Yu Zhou
In Milan the old "classic" Chinese restaurants, i.e. those in the 80s style, are disappearing. Yu Zhou, located a few steps from the Wagner metro station, however resists thanks to a loyal Italian clientele in the area.
Yu Zhou is an old-fashioned restaurant: wooden interiors that create a cozy and somewhat gloomy atmosphere, lantern lamps, some red decorations and even an aquarium. On the table, along with the Kikkoman soy sauce, there are western cutlery, you have to ask for chopsticks. In short, the ingredients for a dive into the past are all there!
The menu is also obviously a compendium of classics: from Cantonese rice to chicken with almonds. In recent years, slightly more trendy dishes have been added if we think of the standards of the city, such as Thai recipes (pad thai, kebabs, shellfish or coconut chicken), Sichuan (fire bowls) and teppanyaki (udon or rice).
Here's what I ordered for dinner: har gau (discreet, but still fresh and homemade), grilled rice dumplings with vegetables (classic, good), fire bowl with spicy prawns (very good and abudant) and chicken with sesame and onion (mild, I liked it).
The quality of the dishes is normal, if I have to find a fly in the ointment then I'll point to the welcome dish which I honestly didn't understand and didn't like: a sort of cold fried ravioli served on a dragon cloud to be dressed with sweet and sour sauce.
Evaluating the rest, the service is kind but often inattentive, the owner courteous (he offered Chinese grappa at the end of the meal) and the final bill, all in all, honest.
I don't think I would go back to Yu Zhou's, mostly because it seemed trivial after all, but I understand that it could be a reference for eating in a group or with family in the neighbourhood.
💰 $$$
