The way I see it, Mid-Autumn Festival has to be the second most important traditional festival in China (as opposed to Chinese New Year), which can be tracked back since the time of the "Tang Dynasty". The day on which it falls changes from year to year depending on the lunar calendar. It is also a time of year that the moon is at its brightest.
The festival embodies the message of bringing families together. Across the country, family and friends will have Moon-viewing parties, sitting in the gardens, sipping tea and indulging in special desserts called "mooncakes".
Oh, and I almost forget. Lighting up the soft glow of paper lanterns is a must, haha!
This year the Mid-Autumn Festival date is on October 4th, which is the middle of our work week. Therefore, my husband and I decided to dine out and enjoy a little earlier than anticipated this weekend gone at the newly opened oriental food-hall called “Bang Bang”.
Located in Colindale, Bang Bang is a huge new plaza celebrating Asia’s vibrant culture with over thirty three kiosks and offering an eclectic mix of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Indian cuisines. So something for everyone, I'm sure you'd agree.
Just a couple of minutes’ walk from Colindale tube station, Bang Bang is relatively easy to get to. Driving there is also quite handy as I discovered you can park for free in the Morrison's supermarket car park which is actually part of the same development. As you can imagine, everything looks very new and plush.
The Bang Bang food court is housed within a shiny patterned silver building. The entrance is covered in parallel wooden slates with various sized traditional red lanterns above.
We were quite lucky in regards to the timing of our arrival. We managed to catch the famous "dragon dance". This almost ritualistic performance has been customary to Chinese festivals since ancient times. With the widespread nature of Chinese people and it's culture all around the world, it has become a stable symbol of Chinese culture is every way possible.
The purple dragon costume attracted many starry-eyed onlookers including quite a number of intrigued little children. The performance itself was quite spectacular with the dragon itself swaying in time to the beating drums and even fluttering it's eyelids! That was an unexpected surprise, but one the entire audience loved!
On the ground floor, there is a large Chinese restaurant called Golden Dragon offering a range of courses like freshly served dim sum lunches and an extensive traditional Chinese menu in the evening.
We are still yet to try this place out but it looks really good from the outside, lol.
Once up the twisting stairs, there is a small cake shop to your left and on the right the main food court. A massive, sprawling space consisting of seating for up to 450 people. In the center of the hall, a big-screen television plays in the background, hosting a selection of Chinese and Hong Kong shows and concerts. Red lanterns were scattered everywhere throughout the large area.
A glaring reminder to all it's visitors of our mid-autumn festival.
Around the edges of the court, there are a total of no less than thirty three kiosk-style food outlets, offering an vast selection of authentic Asian street food cuisine. From Chinese dim sum to mouth-watering aromatic duck. From Japanese-style ramen and tempura to Korean bimbimbap and everything in between. There is so much choices, you'll most likely need a good fifteen minutes just scanning over the menu's of each restaurant. And lucky the arrangement of the venue is all laid out in a fashion that does not overwhelm or appeared too confined. We were very impressed and almost instantly knew we'd be paying many a return visit here.
In addition, there is also a compact little bar in the middle towards the entrance if you fancy a beer. Though there are plenty of stalls where you can pick up the obligatory bubble tea or Chinese tea if you prefer.
Prices are reasonable, meaning probably within the usual "casual dining" category. Most snacks are around the £5 mark whereas most main dishes are £8.50. However, I did see a few that were over £10. Though to be fair this was quite rare to see.
The system in place for Bang Bang is actually quite ingenious and well organised. You head for the stall you like, place your order and pay. In exchange, you will receiver a circular plastic disc that will let you know when your food is ready. How will it let you know? By buzzing and flashing very loudly. In fact, every few seconds you'd hear one go off on another nearby table. On a side note, I was so extra exciting because I'd received my brand spanking new "bitpay" card and couldn't wait to get it fired up into action.
As Bang Bang is owned by the trademark brand Royal China Group, the emphasis is on the authenticity and quality of it's food. I consider the Chinese dishes are a must try.
