An evening in central Bergen: food, hospitality and calm on Torgallmenningen

In the middle of the city, yet calm

Torgallmenningen is the heart of Bergen: always people, always life. This is where the city meets, on the way to work, out shopping, or simply wandering through the centre. The square has a pulse of its own, especially in the afternoon when the day begins to settle and the lights come on.

Inside our door you meet something else. Low light, warm colours and a pace that lets the evening unfold. You step straight from the city's busiest square into calm, and that contrast is precisely what we love most. Central, yet quiet; in the middle of everything, yet sheltered.

For many that is exactly what they are looking for in the centre: a place that is easy to reach, but does not feel busy once you have sat down. A breathing space in the middle of the city, where you can hear your own conversation.

Torgallmenningen, the city's living room

Few addresses in Bergen are more central than Torgallmenningen. The broad, open square ties the city together, and around it sit shops, cafés and offices. To eat here is to be in the middle of things, a step from most of it.

If you live in Bergen, we are easy to drop into: on the way home from work, before a show, or when the evening simply deserves a little extra. If you are visiting, we are easy to find, and a natural part of an evening in the centre.

A step from Bryggen and the fish market

The location makes us a good starting point for an evening in town. Bryggen, with its famous wooden houses and UNESCO status, is within walking distance, and so is the fish market. If you are a tourist in Bergen, you can walk from the sights straight to the table without having to plan transport.

Many of our guests combine exactly this: a stroll along Bryggen, perhaps a quick look at the fish market, and then a calm meal with us when hunger calls. The centre is small enough that everything connects, and we sit right in the middle of it.

How to get here

Finding your way to us is simple, however you travel:

• Buses and the light rail stop on and around Torgallmenningen, just a few steps away.
• There are car parks in the centre within a short walk.
• On foot we are a few minutes from both Bryggen and the fish market.

For visitors, the proximity to public transport is an advantage worth mentioning. You do not have to search, and you move on easily, whether the evening continues out, or you are heading safely home.

Which time of day suits best

We are open through the day, from lunch to late evening, and each part of the day has a mood of its own. Midday is calm and bright, good for a break from the shopping or a relaxed meeting over food. Into the afternoon and evening the pace settles, and the room takes on the warm, low-lit feel that suits a long dinner.

To be sure of a table, especially at weekends or around the holidays, it pays to reserve in advance. But on a quiet weekday evening, you are welcome to simply drop by.

Flavours from two regions

What makes a meal with us a little different is the breadth of the flavours. Our kitchen has roots in both the Cantonese and the Sichuan, and you notice it on the menu: you can begin mild and clean, and end warm and spiced, all at the same table. For many that range is part of the experience.

We compose dishes that complement one another, so an evening becomes a small journey. Something crisp, something steamed, something with kick and something cool, and ideally a little of everything, shared between you. It is a way of eating that suits a relaxed evening in town, where no one is in a hurry.

If you are curious about what separates the two traditions, we are glad to help you put together a table that shows both. It is a fine way to discover the Chinese kitchen, in the middle of central Bergen.

An evening without stress

Much of what we try to give is the absence of stress. In a busy city it is a luxury to sit down somewhere nothing is rushed, where you can take all the time you want, without feeling you must give up the table. With us the evening is yours for as long as you want it.

That also means we try to make it easy for you from the moment you step through the door. A friendly welcome, help finding the dishes that suit you, and a pace you set yourself. You should be able to lean back and let the evening come to you.

For us hospitality is not a façade but the very core of what we do. A guest who feels at ease is the whole point, and that is the feeling we hope you take home with you.

How the evening feels

We take our time, with every dish and every guest. That is perhaps the most important thing we can say about an evening with us. We are in no hurry to see you out; on the contrary, it is the long evenings, where the table lingers and the conversation flows, that we value most.

The room is made to slow the pace. The warm light, the muted colours and the distance from the noise of the street let your shoulders drop almost on their own. You should be able to breathe out, relax and be present with the people beside you.

The food that is shared

Much of our food is made to be shared, and that shapes how an evening with us feels. Rather than each guest eating their own dish, we set the plates in the middle of the table, so you can taste your way through several things together. The meal becomes a shared experience, not a row of parallel ones.

