In recent years, an increasing number of Asian restaurants in Germany have embraced their culinary traditions, and people are loving it! I’m particularly pleased to see this trend gaining momentum, especially in Hamburg. Today, I want to share my early discovery that has evolved into my top choice – Cai(菜) Kitchen.
Here’s a quick overview of Cai Kitchen:
- Food review:
- Cuisine: Chinese, vegan
- Price range: 10€ – 15€
- Recommended dish: Dan-Dan Noodle (10€ Large Bowl / 8€ Medium Bowl), Mixed rice bowl (11.5€)
- Rating (out of 5 🥟): 4.5 🥟
- Revisit intention (out of 5 🥟): 5 🥟
- Restaurant Information:
- Opening hour: Mon-Fri 12:00-15:00 + 17:00-20:00 | Sat 18:00-21:00
- Location: Glashüttenstraße 85a, 20357 Hamburg
- Dine-in (max. 10-15 people at full capacity) & Takeaway via Wolt
Finding an authentic Chinese place has never been easy, especially living in Germany. There is no China Town or any Asian corner or sort in Hamburg or any other part of the country, except for Düsseldorf, the biggest Japanese community in Germany (and the 3rd in Europe). The reason I’d ever consider moving there is the close-to-authentic Japanese food you can get 😆 (of course, it is still incomparable with the standard in Taiwan or in Japan). But whenever I feel like having real Chinese food, I always go to Cai Kitchen.
Opened in 2018, Cai Kitchen is definitely one of the earliest modern authentic Chinese cuisines – meaning there is no „German“ or „European“ influence on any of their food, unlike most established Chinese restaurants, Yu Garden for example, where you get a „mixed“ Chinese cuisine designed to fit the taste of Germans. I still remember when I first found this newly opened Chinese place, I was so thrilled that I convinced all my colleagues to go try the food there, and they’ve also fallen in love with it ever since.
Their most popular dish is Dan Dan Noodle Sichuan Style – which is topped with well-seasoned vegan ground meat fried in soy sauce and spices (a good portion Sichuan pepper), puffed corn, and cabbage. Simple ingredients, but the combination makes a perfectly aromatic taste that you cannot resist. Dan Dan Noodle is a typical street food that originated in Sichuan and has evolved into different variations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. It’s traditionally served with fine noodles, topped with seasoned ground pork, chili oil, peanuts, and Sichuan pepper. The vegan version at Cai Kitchen surely comes close to the original taste without using any meat products, which makes it even more amazing!
At Cai Kitchen, you can also taste other authentic, creative dishes that won’t disappoint your craving for real Chinese food. If you are into spicy food, I recommend trying the Udon with extra spicy peanut sauce 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🤯 (this is the emoji used on the menu). As it already suggests, it is QUITE spicy but gives you a really awesome feeling (辣得很爽). But I would be careful with this one, especially if you need to return to work afterward. You might want to secure a safe toilet for the emergency😅. Otherwise, it’s definitely worth a try after you first have their famous Dan Dan Noodle 😉 – an all-time favorite.
Oh right, they also opened a branch in Berlin. So give it a try if the Hamburg one is too far for you!
Bao_Therapy 
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