All hail the King!

 

The Queen is dead, long live the King!!

You might be forgiven for thinking this blog is a homage to the King (I am British after all), however, it is in fact my first review of a restaurant in Zhangjiakou, namely:

The King of North East Barbecue

Northeast barbecue Hunan (Times Square West Branch) Hebei Province Zhangjiakou City Qiaodong District Times Square West East Gate

东北烧烤川湘菜(时代广场西区店) 河北省张家口市桥东区时代广场小区西区东门东南110米

Working hours 5pm - 3am 

 Location and layout 

It took a while, but finally a Zhangjiakou review, and what better way to start than with The King. Ideally positioned mere moments from a University Campus (and a ten-minute walk from my apartment) The King is on a bustling street that is choc full of various restaurants, including multiple other Barbecue restaurants, alongside Hot Pot, Burger, and Chicken restaurants, so if you don't fancy delicious grilled meat, in this area there is a plethora of options. Inside the restaurant, it is a little cramped, and there are a handful of tables, although the open grill positioned by the door does give you the nice option of watching your food being cooked once you have ordered it.  While space indoors may be limited if you are lucky enough to head to the King on a nice day, you can grab one of the many outside tables, beer, sun, and meat? perfect.

Overall - 4 Nik-Knacks

 

Menu

 

 You like meat right? Right? you'll need to, it's a barbecue restaurant! What did you expect? :) As you would expect, there are a multitude of meat-based kebab options, pork Kebab, beef kebab, chicken kebab, lamb kebab, all of the usual suspects. But it's not just kebabs, there are plenty of other dishes, from Tofu to peppers, and of course, my personal favourite the fried crispy potatoes(pictured)

In terms of choice, you would be hard-pressed to not find something you like, the menu is vast. However, for international travelers who are not familiar with Chinese, an issue arises in that the menu is only available in Chinese, unlike bigger restaurants that have English and Chinese menus. So you will need to take a friendly Chinese English speaker with you or utilise the WeChat translation feature

mmmmmm Spuds!

There are also a wide selection of beverages to choose from, from a fine selection of beers to soft drinks as required. 

It's another very solid 4 Nik-Knacks

Price

Time to pay the piper. How much is a jaunt here going to set you back? Well, the answer is not much in the grand scheme of things, with a bottle of Tsing Tao weighing in around 8-10 Yuan (£1) and kebabs starting off at 2 yuan a pop, you certainly get plenty of 'bang for your buck' If like me, you are a tad on the greedy side, you can look to pay around 200-300 yuan per visit, this will cover a LOT of food and around 6 beers each (if you go with one other person) This price is for 2 people

Unlike my last review (Blue Frog) the price of The King isn't difficult to rate, given that its price is one of its strongest points

it's a stomping five Nik-Knacks 

Summary

So, what's left to say? The King overall offers a cheap, and delicious experience, it's ideally located at the top end of a busy street filled with restaurants, and the staff are exceptionally friendly. You can feel the sincerity with which you are treated, the boss genuinely wants you to have a great time at his restaurant. The meat perhaps might not be as good quality as some more expensive restaurants, but the price, and quantity more than makes up for it. So, what are you waiting for? oh, that's right a bit of sunshine, good call. Wait for the next sunny evening and grab a table outside, order yourself some potatoes, and have a great time!

Double Spuds!

Lots of Kebabs

Spuds and a Tsing tao

Tofu

So, The King does itself proud with a strong showing, although not perfect, so it's a hearty 4 Nik Knacks overall!

Terminology

• Homage: A tribute or respect shown to someone or something, often in a public manner.

• Bustling: Full of energetic and noisy activity; a place that is lively and crowded.

• Choc full: Informal expression meaning completely filled or packed with something.

• Multitude: A large number or variety of people or things; a crowd.

• Jaunt: A short trip or excursion for pleasure or enjoyment.

• Bang for your buck: Getting good value or a high return on an investment or expense.

• Sincerity: The quality of being genuine, honest, and straightforward in feelings or actions.