££ CHINA GARDEN
88-91 Preston Street, Brighton, East Sussex
(01273 325124), open Mon-Sun noon-11.30pm
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By day this vast seafront restaurant is filled to capacity with Chinese families lunching at length on excellent dim sum with desserts to match. Prawn and vegetable dumplings and sticky rice in lotus leaves are particularly tasty. At night, businessmen and couples dine on well- made classics such as squid with garlic and chilli and chicken in black bean sauce to the sound of a cocktail pianist. Service is charming.
£ HAPPY GATHERING
233 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff (029-2039 7531), open Mon-Thur noon-11pm; Fri-Sat noon-11.45pm; Sun noon-9pm
A longstanding fixture on the Cardiff dining scene, regulars (often from as far away as Bristol) pack the place for lunchtime dim sum, while the rest of the Cantonese cooking gets an enthusiastic thumbs- up, too, especially honey- glazed prawns, steamed fish (the restaurant is known for its fresh seafood), aromatic duck and spare ribs. Service and atmosphere tick all the right boxes, too. You may have to queue on Sundays.
££ KING NEPTUNE
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34-36 Stowell Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (0191-261 6657), open Mon-Sun noon-1.45pm; Mon-Fri 6-10.45pm; Sat 5.30-11pm; Sun 6-10.30pm
The mainly seafood dishes, which feature some interesting specials, are expertly prepared and may be eaten in the contemporary lavender room upstairs or the traditional burgundy and gold dining room.
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££ MUST
11 Newhall Street, Birmingham (0121-212 2266), open Mon-Wed noon-10pm; Thur-Sat noon-10.30pm
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A buzzy venue with stylishly chic decor and a bar that’s a destination in its own right. The food is creative and very fresh, with as much care given to presentation as to cooking. There’s a lengthy dim sum menu; main course selections include plentiful vegetarian options as well as paprika- dusted tofu and crispy squid, Dover sole with celery, and onoki beef.
££ THE PHOENIX
The Green, Histon, Cambs (01223 233766), open Mon- Sat noon-2pm, 6-10.30pm
It’s a slightly bizarre experience to sit in the window of a Chinese restaurant and find yourself admiring the view outside of a picturesque village green and pond, complete with village pump. A former pub and eatery, the Phoenix retains a dash of its original pubby atmosphere while serving up some of the region’s best Peking and Szechuan cuisine. It’s a favourite for business dining. Service is friendly and attentive and there’s a takeaway service, too, if you fancy a quiet night in.
££ RED CHILLI
6 Great George Street, Leeds (0113-242 9688), open
Sun-Thur noon-11pm;
Fri-Sat noon-midnight
Another lively cosmopolitan addition to the fast-evolving Civic Quarter, which now offers just about every type of cuisine. Descend the stairs of the restored Victorian chambers to a contemporary basement themed in gleaming black and red. Beijing and Szechuan dishes feature on a rewarding menu of dim sum, clay pot dishes, sizzling plates and familiar Cantonese classics, which are far from run-of-the-mill. Coyly named set menus — First Date, Courtship and True Love — steer the timid away from chicken satay and aromatic crispy duck and towards Painter Daqian spring chicken and stir-fried Shanghai bacai (Chinese cabbage). True adventurers should try home-style dishes such as Mrs Spotty’s bean curd, Big Grandma’s stir-fried whelk, and for pudding, donkey rolled in mud.
£ TAI PAN
W. H. Lung Building, Great Howard Street, Liverpool (0151-207 3888), open Mon-Sat noon-11.30pm;
Sun noon-10.30pm
Don’t be put off by the unprepossessing warehouse setting (above a Chinese supermarket and overlooking Liverpool docks) as Tai Pan serves some of the best, most authentic Chinese food in the North. Seafood is a particular strength, and the dim sum is first-rate. This is especially popular on Sundays when you can expect to queue. There are Anglicised set menus offering skewered lamb with satay sauce, chicken with cashew nuts, and sizzling fillet steak Cantonese-style. The more adventurous diner should try the Chinese-only menu.
££ WONGS
Unit 1-5, Fleet Street, Birmingham (0121-212 1888), open Mon-Sat noon-2pm, 6-11pm (Fri-Sat -11.30)
From the street it looks closed up, but just slip through the red Chinese arch and you’ll find a slick operation, with elegant courtyard seating and a spacious, light dining room. The top choice here is always seafood — try the exemplary steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onions — though other favourites include steamed scallops in garlic sauce, stir-fried mussels in black bean sauce, as well as sliced lamb with cracked pepper, and crispy duck in plum sauce. It can be quiet at lunchtime, but in the evening, with the piano tinkling away, it’s just the spot for a relaxed meal. For excellent renditions of classic recipes, look no further.
££ YANG SING
34 Princess Street, Manchester (0161-236 2200), open Mon-Sun noon-11pm
The heart of the kitchen may beat to a Cantonese rhythm but there are more than a few Western counterpoints in the mix. The cooking has a flair and imagination rarely seen in Chinese food. Well-trained staff make the myriad options accessible to the average customer and the bustling atmosphere makes for a real sense of occasion.