When it’s authentic, you know it right away.
There is a sense of pride added, more so than just a restaurant cooking food – every dish represents the motherland and the culture you belong to.
At New City Palace, the Chinese food balances out with respect for the host culture; and photos of importance in the UAE are subtitled in Chinese language so that tourists from China who come for a meal can gain a deeper appreciation of the host nation.
Actually, you feel like you are in a little piece of China in the UAE capital city!
The menu is dedicated to a representation of Chinese cultural dishes, and the tastes are fully original and authentic – the husband and wife team proudly source their special ingredients directly from China!
Despite the focus on top quality and taste, New City Palace remains humble and simply aims to offer traditional Chinese food to their honored guests.
As you will see from the photos, this is five-star food but not at five-star prices!
Let’s start with the noodles… made fresh on the premises, in front of your very eyes. It’s one of New City Palace’s famous specialties, called La mian, and it is served in a flavorsome aromatic beef soup.
A meal in itself, the soup is light and tasty, and served steaming hot – if you like, you can add chili oil (directly from China) and a sour vinegar, to customize the taste to your preference. I left it as the chef presented it, and it was delectable.
We ordered three dishes, and each one was unique in flavor, texture, and presentation – each one carrying at least a thousand years of culinary history from the Chinese province of origin.
A sizzling version of calamari and vegetables on a cast iron hotplate, singing and steaming, arrived at our table with great fanfare – this is a wonderful theatrical dish, and the sounds and smell add to the enjoyment of a meal shared with family and friends.
The calamari was finely cut so that it cooked rapidly, and melts in your mouth – careful: it’s hot!
A variety of buns, noodles, or rice in different styles are available to accompany the dishes, which are usually placed at the center of the table and shared.
A simple and healthy vegetable dish, featuring bok choi, a popular type of Chinese cabbage with leafy greens and crispy white stalks – this was stir-fried in a wok, and served with garlic and/or oyster sauce.
Super-fresh, and flash-cooked to retain its crispiness, the bok choi at New City Palace was perfect in all regards! As mentioned, it is a very simple dish, but if you don’t know the secret tips handed down by Grandmas throughout China, you will never get it right in your home kitchen!
Simple does not always mean easy…
Lastly, a colorful version of fish in Szechuan style – this is the spicy cuisine from Sichuan province, famous for its generous use of chilis, garlic, and the unique taste of the Sichuan pepper.
And for this, it is the culinary style most copied in non-Chinese restaurants in UAE, where they add a ‘Chinese’ menu of dishes that taste nothing like real Chinese food.
That would be like me adding to my menu an ‘Indian Curry’ and then presenting mashed potatoes with Madras curry powder sprinkled over it… please, do not do it – experimental fusion, by all means, but don’t try call it original.
Here is where the original Sichuan taste comes from:
Overall, we were fully satisfied at New City Palace Restaurant, and we regret not trying the dim sum items – well, it just means we have an excuse to return again and again!
We did however try a traditional Chinese dessert, a sesame sweet bun – also handmade in the restaurant.
And inside, a scrumptious red bean paste!
In conclusion, for a fully authentic Chinese meal in Abu Dhabi, at a superbly competitive price point, New City Palace Restaurant is an excellent choice.
And if you can’t make it person, then a fantastic full-family meal can be ordered by phone and delivered via Zomato for a delight in the comfort of your own home!