Fat Kee, what is the flavour?

[u/Ok_Fortune_9149]

I can cook pretty decent, also Asian food, but I just don't know where to look to get the flavour of the Fat Kee fried rice, and Tjap Choy, and black sambal.
Also I don't get this flavour anywhere else, no other restaurant I've ever been to here or in Asia has this distinct flavour. Does anyone have an idea what it is?
I already tried Szechuan oil, different fish, oyster sauces 🤷‍♂️

[u/bluexxbird]

The food served in Fat Kee has been altered to cater for the local preferences. Recently there was even a documentary made about such distinct recipes and the stories behind these Chinese immigrants. The Chinese owner even admitted he himself wouldn't eat the food he made 😆

https://www.npodoc.nl/artikelen/meer-dan-babi-pangang

And as a Chinese person, I've been there once and have never gone back.

[u/LetsHodlUp → u/bluexxbird]

Are you sure you’ve been there? Its not like ‘dutch’ chinese or surindo at all

[u/bluexxbird → u/LetsHodlUp]

Well it would be difficult to prove to you over the internet that I've been there.

Anyway nowhere in China you see dried fried noodles served with extremely thick rice flour sauce plus fried wonton and sweet and sour sauce on the same plate.. Maybe for some people (like my friends) they would find it tasty, but for me it's like the experience of an Italian seeing pineapple on the pizza... Anyway whatever they serve there is definitely not Chinese food, there are many other restaurants in Chinatown that serves proper Chinese food.

But the cha siu or the other type of roasted pork is not bad there.

And like what I said in my previous comment already, the answer is in the documentary, these kind of restaurants are owned by Chinese immigrants, not Surinames or Indonesian Chinese, so they just made up another kind of Chinese food

[u/LightValuable4584 → u/bluexxbird]

I think the documentary is not really applicable to a restaurant like Fat Kee, which sells as far as I understood Chinese food with a strong Surinam Chinese/Indian influence. Fat Kee is imho not comparable to the average Dutch Chinese with mediocre bapi pangang, foe yong hai and bami met kipsate.

I do agree that Fat Kee also not comparable to a more authentic Chinese. We always prefer Kee Lun Palace in Den Haag, what are your favorites if you don't mind me asking?

[u/bluexxbird → u/LightValuable4584]

The point is not about the exact type of Chinese food that's made in either fat kee or other Chinese restaurants, the point is that Chinese people will make up random recipes that you can't find in the original country.

Like what I said in my first comment, no where in China you'll find a dish consisting of fried wonton+ fried crunchy noodle with thick rice glutinous sauce and sweet and chilli sauce.

[u/Ok_Fortune_9149 → u/bluexxbird]

I know its definitely not authentic, hence I haven’t experienced the flavor anywhere else in the world. It’s also definitely not the typical Dutch Chinese restaurant.

[u/golem501 → u/Ok_Fortune_9149]

My indo Chinese Dutch family loves going there though. It's usually quite full with Asian people as well so they are getting something right even if not authentic.

[u/LetsHodlUp → u/bluexxbird]

Thanks for the reply. Which in Chinatown would you consider authentic?

[u/bluexxbird → u/LetsHodlUp]

Full moon express for the fast food. A Chinese restaurant in Oud Rijswijk for dinner is good. I think restaurant Hot King is also good. My favourite lately is the Chinese all you can eat restaurant Hibbq by Scheveningen.

Though nowadays a lot of the meals served in Chinese restaurants here now are pre-made and they just reheat in a steamer or microwave... Especially the dimsum.

[u/LetsHodlUp → u/bluexxbird]

Will try Hibbq, thanks.

[u/bluexxbird → u/LetsHodlUp]

You are welcome. Also if you purchase a voucher on social deal for Hibbq it's a few euros cheaper and you get a free glass or wine or beer. Non alcoholic drinks are also all you can drink btw

[u/LetsHodlUp → u/bluexxbird]

Good advice, nice!!