TANG RESTAURANT 唐苑中餐厅

Written by Stephen and Luna

It had been a long time since I’d been to the Sheraton West on Fenghao Road, but when I found out that their Chinese restaurant, Tang, was offering a new lunch buffet, Luna and I decided to head straight over and check it out.
We entered the second-floor restaurant to find a rather small, quiet dining room. Only two of the dozen or so tables were occupied, so we didn’t have to wait to be seated. After sitting down to a nice cold glass of water, the waitress brought over the special menu for the lunch buffet. The menu was in both English and Chinese, which made it easier to order.  The double-sided placard had a wide selection of different dishes to order from, including local and regional favorites. Despite being billed as a dim sum lunch, there were only a few traditional dim sum menu items. That might be disappointing for some, but it included one of my favorites, honeyed roast pork (叉烧), so I was covered. You can order as many dishes from the menu as you like, but bear in mind that some of the dishes were “subject to availability”. Still, there were plenty of delicious sounding dishes that are always available, so we ordered and waited for the food to arrive.
And so began a steady stream of deliciousness. The first dish to come out was the sweet pork, so we dug in right away.  The flavor was spot on, and the portion was surprisingly large for this style of meal.  Next, shrimp stir-fried with okra and ginger.  An interesting combination to be sure, but the overall impression was quite good.  The most impressive thing was the size of the shrimp, massive chunks of crunchy goodness from the sea.
Where the menu really stood out though was with the Shaanxi style dishes, of which there were many.  After inquiring with the waitress, I found out that most of the chefs were, in fact, from Shaanxi.  The trickle of dishes continued, plate stacks growing taller and taller on our table.  It was a true smorgasbord.
Finally, we ordered dessert.  There were several Cantonese-style desserts, including that ever-funky favorite, the durian puff.  If you’ve never been introduced to the King of Fruits, then the durian puff is the perfect way to softball it onto your palate. A crispy pastry, wrapped around a smooth core of durian paste…what’s not to love (besides the smell)?
In all, the Sheraton’s lunchtime buffet offerings are varied, a selection of favorites from all over China. If you’re looking to sample something new without committing to an entire dish, then this may be the place for you.  Check it out any day at lunch.
Pros: The local dishes really stood out, decent portions, has durian
Cons: Some dishes unavailable, drinks and service not included, limited dim sum options
Address:Nr.262 Feng Hao East Road( 丰镐东路262号 )
Tel:029-8426 1888 x 1762
Open Hours:11:30am – 2:00pm   5:30pm – 10:00pm