The New China Garden went througha series of rebrandings. It was the Moon House, Wok Epress and Hee's takeaway. There may well have been others that I've forgotten. I was friendly with the family who ran it as the Moon House. I can't recall how many times I stopped off on the way home from work, after a few pints, for a takeaway. I'd have a spring roll (the old schoool one with beansprouts), Kung Po Prawns and special fried rice. I'd have a chat with the family and I was really sad when they left. About 5 years ago, I met the former owner, working as a waiter in another restaurant. He came over and we had a good chat. The food was proper old school. In truth I much prefer that to the more fancy version you get in more expensive establishments, although I must say Mill Hill's Good Earth is superb.
Even better though, and something that always makes me smile, was the banter I'd have with the other drunks who got off Thameslink at Mill Hill, and stopped off for some sustainance. There was a litte community who'd gather shortly before they shut. We'd have great banter. Jokes about crispy duck and greasy prawn balls! These days we get our takeaways from Tangs at Apex Corner. I suspect that per sqare foot, it is the busiest food outlet in Mill Hill, maybe the whole of London, they re incredibly busy and rightly so. The problem is that its a bit of a shlep when you get off the train, so I eat a lot less of it!
Whenever people start to go off on one about immigrants, I think of restaurants like the Moon House, the Mill Hill Tandoori, etc. I think how dull London would be without all of the various communities. I love Chinatown and the restaurants there, much as I also love Brick Lane and the Indian restaurants around London. My wife always used to berate me when I turned up with a Chinese, usually worse for wear after a night out. She'd point out that it was not exactly health food. For me, the Chinese takeaways on the corners of our High Streets are part of the absolute fabric of my London. Sadly, they are disappearing. I really wanted to write a love song to them. An American friend pointed out "you can get excellent chinese food in the USA". This is true, but it aint the same as London takeaways. I don't know if it is the air in the UK, the ingredients or the fact that they have tweaked it perfectly for us philistine Brits, but there is nothing better!
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