Hi all, what a year 2016 was for food and it seems 2017 will be just as good. Well, if my first blogger event is anything to go by, it will be better! The event in question was the Blogger Bites event at Chung Ying Central, which was to showcase the winter specials on the menu. For those that don't know the restaurant that well, it is part of a trio of restaurants in Birmingham and is a name that has been in Birmingham for over 30 years. I have been to Chung Ying Central a couple times before but it has been a while since my last visit, I am not sure why as I always love the food.
As around 15 bloggers sat around two tables, we were served an array of dishes that are sure to wet any appetite. I decided to see what the restaurant could offer those that are vegan and let the PR know this when I got invited. This meant I had my own menu on the table, which was making me beam with excitement, especially as it was full of tofu and I love tofu with a passion. Three mains and two desserts were served on the night. The first dish to be served was Vegetarian Ma Por Tofu, which was silky tofu in a salty but spicy sauce. I loved the texture of this dish and how the silky-ness of the tofu worked so well with the sauce. So much so, that I finished this whole dish to myself. It was nice to see tofu used in this way.
Next up, was the Vegetarian Pei Par Tofu. This was chunky pieces of tofu that were battered and served with stir-fried mushrooms and pak choi and layered with a light and runny sauce. This was tasty but the texture was a tad soggy. I enjoyed it but felt it wasn't as much as a winner for me as the other dish was. I feel it would be a lot better as a dry dish and it reminded me a little of tofu katsu but the texture wasn't as good.
Then I was served Crispy Deep Fried Vegetarian Beancurd Rolls in two different ways. Above you can see the crispy rolls and I feel they were lacking something, they didn't have that bite that a spring roll would have. The filling was super tasty but I preferred it served with spinach and pak choi and with a sauce on top, as shown in the image below. As it created a stunning flavour that I couldn't get enough of.
Now onto the desserts...
A good vegan dessert can be hard to find and can lack imagination, sorbet (need I say more?). This was not the case at Chung Ying Central. I was served two desserts that couldn't be further away from a generic sorbet if they tried. The first dessert was these Steamed Red Bean Rolls. You may have seen me raving about this on my Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram and that is with good reason. Soft, puffy, perfectly round and stuffed with something that is chocolate-like, a perfect fit for me. I cannot stop thinking about these buns, they were just beautiful!
Last but not least, it's the Pan Fried Water Chestnut Paste. When I saw paste on the menu, I didn't know what to think and thought it would be served in a cup. I like water chestnuts, I knew that much. But I loved this jelly-like dessert. Especially the chunks of water chestnuts.
Overall, I was impressed by the vegan options at Chung Ying Central and thought it was a great night of good food and a great bunch of bloggers that I would happily go to dinner with any day.
A major thank you to the people at Chung Ying Central for the invite and amazing hospitality. Although this meal was complimentary, my views/opinions are my own.
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