Quick Chop! - Chinatown Cafe

Chinatown Cafe - 38 Moonta St  Adelaide

Chinatown Cafe in the heart of Moonta St is an Adelaide institution and is on most occasions bustling with patrons seeking a cheap and cheerful feed. This dining occasions was on a Saturday afternoon, usually a peak time but Chinatown Cafe's "order first, we'll find you a table" process is effective and within a few minutes we were seated. What literally felt like another few minutes later we received our food. 

Self serve sauces - so many types!

Curry chicken and rice

Curry chicken had medium heat and all the right flavours but was missing the wow factor. A good curry, but not great.

Hainanese chicken rice

A dish that a lot of people order at Chinatown Cafe is the Hainanese chicken rice. This can be ordered as either chicken breast or thigh, which is a big bonus in my books. I went with chicken thigh, moist and succulent and soaked in soy this chicken hit the spot. Bok choy on the bottom was a thumbs down...overcooked and soggy.

There's no denying that the food at Chinatown Cafe tastes good (enough) and is great value with most dishes coming under $10. In terms of service, it's literally non-existent - the vibe is that you're there to eat not make friends.

Jess gives Chinatown Cafe 13/20 chops on the Chopping Board

Food: 7/10
Service: 2/5
Ambience: 4/5 (this places hums with activity from all types - families, couples, groups of friends)