Sometimes, you have to order food and there are not always images on the menu or your Chinese is not that great (or lame in my case). If you are feeling lucky you can choose randomly but you can also use this short list of Chinese dishes with their translation and description.
APPETIZERS 开胃品

炸花生 : (zha hua sheng) deep-fried peanut
五彩拉皮: (wu cai la pi) cold dish with glass noodles and veggies
拌花菜 : (ban hua cai) cold dish; carrots, cucumbers, peanuts, etc in vinegar and hot sauce

PORK 猪肉

锅包肉: (guo bao rou) sweet and sour pork
糖醋里脊: (tang cu li ji) sweet and sour lean pork pieces
鱼香肉丝: (yu xiang rou si) fish smelling pork, a little spicy with some veggies
宫包肉丁: (gong bao rou ding) spicy pork usu. w/ peanuts & carrots
京酱肉丝: (jing jiang rou si) saucy meat on a bed of Chinese onions
排骨: (pai gu) ribs
水煮肉片: (shui zhu rou pian) Sichuan specialty; pork in a spicy soup base with some greens

CHICKEN 鸡肉

宫包鸡丁: (gong bao ji ding) spicy chicken w/ peanuts & carrots
鱼香鸡条: (yu xiang ji tiao) fish smelling chicken
软炸鸡条: (ruan zha ji tiao) breaded, deep-fried chicken strips
辣子鸡丁: (la zi ji ding) very spicy chicken dish
铁板鸡片: (tie ban ji pian) chicken and onions on a sizzling skillet
咖哩鸡: (ga li ji) curry chicken (usually mild curry)
腰果鸡丁: (yao guo ji ding) chicken and cashews

BEEF 牛肉

铁板牛肉: (tie ban niu rou) beef and onions on a sizzling skillet
干煸牛肉丝: (gan bian niu rou si) fried, crispy beef strips; spicy
咖哩牛肉: (ga li niu rou) curry beef
孜然牛肉: (zi ran niu rou) deep fried beef with cumin
黑胡椒牛肉: (hei hu jiao niu rou) black pepper beef
红烧牛肉: (hong shao niu rou) beef braised in brown sauce

Enjoy your meal!

Antoine