Kings Chef

The culinary offerings at this establishment in Reading are unquestionably among the best in the city. Each dish is a testament to the artistry and dedication that has been poured into its preparation, resulting in a dining experience that captivates the senses. The service provided by the duo of diligent students on staff is highly commendable. They carry out their responsibilities with an admirable blend of professionalism and warm hospitality, creating an atmosphere that greatly enhances the dining experience. Additionally, the establishment demonstrates its appreciation for its patrons by offering complimentary prawn crackers with every order exceeding sixteen pounds. This delightful incentive not only adds an extra touch of satisfaction to the meal but also underscores the establishment's commitment to delivering exceptional value to its customers.

Today we decided to order a takeaway given how hot the weather is, didn't want to turn on the stove. King's Chef is a Chinese takeaway on London Road that offers traditional Chinese dishes from their Chinese menu in additional to the normal menu of Westernised Chinese food. We had ordered from their normal menu before and we thought the dishes were hit and miss, mostly mediocre. That's why this time round was such a surprise for us. Their Chinese menu is available in a hard paper copy if you pick it up from the takeaway, but not available online or via Uber Eats/Deliveroo. We ordered 4 dishes and each of them were absolutely fantastic. This was our first time ordering from their Chinese menu and we were blown away by the quality of the chef's cooking, I'm amazed they've managed to hide away in an unassuming takeaway. It is as the flyer says: "restaurant quality cuisine at takeaway prices". I consider the quality to be restaurant-level, on par with Memory of Sichuan, even above Kung Fu Kitchen and Home Cooking! From the left, the first dish is #22 Beef brisket with radish, a light stew with buttery chunks of fatty brisket, stewed with mooli radish that soaks up all the flavour. They were pretty generous with the meat too. To the right of that is #34 Yu-xiang shredded pork, my personal favourite dish of all time. Sweet, sour, spicy, and salty - all 4 flavours in one dish, made with black fungus and green peppers just as it should be. Next is the cold dish #3 Sliced beef and tripes in chilli sauce - the perfect dish to cool down in the summer with, numbingly spicy and garlicky with plenty of texture between the beef slices and the tripe. Lastly on the right is #17 Sweet & sour pork, but not the Cantonese version made red with ketchup. This is guo bao rou which is the Northeastern version, the signature dish from my hometown Harbin. It's made with slices of pork tenderloin, double fried extra crispy from the potato starch batter, and a light yellow with a gingery vinegar sauce. This was done exceptionally well, to the point I wonder if the chef is Northeastern, as it's a dish that is very difficult to get accurately and the only UK restaurant I've had it done correctly is Chummy Yummy in Hillingdon. All in all an incredible set of dishes with no faults whatsoever, our new favourite takeaway and we'll be sure to order from them again as our go-to takeaway for traditional Chinese dishes. And with such a varied menu, it'll be years before we exhaust our options hence why I'm shilling for them here to get others to try it out too! Despite the opening hours written on the menu, they are actually open for dinner too. Have you tried their traditional Chinese menu before or do you want to try it out now? What do you think of it? Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! :)

**Honest Review** I have been using Kings Chef for many a moon now what I can tell you is this, when they get it right the food is very good . I can recommend the Sweet n Sour Chicken HK style & Sauteed Spare Ribs with Pepper & Spicy Salt. They often give you free Prawn crackers which is a nice touch. There is one member of staff who is very decent & has high standards.. if there is any problems with the order just ring them straight away. They only accept cash (front desk) which must have impacted profits over the years. The egg fried rice should be the priority of the owners to put everything into being the freshest softest healthiest taste to compliment whichever the customer chooses to add with it this is an area they should look at for improvement also the outside overall look of this takeaway needs a fresh lick of paint to make it stand out more so important to get the basics right to attract new customers. Best wishes Karl