It suits two as well as a larger group. A quiet dinner for two can be a fine journey through a few chosen dishes; a larger table can range widely and share everything. Either way the idea is the same: that the food should bring you together.

Children and larger groups welcome

We welcome both the smallest and the largest parties. Families with children find much to like on the menu, mild dishes, familiar favourites and portions easy to share, and we are glad to do a little extra so the youngest enjoy themselves too. An evening out should be easy for the whole family.

Larger groups we arrange as well. If you will be many, it is good to let us know in advance, so we set aside space and make sure the food comes evenly to the whole table. That way you avoid waiting, and the evening flows as it should.

Whether you are two or twenty, the idea is the same: that everyone should feel welcome, and that the food should be something you share and remember.

For visitors and guests from afar

Bergen is a city many people visit, and we welcome guests from all over the world. Our menu is in both Norwegian and English, and we are used to receiving travellers who want a good, calm meal in the centre without fuss. You do not need to know the city to feel at home with us.

For many visitors a meal is one of the evening's highlights. We try to make it easy: a central location, a welcoming menu, and a hospitality that does not require you to know the language or the customs beforehand.

You step straight from the city's busiest square into calm.

An evening for most occasions

A visit with us suits many kinds of evening. A date meant to be a little special, a family dinner where young and old alike should find something they like, an informal business meal, or simply a weekday that deserves something good. The shared food and the calm pace make the place flexible.

If the occasion is larger (a celebration, a gathering, a party), we are glad to host that too, with menus tailored to the day. But the perfectly ordinary evening is just as welcome. You need no good reason to treat yourself to a good meal.

A city worth getting lost in

Bergen is a city that invites you to walk. The narrow streets, the old wooden houses and the mountains rising right behind the centre mean an evening in town often begins long before the meal. Many of our guests come straight from a stroll, perhaps up Fløyen, along the water, or through the small streets around Torgallmenningen.

That is precisely why we like the idea of being a natural stop. A good meal does not have to be the evening's only event; it can be the pause in the middle of it, or the calm close. We sit where the city moves anyway, and that makes us easy to fit into an evening otherwise full of impressions.

And should the weather turn, as it often does in Bergen, a warm room with low light and good food is not the worst place to take shelter. Many a rainy evening has ended well around one of our tables.

Food for the familiar and the curious alike

One of the things we appreciate is how different our guests are. Some know the Chinese kitchen well and know exactly what they want; others are curious and want to try something new. Our menu is made for both. You will find safe favourites side by side with dishes that may be a little less familiar, but well worth a try.

If you are unsure, we are glad to help. Tell us what you like, whether you prefer the mild and clean or the warm and spiced, and we will point you in the right direction. Much of the food is also made to be shared, so it is easy to taste broadly without committing to a single dish.

For us, a good meal is as much about meeting the guest where they are. Whoever wants it simple should have it simple; whoever wants to explore should have something to be curious about. Both should go home full and content.

The evening after the evening

One of the finest things about an evening in the centre is that it rarely ends at the table. Bergen has a rich night life, stages and bars within walking distance, and many of our guests carry the evening on out after the food. Our central location makes the transition easy. You step straight back into the city, full and ready for the rest of the night.

Others prefer the opposite rhythm: a calm meal as the close itself, a good conversation left to last, and then home. Both suit us equally well. We want the evening with us to feel complete in itself, whether it is the beginning, the middle or the end of a night in Bergen.

A place to come back to

Most of our guests are not first-timers. Many come back again and again, through the years and the occasions, and that is perhaps the best feedback we can get. A regular place in the centre is something of its own, somewhere you are recognised, where you know what you get, and where the evening can always let your shoulders drop.

We hope you find that feeling with us too. That China Palace becomes one of the places you return to, whether for a quick lunch, a calm dinner, or an evening you want to be a little special. The door is open, and we are just as glad to welcome you the fifth time as the first.

Drop by

Whether you are planning a quiet dinner or simply looking for a good place in the centre, the door is open. We are right on Torgallmenningen, easy to find and easy to reach. To be sure of a table, you can reserve easily in advance; to simply try your luck on a quiet evening, you are just as welcome.

We look forward to welcoming you, with warm flavours, time enough, and the calm in the middle of the city.