WE came to this restaurant tucked away on the seventh floor of Coda Plaza because we had not eaten Tianjin food before, and being adventurous souls (but not to the point of actually taking a trip to the province) we were hoping for a new taste sensation.
All we really knew about Tianjin (previously known as Tientsin) was that it was near Beijing and was famous for cabbage.
A friend who had visited Tianjin said there was nothing particularly distinguished about the province, and unfortunately, that was the problem with the menu here, which described dishes that could be from almost anywhere in the country, but which sounded more southern Chinese than northern.
There were a few listed as Beijing-style, and a couple from Sichuan. Only two were labelled Tianjin-style - and the kitchen had run out of one.
We asked the friendly waitress to recommend some typically Tianjin dishes. She was rather vague, and it seemed we already knew as much as she did, so we were on our own.
We tried two dishes from the list of specials. Steamed dumpling 'Peking' style ($55 for six) were large and plump. The thin, delicate wrapper held a subtle, finely textured pork filling. Sauteed lotus root in homemade sauce was far too sweet, which masked the unique inherent taste of the vegetable.
