of times in summer 2010. Both visits were midweek, and the place was practically empty both times, though on the second visit we did note a couple of groups going upstairs for karaoke on the top floor (not audible from the ground-floor dining area).

Sliced pork with mashed garlic (蒜泥白肉/suàn ní bái ròu; £5) photo was wonderfully pungent, with a veritable mountain of mashed garlic — the kind of dish you'll be smelling of for days. The pork was thinly sliced, and dressed with just enough chilli oil that it had a hint of chilli heat and wasn't dry at all. Slivers of cucumber added a refreshing crunch. It was a generous portion — I couldn't finish it, and was very happy that they were willing to pack it up for me to take away.

Coriander with green pepper and onion (老虎菜/lǎo hǔ cài/tiger salad; £3) photo was a bit disappointing, with the vegetables cut into huge chunks rather than the thin slivers that would have made the flavours blend better (see Sanxia Renjia, W1T 2PP for a better rendition).

Shredded tripe with beef slices, sesame seeds, and chilli oil (夫妻肺片/fū qī fèi piàn/man-and-wife offal slices; £5) was good, with well-textured honeycomb tripe and small nibs of peanuts to add even more texture. It wasn't drenched in oil, but what oil there was was nicely hot.

Chinese leaves in vinegar (醋溜白菜/cù liù bái cài; £4) photo were nice and crunchy, with well-balanced flavours. Stir fried tong cai (熗炒空心菜/qiàng chǎo kōng xīn cài; £5) was similarly well-executed, gently flavoured with one or two dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Plain rice was pretty good, not at all mushy, and just right for picking up with chopsticks.

Service was fine, and tap water arrived quickly on request. They are licensed, but the house wine was nothing special (albeit cheap at around £10/bottle). There was no background music, but they did have the TV on above the bar, showing Chinese soap operas with the sound on.

Kake's verdict: Would happily come back.

Accessibility: A small step up and then down to get in. The toilets are up a flight of stairs with one bend and a handrail.

See also:

Last visited by Kake and friends, August 2010. Opening hours taken from sign in window, July 2010.

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