Durrat China
Arafat Street, Al-Hamra
Info & mapWrite a Review
Tel: 02 2833331
This Thursday night as our family wondered what to have for dinner, I had a craving for Chinese and as the closest option to us was Durrat China on Corniche Road, we hurried over as it was already midnight. We went upstairs and were shown a table but we requested the corner table which is has windows on two sides. To preserve local traditions the windows are adorned with a decorative gauze curtain. We asked for the curtains to be opened so that we could take in the view. Jeddah looks like a city of golden lights. The street lights glittered, and the traffic along the street next to the restaurant and all along Al-Andalus street glimmered and you felt the city was alive and well, thriving at midnight. The Masjid Al-Anani (popularly known as the ‘Golden Mosque’) is right opposite the restaurant and its golden dome stands majestically and adds the view.
Back to the restaurant, inside the decor is elegant with great big chandeliers, and red wallpaper, and plush sofas seats, as well as normal chairs. As we were taking in the view a waiter brought us the menu. We chose 2 Thai soups, a Hot and Sour Soup, Beef with Dry Chilli Sauce, Prawn Tepayanki (Sizzler), Prawn Fried Rice and Shanghai noodles. We ordered apple cider and Pepsi as dessert, if your party includes more than 3 individuals or if you are very thirsty, I recommend their jug of ‘Saudi champagne’ cocktail. The waiter also gave us the option of whether we wanted our food very hot/spicy or not.
Once we had ordered the waiter brought us finely chopped veggies soaked in white vinegar served in individual tiny bowls. Once we were finished the bowls were promptly taken away. Soup was served shortly after. I really enjoyed my Thai soup, they put in a generous amount of Thai ginger, as well prawns, and I felt it wards off any sign of cold or flu that you may have. The Hot and Sour soup was also well received. We asked if they had any Chinese crackers (available at certain other Chines restaurants), or something similar, but were disappointed to find they didn’t.
The mains arrived before I was even finished with my soup (but the rest of my party were), the Prawn Tepayanki the ‘sizzling’ dish was served with much fanfare and clanging of lids rounded off by the waiter exclaiming ‘Yummy!’ I suggest that if you have kids, that you definitely order and a sizzling dish because they usually taste scrumptious and the little performance entertains and entices the little ones to eat. The mains were all well received and there was silence at our table as we all devoured the meal hungrily.
My only complaint was that the prawns lacked their original prawn taste, but the sauce did compensate for that. I’m not certain as to reason, were the prawn frozen, or naturally lacking the prawn taste, I don’t know. The Shanghai noodles did not taste like an authentic Chinese recipe, but as we enjoyed it, I wouldn’t complain; whatever variation had been made was a positive one. The bill was SR350, for 3 people, I felt that on the whole it was an enjoyable meal, though just a little overpriced. Considering other restaurants in Jeddah that are much more overpriced and the food really disappoints, I was happy with my choice of Durrat China. Would I be going again? Yes.
This post was submitted by Misha.
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This restaurant has given me my worst restaurant experience ever. I haven’t seen such miserable customer service in my life, which actually made me walk out of the restaurant without placing any order. Last night i went with one of my guest (who was a foreigner) to their Alhamra Corniche’ outlet. I went there for the first time and wanted to explore this restaurant since this outlet has opened recently. We were two persons and we sat on a table for 8 (since only two tables were vacant and both could accomodate 8 persons). No one came to take the order for atleast 10 minutes. I stood up and went downstairs to call a guy to take an order. He came after 2 minutes and upon arrival he said in a VERY VERY rude way ‘This table is for 8, Haaza Kabeer, Go downstairs’. Upon which I told him that I there’s no other table available on this floor and that 2 tables are already free, so whats the issue. He said, I’m telling you to go down if you want to have food. I asked him to call the manager. He called him. I told him this is not the way you behave with your guests. To my utter surprize this guy replied in the same manner too. He said, the guy is right. This table is for 8 and if you want to have food then you’ll have to go downstairs on a table that accomodates less people.I guess both the guys were from the same nationality, which is why they supporte each other. I stood up and walked out of the restaurant. This is one of the most embarassing moment for me in front of my guest. I went to ‘On the Border’because it was nearby. Upon entrance we were greeted very warmly by the attendant and were escorted to a table and were asked for our order. I will never ever go to this restaurant and won’t recommend anyone to go there either. As a customer we expect courtesy and respect. To hell with their ‘number of branches’
This place is strongly recommended for those who love to treat their taste buds and have an exquisite dining experience whilst being relatively prudent in budget. Succinctly put, your money will not go in waste. My experience so far on visiting as frequent as monthly has been fantastic. The ambiance is pleasing and their has not been a single visit whereby we found our seating arrangement to be disagreeable. The serving starting from the carrot and cucumber pickles which tickles your taste buds to the final desserts comprising of mouthwatering pastries make your dining a very satisfying experience.
To all those who are contemplating of visiting Durrat China, I would urge you to try their sesame chicken steaks. It is something that has been a favorite among our family and friend circle without which our trip to the eatery remains incomplete. Also, make sure that you get complementary desserts in the end. For some bizarre reason the pastries are served at sporadic periods. This prompted me to give them a star less than the restaurant deserves.
P.S. order something served in sizzlers. They are very enticing!