Jumbo Chinese Takeaway

First off, I love the name of this establishment. Jumbo is a great word because it makes me smile and invokes childish connotations; one’s accepted by the super-​ego.
This is Cantonese food at its very best. I was lucky enough to go to Hong Kong and the cuisine there varied from street vendors to posh restaurants and I ate in them all. The food at Jumbo represents the finer style of the food I sampled in Hong Kong.
They offer a free delivery service within a 2 mile radius; otherwise there is a 1.50 delivery charge. I’d recommend getting on your bike or putting on your walking shoes, we live in hard times.
The prices at Jumbo are fair. They offer vegetarian set meals at 18 quid for 2 people, trust me it is worth it. If you are having a party with 4 gusts or you are a hungry family then they do a set menu for 37 quid. A tenner each for a meal you will remember.

I discovered this place when I first moved to Birmingham a couple of years ago, but did not venture in to try their food until recently. From the outside it does not look great and I think that is what put me off trying it; it is situated on a busy road, getting a parking space anywhere near it is a challenge and you can near be too careful with take away venues. Anyway, I thought I should give it a try and not judge it by its exterior. Well, the menu is pretty large and so I was immediately spoilt for choice when I went in, luckily for me there was a long queue, which gave me time to decide. I settled on a chicken Chow Mein with special fried rice. The staff were really friendly and when I got home to finally eat my meal, it was amazing. Absolutely delicious and properly cooked — it was well worth the wait in the queue and the quality of the food explained why there was such a big queue. I would highly recommend this place.

I’m a bit of a takeaway snob. Which sounds like a contradiction in terms. It’s just that I don’t like food that tastes too fake — which a lot of takeaway can.
Fortunately, Jumbo is one of those gems that, once you’ve discovered, you never look back. I went to Beijing last year, so, frankly, have been spoiled by proper, authentic Chinese cuisine which makes our UK version taste like plastic in comparison. I was pleased, therefore, to discover Jumbo, which tastes more similar to anything I had in Beijing than anything else I’ve had in terms of takeaways.
In particular, I would recommend the Kung Po chicken — nice and spicy and slightly more complex. The staff are lovely as well, and we all particularly appreciate their little nativity scene at Christmas. Slightly random for a Chinese takeaway, but a nice touch.