Best Food In China

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Thank God it’s Friday’s……or should we? Recently, my wife and I had a desire to get some western-style food, and in Tianjin, true western food restaurants are few and far between, not to mention questionable quality with an hefty high price tag attached. That being said, when we decided to get some western food, we immediately thought of TGI Fridays, since it is well-known around Tianjin for the good selection of western-style food.

The restaurant itself is located on the first floor of the TEDA hotel on Fukang Road. It is easy enough to spot from the street, so getting there isn’t much of a problem. Almost all taxi drivers know of this restaurant, but you’d better call it by the Chinese name “Xing qi wu can ting.

Once you get there, and go through the front doors, you are greeted by a large open restaurant area, and the bar area is directly to the left of the entrance. The tables are spread out in a spacious fashion, and are all covered with a red and white checkered plastic tablecloth, which reminded me of a typical Canadian restaurant.

By far, the best part of this restaurant is the food. They offer a wide range of authentic, western style food, which is prepared in a reasonable time, usually. Too often, food will arrive at widely differing times, even if ordered at the same time, which makes for an awkward dining experience if you are with a group of people. My personal favorite, by far, is the Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs. This masterpiece of food creation is the main reason I would go to TGI Friday’s anytime. Anyone who loves pork ribs should definitely try this one out, you will NOT regret ordering this.
Drinks, on the other hand, are not as good as the food. I like to have a beer with my meal, and TGI Friday’s provides cold draught beer on tap, it’s too bad that the bartender does not know how to pour a draught beer. By the time it got to me, it was more beer-foam than beer. After the foam died away, all that was left was a flat, half a cup of beer which cost 30 RMB, I was not impressed. If I am to pay this much for a mug of draught, I at least expect 90% of the contents of the mug to be fluid, and filled to the brim of the glass, not to mention cold; TGI Friday’s only got one out of three correct here.
They also offer a variety of other alcoholic drinks, which are quite tasty, but be prepared for a 40+ RMB price tag per drink.
For children, there are a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, including a “bottomless” iced tea and Coke.
TGI’s also has a range of very nice desserts that you do not see normally, such as cheese cake, or a chocolate fudge ice cream pie. These are definitely worth a try.

The Service, unfortunately, is the worst part of coming to TGI Fridays. The servers are smartly dressed in TGI attire from head to toe, but appearances are deceiving. After you get your menu, you may not be visited by your service person again, unless you call out and demand their attention. After you receive your food, again, you may never be visited by your service person again unless you scream out for them, or tackle them as they rush by. It is almost as if they are trying to avoid attention.
I once ate there, and wanted another beer, and it took almost 10 minutes to get the attention of a service person, and another 10 minutes to get my beer, which was mostly foam and no liquid.
Overall, TGI Friday’s really needs to hire better help, or at least train those who do work there to be faster and more efficient.

If you are looking for a good meal at a reasonable price, and it would depend on your definition of reasonable. TGI Fridays average cost is more or less 100 RMB per person, so depending on your eating habits, this might be expensive. If you like prefer higher-end cuisine, such as steak and lobster, you may be looking at 200+ per person to eat, including drinks.

All in all, this place gets it right in most areas. The parts that they need to improve “can” be overlooked in favor of having a nice dining experience. I would recommend this place for birthday parties or any other casual dinner meetings where western food tastes are the dominant preference.

-by Darcy Cammer

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