Kinjou Chinese Restaurant

Situated in Havelock Town on  Amarasekera Mawatha at the Havelock Road junction, Kinjou has been in existence for well over 25 years.  Although it is just 2 minutes walking distance, I have always avoided this place as the prices were usually 5 star rates.

So, today I decided come what may, I shall try their cuisines. The first thing you notice before you enter the restaurant is the arch way through which you have to enter the building. On either side of the arch they have sufficient parking space for 2 vehicles each. 

Previously, the entrance was from the sides and there used to be a huge mango tree, a pond and a boat in the middle garden, which were destroyed to make way for Parking space. Cars are always being parked on both sides, down the full length of Amarasekera Mawatha, whenever people have functions at Kinjou. Alas! it was with great dismay and disappointment that I watched the magnificent tree being downed, chopped up and hauled away. Being a nature lover, I consider a tree equal to a human - cutting down a tree is equal to murdering a human. 

As you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by a  bronze statue of a lion at the Takeaway counter cum Reception. Walk in through the doors and you will see the actual restaurant proper, which is a feast to the eyes. Large Chinese lanterns hang from the ceiling with,  Chinese paintings, wall hangings and smaller lanterns were mounted on the full stretch of the wall at random heights. The place is lit with not so bright light, which was really good because it set the tranquility of the atmosphere. The mood was enhanced with lilting Chinese music playing in the background. The best part of it was that every table was laid ready for eating along with a soup bowl. At the center of each table was placed a promotional placard about the daily discounts.

The customer service was actually quite good. The person at the counter was not only helpful but gave me some good tips in selecting the different food. He was particularly conscious of the fact that I was a Muslim, so he guided  me to dishes I could safely eat. This is what I call "star class customer service". Keep it up Kinjou!. Furthermore, when we normally try to take pictures of restaurants we sometimes meet with resistance from the staff, however, at Kinjou the staff was actually quite supportive.

Since I was here alone, I decided to take some for Take Away. Regular takeouts at this place were different types of Fried Rice, Nasi Goreng and Noodles - all provided in medium sized portions. One medium portion is sufficient for two people.  Each cost between Rs. 560 and 900. There were only two items for single portions - one of which was Chop Suey Fried Rice for Rs. 990. Note: prices quoted does not include VAT, you should expect the final amount (inclusive of VAT) to cost more.
Finally I settled on the Chop Suey Fried Rice.

The parcel, when opened, was oozing with sauce all around. It was loaded with a huge portion of Chop Suey, and I had to slide off more than half on to a dish in order to see the rice.

 

As the name implied, it was Rice and Chop Suey, but it had more: there were prawns, chicken and baby cuttle fish along with the vegetables. It wasn't hot, but they were of soupy like texture and very filling. 

I guess, I might checkout the other products at Kinjou sometime soon.