Tags: blogger chinesefood foodblogger Restaurant review Zambia
Before I begin this review please note that Zesty Zoe is not affilliated with Dong Fang Restaurant and Hotel in Longacres Lusaka and this review is solely based on personal tastes and preferences.
Let’s begin!
I have very fond memories of this place because the first time I visited was with my family. My mum has visited prior with her friends and because we often did family dinner dates she suggested this place one night and it changed my perspective of dining and gave me a taste of my now favourite cuisine, Chinese.
On this occasion however, I’d wanted to extend the experience I had with my family to my boyfriend and I told him about the place, we went there one weekday, we were in the habit of doing this as weekdays just felt more intimate.
The first challenge was getting there! I’d never been there without my family and we always went at night so I never bother to pay attention to the routes we’d take, but it was a simple problem that google maps could fix easily.
So we got there, and trust me when I say the outward appearance doesn’t quite reflect how delicious the food is! Not that it’s bad looking or anything, just not really ‘fine dining-esque’ looking if you know what I mean.
We walked in and were quickly greeted by our waitress, she asked us where we preferred to sit and we pointed to a table close to the window cause the lighting seemed just so beautiful.
We sat and she brought our menus to us, I took the lead here and ordered what my family normally did; Szechuan chicken, fried noodles, mixed vegetables and my date added fried dumplings.
After we ordered she brought the plates and cutlery out for us.
This is how the food looked:
We thought we’d make it a little more interesting by learning to use chopsticks right there in the middle of the restaurant and we were giggling and making fun of each other throughout the meal. It was a lot of fun.
The waitress was within eye view and anytime we needed her we’d just wave and she’d be at our table; I really appreciated that.
The food:
Szechuan Chicken: I can’t explain to this day how flavour packed and just so delicious this chicken tastes. No seriously, it is just a melody of flavours that come together in perfect harmony ever so gently on your tongue. I wish they delivered because at this point I’m thinking of picking my phone up and calling them to order, might just do lunch there today.
Fried Noodles: I really felt crazy because the sauces look the same but somehow the flavours are all so different and you have these explosions of different flavour tones and it’s really just so delicious.
Mixed Vegetables: These veggies were fresh, seemingly steamed and also packed with flavour. A perfect accompaniment to any order in my opinion. We always add these every time we go there.
Dumplings: These were a miss for me. My date however gobbled then down like a crazy person so it’s really just a matter of preferences. I’d never order them again, he on the other hand always orders them. The only thing that helped me eat the two that I did was the soy sauce on the table, otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend them.
So after our fabulous lunch, we requested that our leftovers should be packed for us so the party would continue on at home. Answer to one of the questions for the July 31st, 2019: three ingredient homemade ice cream recipe.
Have you visited this restaurant? What’s another great Chinese restaurant that you’d recommend?
Side note: the only thing I genuinely dislike about this place is their plumbing, the bathroom area isn’t pleasant and I always prefer to hold it until I get home.
