Kung Pao Chicken - China Chow, Newtown

I thought I would start off with a series on Kung Pao Chicken, as it's the latest dish i'm close to mastering so its fresh in my mind.  This wasn't the first time i'd ever had it, but it was this instance that sparked my curiosity enough to want to try it more.

China Chow is a slightly odd place, it's an offshoot of a buffet style outlet in the Reading Cinema complex food-court.  But it was recommended by a friend of a friend, and given she was Hong Kong Chinese we figured there was a good chance it might actually be reasonable.

It's a bit — no it's a lot — low budget, but if you're in the mood for a cheap good feed then it's a reasonably worthy option.  I can't claim to have sampled much of the menu but has plenty of the usual far you'll find in a Chinese restaurant in New Zealand, and has BBQ and hot pot stuff as well I think.

Now, the Kung Pao Chicken itself; well it wasn't bad, but as I would later come to find out it wasn't amazing either.  Certainly tasty, and with a reasonable chilli kick, it had plenty of chicken, and lots of veggies in a reddish sauce.  I normally hate peanuts but when I had this dish I found them more than tolerable I found them delicious.

At $16 it was a huge plate of food, and actually lasted me two meals so would easily feed two people with a starter or plate of rice.  I'll be trialling a few more places around Wellington before I go back for their Kung Pao, but in a pinch it serves rather nicely.

http://www.chinachow.co.nz/

http://www.dineout.co.nz/restaurant.php?rest=10799

View Larger Map