Once inside the grand entrance of Hu Cui, grandeur gives way to rather ho-hum Chinese cuisine. Hu Cui seems to attract more Westerners than Chinese, and this, along with bored waitresses, sadly says a lot about its cuisine. The drunken chicken was much too strong, so we had to eat around the fumes of this dish and crunch down cucumber to cleanse our palates. Unfortunately, the cucumber was doused in too much garlic, which we had to tediously pick off. The only saving grace was the correct texture of the tender chicken breast meat. The deep fried pork ribs lacked its salt and pepper component, while the braised beancurd consisted of tasteless medallions of beancurd thrown into warmed brown sauce. The fragrant hot and sour soup fared much better and the French beans were deliciously hot and salty, lightly fried with minced meat and scallions. The other saving grace was the spicy la mian with minced meat and mushroom, which was enough to outshine the rest of the restaurant’s menu. These, with the banana fritters dipped in honey, were the only three items we’d order the next time we visit. We’d even send back the overly salted nuts on the table. It seems that after so long as Crystal Jade’s upmarket flagship restaurant, Hu Cui’s good looks impress more than its cuisine.