Let's have a look at some of these amazing dishes we tried from just a small selection of the available stalls:
One 68 Dim Sum (Chinese) - The dim sums are so authentic and yummy. Just like back in Canton. I went for the mince pork dumplings with shrimps, Shanghai pork dumplings and fried turnip cake with cured meats.
Four Seasons (Chinese) - Their chain of restaurants include branches in Chinatown and London's Bayswater. The Cantonese roast duck and pork with rice is the main draw here though.
Janchi Korea Kitchen - Some tasty Korean K-style fried chicken. This dish has actually been fried twice in such a way that the skin is much crispier than normal yet less greasy too!
Café La Viet (Vietnamese) - Bun Cha Nem Thit Nuong – My favourite Vietnamese dish, which is lemongrass pork chop with homemade spring rolls. Apart from the deliciously grilled pork, you also have a few sprinkles of sweet bits, sour bits, mild caramelization and some crunch and aromatic herbs. All in a single, colourful arrangement.
Yaki Ya Grill Japan - Chicken Karaage - All you need to know about this dish if that it contains some very delicious and tender meat.
Ramen Samurai Ryu (Japanese) - I tried the black garlic ramen noodle soup. An intense, aromatic black garlic flavour that blends really well it's soft, flavoursome noodles. A big thumbs up from me!
Chat Time (Chinese) - This particular brand is renowned in Chinatown for it's chilled fruit bubble teas with jelly balls. A super popular choice in Bang Bang so always expect long queues. Their customised egg waffles served with ice cream is also very tasty indeed. All freshly made, I would highly recommend you give it a try!
Bang Bang is North London’s hottest destination for genuine Asian food cuisine. It is ultimately a food court, however there is nothing I have seen quite like those I have come across in London before. From the top notch quality of food to the wide variety catering for all our tastes. Everything is just so good!
I was so happy in begin our autumn festival here at Bang Bang and start the celebrations off with some incredible great tasting food. And it nearly goes without saying. We are already planning for our next visit there to try out some new awesome culinary delights!
