Chai Tang Restaurant Opens at TwinWaters
NOSA: Chinese food and older Nigerians go together like beans and rice. From special occasions to post-church lunches, Chinese restaurants are the OGs when it comes to dining out in Lagos. Oh, and buffets too.
FOLLY: There's a lot to unpack in the reasons why both of those are true...
NOSA: But we’re talking about Chinese restaurants today so lets focus on that.
Chai Tang is nestled in an absolutely lovely space in the Twin Waters Entertainment Center, aka the Rufus & Bee building. It’s crazy how beautiful the space is, especially considering the shambles around the building.
“Chai Tang is a new Chinese Restaurant positioned to be the best in fine dining experience across the whole of Nigeria. Our menu has been carefully researched, selected and put together to satisfy your love of the Chinese cuisine in an extraordinary setting. Chai Tang is breathtakingly beautiful and sensibly decorated for the fine gentlemen and ladies that we serve. The amazing view of the blue Atlantic from Chai Tang will leave you breathless and relaxed. Eat, Drink and watch the sunset from the amazing Chai Tang. Great ambience, great service and amazing menus to choose from. Welcome to Chai Tang”
NOSA: Chai Tang's menu isn’t particularly exciting. It’s boring as hell, actually, but it’s standard Nigerian Chinese fare and your mother will absolutely love it. Just come prepared to spend a bucket load because it is far from cheap.
FOLLY: Fam, the prices hit me like a ton of bricks when I opened the menu. They also don't have two different portion size options like most Chinese restaurants in Lagos.
NOSA: To start, we got a pair of spring rolls and some wontons. The wontons are a complete waste of money and you need to avoid them at all costs.
FOLLY: Roger that. Over fried with mystery meat inside.
NOSA:The spring rolls are much better because they actually tasted like spring rolls. You know how they say "90% of the work is showing up"? Yeah, that's why the spring rolls get a passing grade.
FOLLY: The prawns in my main dish were much smaller than our server promised. I enjoyed it because of the ginger and when I mixed it with that spring roll pepper sauce and the rice (#Nigerian), I quite liked it.
NOSA: The seafood fried rice was great idea on paper, but I found it pretty meh.
FOLLY: The addition of the calamari was what distinguished it from what Oriental or any other Chinese restaurant in Lagos might serve.
NOSA: It's a super large portion so most people might forgive.
NOSA: On Kitchen Butterfly’s Instagram, she checked out some Korean place in New York with really good fried chicken because Korean fried chicken is apparently a “thing”. Following that logic, I got the Crispy Chicken at Chai Tang because I assumed Asians must have the hands with chicken and Korea isn’t too far from China. Worst case, it’ll be like Nigerian and Ghanaian jollof
FOLLY: I didn't even know this back story. I thought Nosa ordered it just because he wanted a dish that was "dry" and without the MSG laden sauces.
NOSA: A big goof on my part for expecting a Korean fried chicken spot in New York and a Chinese Restaurant in Lagos to serve up the same thing. The Crispy Chicken at Chai Tang wasn’t particularly crispy so I don’t get why it’s called that.
FOLLY: Unlike Nosa, I found the chicken skin sufficiently crispy but I was a bit hesitant to delve into this fully because I found the slight pink tint of the chicken meat slightly uncomfortable.
NOSA: The chicken didn't pack a lot of flavour and given how large the portion is, that's a bit a problem.
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: Eh. It’s ok. I’m not the biggest fan of Chinese food so maybe I don’t get it. Judging by the guests present on the day, most people will like it.
FOLLY: It's a perfect spot to take your parents or extended family for a special occassion lunch. There will be something for everyone
NOSA: That said, it’s ridiculously expensive.
FOLLY: Yes, come with a briefcase of cash.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Spring Roll - N600 each
Crispy Chicken - N7500
Stir Fried Prawns - N9500
Seafood Fried Rice - N6200
PARKING
The Twin Waters complex has sufficient parking.