The Best Chinese in Town: Kong's – Abergavenny

You know, there is such a Chinese restaurant that won't leave you feeling like you're dead after you eat too much overcooked chicken, sloppy noodles and dry fried rice. I know, until about a year ago I had come to the same conclusion as many others that they just don't exist – that all Chinese takeaways/buffets/restaurants are the same overpriced under-portioned rubbish.

But there is such a thing as fresh and tasty Chinese food – there is! And it's at Kong's in Abergavenny.

After church today, Sarah suggested we go for lunch at Kong's because they do a Sunday deal – an all you can eat buffet for £9.90 per person (£5.90 for children under 9). I had only had Kong's takeaway before so I was looking forward to seeing what their buffet would be like. 

It's just round the corner from church, in the centre of Abergavenny and our friends Drew and Katie came along too which was lovely.

The way the Sunday buffet menu works at Kong's is, you order what you want and they bring it to you – restaurant style. The rule is, you can't waste any food or you have to pay full price for it, and that's fair enough, but it's difficult to leave anything at Kong's anyway. Everything is delicious, and the portions are just the right size too.

We had about three rounds of starters of mandarin spare ribs, thai style chicken satay on skewers, mini vegetable samosa, prawn crackers, chicken balls and fried crab claws. It was incredible.

Then, we moved onto mains – sweet and sour chicken cantonese style, twice cooked pork and king prawn schezuan with egg fried rice and chips. Sooooooo good. Not too greasy, not too salty or sweet, not too... blergh. You know how takeaway food can sometimes make you feel like you will never be able to do anything ever again, after eating it? Well, Kong's doesn't make you feel like that and I'm glad for it – especially today, because I have a lot of things I need to do which, unfortunately, don't involve napping :(

I don't know if they use less MSG or something, but the food definitely tastes a lot fresher and nicer than any other Chinese I have had before. It's the only one I'll go to now, and if you haven't ordered from there yet, you really ought to. It's great value for money, the meat is cooked to perfection and they give you free prawn crackers! Do you have a favourite Chinese restaurant/takeaway/buffet?

5-a-day Chinese Noodles

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the horse, (or, according to the BBC news, the year of the whores). I was born in the year of the monkey. I always wished I had been born in the year of the rabbit when I was little, but I'm cool with the monkey now. Anyway, Chinese food, yay! As if I needed an excuse to eat some.

I'm always craving Chinese, and last weekend I decided to have a go at making a Chinese style dish instead of ordering from my local takeaway. 

To my surprise, this tasted just as good as what I usually get at Kong's (the Chinese I order from — best in Abergavenny!) and worth sharing with you all.

Who'd have thought you could get your five a day in one dish? Not me. I'll be honest, I couldn't finish this. It makes a fair amount, but if you have a big appetite or are willing to share then this will serve you well.

This is totally meat free but obviously you can add some if you wish. I would suggest prawns, beef or chicken — or all three — but it's just as good without any meat. This 'recipe' is extremely versatile — you can add or takeaway any ingredients you like — but do keep the Chinese five spice in as that is where a lot of the flavour is.

It took me about half an hour to prep and cook this cheap, healthy and authentic noodle dish. Here's how, in four easy steps...

You will need:

• One nest of egg noodles 
• One egg
• One carrot, grated
• Handful of peas
• Three broccoli florets, roughly chopped
• Eight cherry tomatoes
• One clove of garlic, crushed
• Half an onion, finely chopped
• An inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• Soy sauce
• Sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Ground pepper

Method:

1. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and put to one side. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan (or wok, if you have one) with the olive oil and gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger.
2. When the onions have softened add the Chinese five spice and stir. Then add the broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, rice wine vinegar and tomato puree. Stir it all together and let it cook on a slightly higher heat for about five to ten minutes.
3. Finally, crack your egg into the pan and stir it into the vegetables as if you're scrambling it. Add the noodles, a splash of soy sauce and stir until everything is mixed together.
4. Et voila — serve with as much soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce as you desire and enjoy.

I'm no pro in the kitchen but I was pleased with my creation and I'd be happy to make this again if I'm ever feeling like eating a 'healthier' version of a Chinese takeaway. What's your go-to homemade Chinese style dish? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @hello_flower