Definitely Do Dojo! and other Cambridge, United Kingdom Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Dojo Noodle Bar

I liked this restaurant so much that I went back after lunch for dinner! This is truly a Pan-Asian restaurant as it features food from China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
I actually had a difficult time deciding what to order from among the 56 items on the menu, thus the return trip at night as I couldn't wait to eat here again.
The food is very delicious and, SURPRISE! ... NOT expensive! In fact there is nothing on the menu priced over 7 pounds, as if seven was possibly considered some kind of unlucky number.
Of course noodles are the reason for this restaurant's existence but they also serve several rice dishes as well as satays. There is something for everybody, which is a good thing as on the day I dined one could hear conversations in Cantonese, Japanese, and Indonesian.
The restaurant staff has a good sense of humor and there appears to be an ongoing Chinese noodle joke which mangles my name into "Noodfucius", which you can enjoy reading about on their website:
http://www.dojonoodlebar.co.uk/noodfucius/noodfucius.htm

Favorite Dish: You must order this: "Ho Yo Beef Hor Fun" It's #44 on the menu and you can have it without spicy peppers and onions, like I did. Mmmmm, oh that is so good!
For side dishes, I got the Vietnamese spring rolls ("Goi Cuon"), Cochin Duck Rolls, and a king prawn kushiyaki skewer. Great stuff, but it all goes down so quickly!
I also had Pulau Kuay Teow, which is a Malaysian seafood noodle dish (again, request no spicy) as well as the Thai Supparot Pineapple Fried Rice so that I had something from all five regional cuisines.

Here are some other dishes I saw people behind my table eating and they looked attractive (the food, I mean):

Teriyaki Salmon Ramen
Sate Duck Mee
Sayur Nasi Goreng
Yasai Yaki-Udon (vegetarian)

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Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 01223 363 471
Address: 1-2 Millers Yard, Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RQ
Directions: It's off of Trumpington Street between Fitzwilliam Museum and Queen's College
Website: http://www.dojonoodlebar.co.uk

Restaurant Name: Jinling Noodle Bar

This Chinese restaurant is very popular among Chinese students at Cambridge, probably because it serves more authentic Chinese dishes. I saw several pretty young Mandarin speaking maidens come in while I dined, and so it seems to appeal to those seeking food that tastes like Chinese home cooking. I believe I also heard Shanghai dialect coming out of the kitchen, so the chefs may be from the motherland as well.
There is a good Internet cafe next door that only charges one pound per hour. (See photo #2) You can go check your e-mail before eating lunch or dinner.
Lunch is from 11:30 - 15:00
Dinner is from 17:30 - 22:30
The restaurant is closed between 15:30 and 17:30.

Favorite Dish: I had the Stir Fried Beef Ho Fun and Ants Climb Up Tree. The latter dish is minced pork and vermicelli noodles, one of my favorite Chinese dishes and you don't see it on many Chinese restaurant menus.

Other notable dishes on the menu:

Radish with jellyfish
Udon soup and udon stew
Squid with black bean sauce
Ma Po Tofu
Twice Cooked Pork
Beef in Oyster Sauce
Salt & Pepper Prawns
Aubergine with fish sauce (The eggplant dish known as "yu xiang qiezi" in Mandarin)

(More menu items and prices can be seen in photo #3)

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 01223 566188
Address: 11 Peas Hill
Directions: Between Corn Exchange and the Market in the center of Cambridge

Restaurant Name: Shanghai Family

"Shanghai Family" is the Chinese restaurant upstairs, downstairs is a French cafe called "Couer De France." This smart combination seems to be working at Cambridge, as the Chinese owners are keenly aware of. Deng Xiaoping would have loved this place, as he could sit outside and order both croissants and crispy tofu.

The eastern location is worth the walk from the main colleges through Christ's Pieces Park and down Fitzroy Street. Shanghai Family is on the left as you walk southeast on Burleigh Street from Grafton Shopping Centre.

I didn't bother going upstairs, as it was a nice day and I wanted to sit outdoors under the canopy. Burleigh Street has plenty of pretty pedestrian traffic to keep one entertained.
The Chinese waitress brought me the Shanghai Family menu and I greeted her in Shanghai dialect, only to discover that she was from Guangxi province.

No worries, as the food here is still authentic Chinese cuisine. There are indeed some dishes on the menu at Shanghai Family that other Chinese restaurants don't have. For example, the first item on the list of appetizers is "Four Happiness Wheat Cakes." It has an unusual flavor that isn't too sweet, and is great for people searching for side dish alternatives that are not deep fried.

Favorite Dish: I ordered my two favorites again: Beef Ho Fun and Ants Climbing the Tree (Minced Pork with Rice Vermicelli). Both were similar to what I am used to in China, so the restaurant passes my test. The soups are outstanding; just have a bowl if you want a quick cheap bite to eat that costs less than 4 pounds. Yet the highlight of Shanghai Family is definitely finding those items that are uncommon on Chinese restaurant menus overseas. Here are my suggestions:

Chiu Yim Squid (salt and pepper squid)
Shanghai Style Shrimp Wonton Soup
Fat Choi Seafood Soup
Minced Beef Soup West Lake Style
Sichuan Shredded Pork (Mandarin Chinese: "Yu Xiang Rou Si")
Pok Choi with Dried Shrimps and Rice Vermicelli

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 01223 301 761
Address: 39 Burleigh Street
Directions: Just south of the Grafton Shopping Centre
Website: You're looking at it!

Restaurant Name: Hakka Chinese Restaurant

Are you looking for a nice Chinese restaurant in Cambridge that will impress your girlfriend without spending a ton of British pounds? Hakka is great for a date, especially on Sunday afternoon when there's a special "eat as much as you like" lunch. I went on a weeknight and had a wonderful meal in a formal setting with cloth napkins. There's even a separate dessert menu with fabulous selections; try the Coconut Paradise!

The restaurant's Chinese name, Hakka, translates as "guest families" and describes a group of people in ancient China who migrated from the north and settled in the south around Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces (near Hong Kong). The Hakkas maintain their own culture today, and this restaurant actually features special dishes that are unique to Hakka cuisine. (Your girlfriend will really be impressed by this tidbit of special knowledge.)

The restaurant is located north of the River Cam on Milton Road near several Bed & Breakfast accomodations, including "Home From Home". The Cambridge City Council has not granted a takeaway license to this fine establishment, an illogical issue that remained unresolved at the time of my visit. However that should not matter for most tourists, who will want to dine inside anyway.

I ordered steamed dim sum, diced seafood chowder, Hakka ho-fun noodles, and braised tofu with pak choi (Chinese cabbage). For dessert I had coconut ice cream and lychees.
The menu of entrees has over 200 items and the even the dessert choices required difficult but delightful decision-making.

Sunday afternoon is the special lunch with all you can eat for the price of 11.50 pounds per person from noon to 16:00. It's not a buffet, but instead you order from a special menu that changes every week. I didn't try it here, but had a similar experience at an excellent Chinese restaurant north of Cambridge in nearby Ely.

Favorite Dish: Here is a sample of dishes from the menu, which you can read online at the restaurant's website.

Minced Pork Lettuce Wrap
Drunken Fish (Sole Fillets in Chinese Wine Sauce)
Crab Meat and Asparagus Soup
Stir Fried Chicken Hakka Style in Bird's Nest
Baked Pork with Yam Clay Pot
Ahsam Scallops

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 01223 568 988
Address: 24 Milton Road
Directions: North of Jesus Green via Victoria Avenue, near Home From Home Bed & Breakfast
or take CITI Bus 1 to first stop on Milton Road
Website: http://www.hak-ka.co.uk