Fast food chains sometimes have secret menus, but your local ethnic restaurant may have one as well. Bring along a native to unlock the secret items.
Photo by Chris Coyier
CHOW had an interesting discussion as to why this occurs at Chinese restaurants, but it happens with other ethnicities as well. Sometimes they may have a dish or two not listed on the menu, but available upon request. Other restaurants may have an entirely separate menu available in the native language. Bringing a friend familiar with the ethnicity and an ability to speak the language maximises your ability to find the hidden dishes.
I’ve done this many times and I’ve had some of the best meals of my life. I just can’t remember the names of the dishes.
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One response to “Bring A Friend Along To Order From Secret Ethnic Menus”
“Listen, man, I gotta be honest with you. I only invited you along because you look Chinese. Now I don’t give a fuck you’re Korean, as long as you pretend to be Chinese enough that we can order from a secret menu that the internet tells me exists, okay? Don’t get all kim chee on them and everything will be golden. I’ll buy you a prawn cracker. You people like prawn crackers, right?”
In Australia it is quite simple – Aussies have grown up on suburban Chinese restaurant food that is actually nothing like actual Chinese food. Now that we have a sizable Chinese population, restaurants offer more traditional dishes, usually in a Chinese only menu.
I had lunch the other day in a szechuan restaurant in Chinatown that had a variety of more traditional dishes using all parts of the animal and more traditional hot and cold dishes. They had a set banquet to make it easy for the Aussies ordering. Banquet A – chicken and corn soup, fried rice, spring rolls and lemon chicken. All that was missing was dim sims. Had to laugh.