RBT on East Street is perhaps one of the strangest restaurants I’ve ever eaten in. I will contradict myself slightly in this journal entry, as I hardly ate anything in this green restaurant. I’ll avoid suggesting that the food was really bad and hint to you that it was not to my palate (a euphemism at best!).
The restaurant looked attractive, had numerous diners at the tables, and was only a stone’s throw from the hotel – all points in its favour. The menu was in English and the food looked attractive, both on the menu and the plates. We entered with high expectations. In the window, chairs were hanging from the ceiling and diners dangled precariously as they tried to maneuver their food and retain their balance. We opted for the more stable chairs, but even these were uncomfortable and had an infant-like appearance to them.
No alcohol is served in this fast-food green restaurant, but there was a superb selection of drinks (smoothies, iced fruits, teas, coffees, and the normal "fizzies" out of a can). Picking the drink was difficult, and I finally opted for a pearl tea with cream. This was an interesting drink - served in a long glass and sucked through a straw. There were numerous chocolate-looking beans, but they turned out to be globules of jelly. They were hard to avoid but fairly innocuous, and I’m not sure how much they contributed to this tasty drink. My wife predictably went for a rich chocolate drink from the menu’s "healthy" section. Boy, was it chocolaty!
For food, we opted for chicken with peanut rice and chicken with mushrooms – safe options that looked great in the pictures. After a fairly short wait, they were brought to the table. Each dish was served on a tray and served alongside a clear broth and a cold, spiced red cabbage. They looked superb, and we started with great enthusiasm. But the broth was heavily laced with fresh coriander (my wife’s most hated herb), and although I could avoid the leaves, my wife could not avoid the strong taste. It was a shame, because this was going to be the best part of the meal!
The dreaded coriander had also infiltrated the cabbage, and I found the dish overpowering and unpleasant. Neither of us managed more than a mouthful! Then we turned our attention to the main course. Chunks of chopped bone (possibly chicken leg, but I’m not convinced) constituted the meat, and the taste was distinct and unpleasant. Not to my taste and inedible. We ate the rice (a reasonable portion and not contaminated by the taste of the meat), paid the bill, and left.
This was by far the worst meal we’d endured in China. Perhaps it was us, because other diners seemed to be enjoying the food in this bright, clean, and trendy restaurant. I would not recommend the food, but their drinks were highly commendable.