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everybody!
中秋节是中国仅次于春节的第二大传统节日，起源于唐代初期。它是每年农历八月十五日以月亮为中心的节日，也是一年当中月亮最圆的时候。
中秋节也象征着家人团聚。在中秋佳节的夜晚，家人朋友聚集在一起，大家吃着月饼，观赏月亮，其乐融融。哦，差点儿忘了，还有点灯笼这个传统习俗，哈哈。
今年的中秋节是10月4日，由于是工作日，我和先生决定在周末前往新开张的新东方城提前庆祝中秋佳节。
新东方城位于伦敦北部Colindale，是一个大型亚洲美食广场。它拥有33个分别来自中港台，日韩，星马泰，越南等多个国家的地道美食。这些品种繁多的亚洲美食一定能够大大地满足我的味道体验，好期待哦！
从Colindale地铁站到新东方城步行只需要几分钟的时间。开车前往也很方便，可以在旁边的Morrison超市停车场免费停车。据说， 新东方城与Morrison合作，为访客提供360个停车位。
新东方城的银色建筑很富现代气息，门口挂满了大大小小的中国传统红灯笼。我们运气不错，刚好碰上了这里庆贺中秋节的舞龙表演。这可是最能展示节日气氛的传统活动，已成为中华文化的一个象征。
在街上敲锣打鼓的，加上鲜艳的紫色龙服，新东方城门外吸引了不少观众，非常热闹。舞龙表演很精彩，帅气的舞龙还调皮地向观众们眨眼睛，逗得孩子们非常开心。这出乎意外的惊喜，让我在异乡也感受到了家乡的温暖！
一楼为大家耳熟能详的金龙轩大酒楼，可容纳300位宾客，中午以及下午供应港式点心，晚上提供传统的中式佳肴，最适合婚庆喜宴等各类宴客活动。我们下次也要来这里尝尝。
二楼入口处，左边是具中国风格的蛋糕连锁店，名品饼屋。右边是空间超大的美食广场，可容纳450位客人。一个巨大的屏幕设在大厅的中心，我们去的时候正好播放着一部韩剧，呵呵。大厅到处都挂满了红灯笼，好有节日的气氛！
美食广场有33个美食摊位，提供最地道的东方风味美食，从中国传统点心到令人垂涎的香酥鸭，从日式豚骨拉面到经典小菜天妇罗，到韩国的石锅拌饭和辣炒年糕等等，真是太多太多的选择，让我无从下手！ 我足足用了15分钟环绕整个广场走了两圈，快速扫描每个餐厅的菜单，才决定要吃什么，哈哈。
如果你爱喝啤酒或酒精饮品的话，在广场中间靠近入口的地方有一个小酒吧。饮料或茶的话，基本上很多摊位都有卖。
我个人感觉这里食物价格还好，可以归为休闲餐饮的类别吧。大部分前点（开胃菜）在5英镑左右，而主菜大概是8.50英镑。当然，也有个别是超过10英镑的， 但不多。
这里的操作程序也蛮简单的，你选好了喜欢的摊位，下单并付款。你会收到一个小圆形信号器。当它闪烁红灯并嗡嗡作响的时候，就说明你的食物准备好了。我留意到，每隔几秒钟，你都会听到附近另一张桌子上的信号器在响，你可以想象这里有多热闹。
买食物下单的时候，我也超级兴奋，因为这是我第一次使用刚刚收到的Bitpay卡，呵呵。
新东方城包括美食广场都是由华仁集团一手打造的， 所以中国菜的质量一定是很有保证，必须要试的！
下面我带大家看看我们品尝的美食：
One 68 Dim Sum皇朝壹陆捌点心楼
粤式茶点老味道，感觉像是回到广州一样，呵呵。
特别推荐干蒸烧卖，小笼包和黄金萝卜糕。
Four Seasons文兴酒家
中国城里鼎鼎有名的文兴酒家，他们的烧鸭是首屈一指的招牌菜。据说“文兴烧鸭”曾在英国《金融时报》被评为“世界上最好吃的烧鸭”！
粤菜双拼烤鸭叉烧饭，烧得火候非常到位，鸭皮酥脆，叉烧肉质新嫩。
Janchi Korea Kitchen 韩国料理
这里有广受欢迎的石锅拌饭，烤肉饭和辣炒年糕，不过我这次尝的是韩式炸鸡。这可不是普通的炸鸡哦。它外皮酥脆而不油腻，鸡腿肉入口即化，口感非常好。据说秘笈在于油炸两次的工序。
Café La Viet
我最爱吃正宗的越南撈檬，所以特别点了这个。在一大碗米粉里，有美味的烤肉，拌上香炒花生粒，青瓜丝以及各种香菜，最后淋上酸得非常开胃的雨露，多层次口感，清爽不腻，好吃得不得了，呵呵。
Yaki Ya Grill Japan
这里的炭火烧烤以及他们家原创秘制Yaki酱汁特别出名，值得一试。Karaage烤鸡肉串，肉质鲜嫩，味道一级棒！
Ramen Samurai Ryu麵屋武士龙
日本拉面之神哦，在世界各地及国内都有分店。我点了重口味的黑蒜拉面。这汤头可是拉面的灵魂，浓浓的骨头肉汤味道鲜香，口感滑嫩，仔细回味似乎那种香味还在嘴边，好吃！
Chat Time 日出茶太
这家店在唐人街以珍珠奶茶闻名，非常受欢迎。它注重健康和保持茶底的最高品质，以呈现出最甘醇的风味。他们家的新鲜蛋松饼卷雪糕也非常美味，我强烈推荐！
新东方城是北伦敦最热门的亚洲美食之地。虽属美食广场，但它一流的食物品质以及种类之广泛，是我在伦敦从来没有见过的。所以我很开心和先生在这里共贺中秋佳节，尝到了不少美食。我们已经计划好下次再来，发掘更多好吃的，呵呵。
祝大家中秋节快乐！