After nearly starving to death at a launch event down the road, my guests and I decided to leave and frantically search for something to eat down Bridge Street.

I walked past a popular Chinese restaurant, aptly named Chinese Canteen, which serves Szechuan & Cantonese cuisine.

I have heard of it before on the Cambridge Foodies group. Reviews have been mixed but many people have also spoken highly of its authenticity and value. There are some great restaurants on Bridge Street but I decided to give it a whirl anyway, as we don’t cover nearly enough Chinese restaurants on the blog and this felt like it could be a true “hidden gem“.

The restaurant is as basic and plain as it gets, with white walls and minimalist decorations. This didn’t bother me remotely and it is something I feel people hold far too much stock in with restaurants. Most importantly, it is a comfy and practical place, aimed at value over style (which also isn’t going to charge me double because it has a nice view or a half a million pound renovation). I was not alone in these thoughts clearly, as the restaurant was rammed with Chinese people (which is another reassuring sign in itself).  🍺 – It was great to see Cobra beer on tap also.

The menu was vast with a wide array of choices (click here). As someone who isn’t overly experienced with Chinese food outside of a village takeaway, I didn’t want to order the insultingly common British classics, so I decided to entrust the restaurant with a set menu and enjoy the ride.

For a flat fee of £19.50 per person, we were given 7 dishes to share between 3.

Meal B (Minimum 3 People)

• Salt & Pepper Spare Ribs

• Deep fried Spicy Squid

• Beef Stir-fried Vegetables

• Sweet & Sour Chicken

• Kung Po Fish

• Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables (V)

• Egg fried Rice / Vegetable fried Noodles (V)

We were ravenous by this point, so couldn’t wait for the food to come out to get a big picture of the dishes together – but you get the idea. Each dish was a main portion in its own right, making it very easy to share between three people. The portion of egg fried rice was especially huge.

The beef stir-fried vegetables were absolutely incredible. The beef was so soft and rich, with a thick sauce. I could have eaten this all day but unfortunately I was limited by time and had to share with others.

The sweet and sour chicken was also a great contender, with a crispy skin and sweet flavour that wasn’t painfully sweet like you would find in a local village Chinese restaurant, making it feel more like a delicacy than a takeaway.

The salt and pepper spare ribs were decent enough but weren’t going to win any awards. I found them dry and tough with hardly any meat on the bone. You can’t win them all!

The Kung Po fish was one of my favourites of the evening. These big meaty chunks had a mild spicy warmth with a dominating sweetness and salty aftertaste. It was seasoned with nuts and chillies to give it extra flavour, a crunchy texture, and more colour. Beautiful!

The deep fried squid was another strong contender, offering big cuts of soft and chunky squid, with crispy skin. I was surprised at the quality of the squid for such a low price. This, along with the ribs, were served as starter portions.

The stir fried mixed vegetables came with mushrooms, onion, and a concoction of other goodies. As someone who once ate the entire head of garlic raw, this was still one of the most garlicky dishes I have ever eaten. It unfortunately didn’t get much love from the table but the vegetables were nice and crunchy in a nice big portion.

By the end of the meal we were all full and were left with 4 containers of food to bring home. Be careful when visiting, as portion sizes are huge 😂

For £20 per person, this is a right bargain, especially for central Cambridge in the tourist district. I found myself living off the leftovers for days after.

Conclusion

The Chinese Canteen offers great value in the heart of Cambridge while not letting it affect the quality of the food. Not only was I impressed with many of the dishes that I had tonight but the place was rammed with Chinese people, validating its authenticity and popularity. Not everything won me over tonight but for the price you cannot really argue.

The restaurant isn’t going to win any awards for style and I would likely avoid it for a first date or special occasion but this isn’t what the Chinese Canteen is going for. Its aim is value, practicality and authenticity – which is knocks straight out of the park!

What a find!