To make a big generalization of the west world, you can say that the more nicer a restaurant is - the less dishes in the menu. The physical menus in real nice restaurant also use to be in the minimalistic spirit, so sometimes just a simple white paper, or a writing on a blackboard. Pictures of the dishes are also totally forbidden in a high class west restaurant, and is only to find in low class tourist restaurants, that also have obvious more dishes in the menu.
In China, this things is the totally opposite. In the to of line line restaurants, the menu is like a book with an impressive huge number of dishes. The presentation is often in a leather frame with art-like pictures of the food. Only the real simple small restaurants have menus without pictures, and also not so many dishes. Totally the other way around compared to the west world.
The saying "I would never eat in a restaurant with pictures in the menu" maybe can be valid in China also, but then likely told by someone in the lower salary level. (The restaurants with no pictures is the cheapest)
Ping, with an example of a real nice menu at the "The Dazhaimen Restaurant"
