Hot Plate

Are you craving for some Indianized Chinese food? Hot Plate is where you should be then.

I've been hearing about their food from quite some time now and finally decided to give this small desi Chinese like restaurant located in Mina Mall (Abu Dhabi)

Honestly I was quite excited about my experience here because it reminded me of all those days I spent in small Chinese restaurants like Discovery, Fire Bowl etc. back in Mumbai.

Coming to the food, I had called for the Chili Potato, Prawn Crackers, Thread Chicken, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, Schezwan Egg Fried Rice and Singapore Chicken from their extensive menu which also includes Indian food.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet corn chicken soup which really helped my sore throat feel relief. 

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Coming to the starters, the thread chicken was way too threaded for me, because I honestly found it hard to even find the chicken amidst the fried noodles. Thankfully the fried noodles tasted decent. But it was the chilly potato that I absolutely loved, this was perfectly prepared and though I initially laughed at my friend who called for this dish and argued with her to call for another non-veg starter instead,  it was definitely a treat to my taste-buds and much recommended.

Chili Potato 

Thread Chicken

Moving on to the main course, the schezwan egg fried rice was average; however there was no flaw in it as such that I can prominently point out. The Singapore chicken on the other hand was really good as the chicken was well spiced and tender.

Schezwan Egg Fried Rice 

Singapore Chicken

Also for me, prawn crackers almost invariably taste brilliant if it’s accompanied with the right sauce and thankfully Hot Plate serves great chilli sauce.

Prawn Crackers 

Location wise, this place is slightly odd as it’s located in Mina Mall and I believe not too many people visit the mall any more.

As far as the ambiance is concerned, it’s simple and not very clean. Which is definitely the major downfall of this place, they really need to make the

restaurant slightly more hygienic and clean.

Lastly the staff was friendly and was good with their service.

I would rate this restaurant a 3/5

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A pleasant surprise..

If you want to surprise your taste buds with some good, wait let me correct that, BRILLIANT Chinese food you should definitely visit Shanghai Surprise.

I have been here quite a few times when I was back in school and finally visited this place a few weeks back after shifting to Abu Dhabi and I was just praying the food quality hadn't deteriorated. But much to my surprise, it had just got better, much better.

On getting seated at Shanghai Surprise, you’re welcomed with a bowl of complimentary Prawn crackers which are absolutely delicious to munch on, especially with the dipping that accompanies it.

Prawn Crackers

We ordered for Fish Hakka which is basically Hakka recipe of fish cubes stir fried with garlic, ginger and chili. This was recommended by the staff. The fish was very soft and was quite spicy, which made it taste all the more better.

Fish Hakka

Apart from that we called for Steamed Chicken Dimsums which was served hot and it almost melted in my mouth. It also had the right amount of Chicken stuffing in it.

Chicken Dimsum

The last appetizer was Chicken Satay, which is chicken on satay skewers, this is served with peanut sauce. It is presented in a mini barbecue, so it’s obviously really hot. Above it lie five enticing pieces of chicken. Also surprisingly unlike the previous times I've had this, it was quite spicy which is exactly how I love my food.

Chicken Satay

As far as the main course is concerned, we decided to stick to the basics and just called for Chicken Fried Rice and Kung Pao Chicken. The Kung Pao Chicken was sweet/spicy gravy with chicken cubes and garnished with peanuts. This was simple, yet tasty and the Chicken Fried rice tasted excellent as well.

Kung Pao Chicken

We had also ordered for Wine, and honestly I can't really say anything much about wine, because I can never judge the difference of 1 wine from another. But well, it tasted good.

Wine

Since it was my dad’s birthday dinner, the Shanghai Surprise team also brought in a complimentary cake slice with a candle and wished him, which was a really sweet gesture.

My dad fascinated with the candle

The staff here is a mixture of Indians, Nepalese and Chinese and each one is friendlier than the other. They undeniably know how to treat their guests flawlessly.

The Staff 

The Kitchen

Shanghai Surprise is clearly not as cheap as Oasis, Kawloon (other Chinese restaurants in Abu Dhabi) but then again here you’re talking about a classy fine dining Chinese restaurant  and for that and the food quality Shanghai Surprise serves, it is certainly worth the price they serve it for.

I would rate this place a 5/5

Contact Details - Zomato

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