Queensway on a Sunday lunchtime is a sight to behold. Forget the fast-food chains, and tourist shops selling knock-off tat. Shut your eyes also to the crumbling edifice that was once the Whiteleys shopping centre. If it’s authentic Chinese food your after, then this is the place to come. Packed venues and queues snaking down the street speak to the popularity of the location. How to choose though from the plethora of options, many of which look – to the untrained eye – almost identical? In this case, a local’s recommendation paid off. Whether Gold Mine is definitively better than some of its neighbours is hard to know, but is was certainly packed with atmosphere and delivered well on the culinary front. Visiting Gold Mine is a contrast to the relative formality of, say, nearby Royal China. At the former, a no-frills approach is adopted, seemingly cramming as many diners as possible into a basic room adorned with vintage Chinese water colours. That the carpet and chair backs are red adds a certain cheer, even if this is not accidental, with this being an auspiciously lucky colour in China. In terms of food, diners have a list comprising some 200 options from which to choose. Around 40 of these are dim-sum specialities, namely bite-sized portions of often steamed buns and dumplings, most popular in the Cantonese region of the country. Our primary focus was on such dishes although we did also venture slightly further afield too. Plates arrive as soon as they are ready, hence the logic in ordering a large number and partaking in the experience. Across those we selected, the cooking was generally to a high standard, with grilled gyoza and steamed vegetable dumplings receiving the biggest plaudits. Some dishes, however, did not quite live up to expectations with our squid being more batter than fish and the tripe proving a touch too chewy. Roasted meats (many of which hang from the window to entice approaching diners) are apparently where the venue excels most – perhaps something to sample on a subsequent occasion. Pricing seemed reasonable throughout. Now that we are in the know, a return visit needs to be considered soon.
Gold Mine: Gift that keeps on giving