China White

Rating: 3.5 forks

Price: $$$

Service: Good

Cuisine: upscale Chinese

    Tonight I ate at China White in Greenwich for the second time.  Now, when I think of Chinese food, I usually think of greasy noodles and overly sauced dishes, (which don't get me wrong, can be good in small amounts), but China White makes Chinese food simple, delicate, and delicious; everything but greasy and overly sauced. It starts before you even sit down, with its sleek and modern decor, floor to ceiling glass windows, and over all white theme, greasy food just wouldn't really fit in. I went as a party of three around 6:45 and it was jammed, (the restaurant doesn't take reservations for parties fewer then 6), so we decided to sit at the bar. Now this decision was fine by me because the restaurant features an open kitchen, a perfect view to watch the chefs whip up tasty concoctions.
     The waiters, dressed in white jump suits which is honestly just a little excessive and slightly factory like, give you crispy wonton strips with 3 house made dipping sauces to nibble on. Beyond addicting. The menu is elegant and simple, and is definitely not overwhelming, which in this case is a good thing. To start, my group ordered spare ribs, the crunchy mango vegetable summer rolls, and scallion pancakes. The spare ribs were excellent; tender with just enough bite and a great garlicky soy glaze that'll have you licking your lips and your fingers. The summer rolls were my favorite. So light, so fresh, and so crisp. Dunked in a peanut sauce with crushed peanut morsels for texture the contrast of the crunchy and clean vegetables with the rich and creamy peanut sauce is divine. Mmmm. Now I'm not usually a scallion pancake person just because they aren't the healthiest, but these are not worth passing up. They are thin and light yet somehow carry the doughy folds that all the flavor is tucked into. Dipped into a soy hoisin type sauce and sprinkled with fresh scallions, it is more then worth being unhealthy.

     For entrees we went a little nuts. We ordered wok stirred prawns, chicken lo mein, tangerine beef, and the chop chop chicken salad. I was pretty hungree...The prawns were dressed in a white whine ginger sauce and mixed with eggplant, shitake mushroom caps, jicama, and scallions. The prawns were tender and perfectly cooked and the sauce, while I will admit it was slightly heavy, did not weigh the dish down. The vegetables added texture and a nice taste to the dish as well. The lo mein was pretty good. It was a classic chicken lo mein and while it had some high points, it lacked a little flavor and wasn't as refined or special as the rest of the restaurant. If you want a rich and intense experience, order the tangerine beef. Pieces of beef wear a coat of insane crispyness fully loaded with a deep tangerine and chili flavor. The crunchy outside is dressed in a glaze that mixes fruity with salty and with more then a hint of chili, it has your taste buds singing. Paired with some clean baby bok choy the dish works extremely well. The chicken salad consisted of ice berg, chicken chunks, halved cherry tomatoes, celery, and crispy wonton strips all tossed in a ginger dressing. Dressing was great, but the salad was a little weak. I don't think celery added anything to the salad and even seemed a little of of place.

    The perfect way to end a meal is obviously with something sweet and China White clearly knows this. While we didn't order dessert, with your check comes a huge fluffy mound of white cotton candy. Let me tell you, cotton candy is my favorite thing in the world, and this one was great. It was an organic green tee chai flavored and was as fluffy and light as fresh fallen snow. Yes, I was with two other people, but no, they did not stand a chance with the cotton candy. Overall, it was a good way to leave with a sweet impression in my mouth.

Would I go back? Yes. Was it good? Yes. Am I in true love? Unfortunately, no.

HUNGREE 4 LIFE.

xo

hungree girl.