Restaurant: Empress of Sichuan, Chinatown, London

Chinatown last night

Last night we went to Chinatown in London, as we had been in London flat hunting for Mark. We found a lovely 1bed in Finchley Central... But anyway, it was Chinese new year and I fancied some good food, so we hopped on the tube into Leicester Square and found a very lovely place, full of people (although many restaurants were) on Lisle Street.

"Chef Kang Dong was formerly the Head Chef of Dujiang Yan Grand Hotel in the Sichuan Province and has been perfecting his menu with over twenty years of experience in both China and Europe. He presents his dishes in style and with panache, keeping true to his roots by presenting unusual cuts of meat and offal with garlic, chilli and the ubiquitous Sichuan pepper."

Taken from the restaurant website 

Food: We enjoyed prawn crackers, crispy Peking duck with pancakes, hot and spicy ribs, chicken with red and green chillies, shredded pork in Peking sauce and fried noodles with vegetables. It was all delicious but we definitely over ordered as the servings were enough for 2 people per dish. We ended up bringing most of it home for lunch today.

Yummy Crispy Duck

Service: The staff were very lovely and extremely attentive, almost bordering on too much so but never overbearing. The waitresses all knew the menu well and were able to recommend dishes, help you choose between two different ones and give their own favourites. I probably wouldn't have plumped for the spicier ribs, had the waitress' eyes not lit up when I asked which were better. The chilli was a little too hot for me, but I quite liked the fact that it was too spicy because I don't often believe Chinese menus when they say 'very spicy'.

Price Range: The list of food above, plus 2 beers, 2 glasses of wine and 2 bottles of water came to £85. At just over £42pp, I wasn't shocked by the price, given the portion sizes, however it was more than I had estimated.

Lisle Street

Atmosphere: the decor of the restaurant is modern, yet still very Asian with fountains and lanterns tastefully added to a dark, classic decor style. The restaurant was buzzing, but not busy, there was a full mix of ages and races in there and everyone seemed to be enjoying their food. I would definitely go back.

Location: 6 Lisle Street, Chinatown, London, WC2H 7BG
Tel: 020 7734 8128
Web: www.empressofsichuan.com

Spotted this little side street on our way back to the station