CHINA ON A PLATE

Chop Chop
248 Morrison Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8DT
0131 221 1155

Jian Wang came to Scotland to ensure that her son Yin received the best possible education, now the enterprising businesswomen is educating British people in real Chinese cooking.
Her Edinburgh factory produces 500,000 dumplings a month for sale in major retailers like Sainsbury’s and in Chinese supermarkets throughout Britain, and her restaurant has received widespread critical acclaim.
Chop Chop is an experience. If you are looking for a restaurant to chill out in then go elsewhere, but, if you are looking for a gastronomic experience then book now. Why?
Well, are over 2,000 members of their culinary club and it has been packed since November when the restaurant was featured on the smash hit TV show the F Word.
Jian’s authentic Chinese food is totally divorced from the norm. We loved it. You are best to go for the set meal which allows Chop Chop virgins to experiment.
The subtle pork and coriander dumplings were followed by fried prawn dumplings. Mix your own soy and vinegar sauce and add raw garlic and chillies to enhance the flavour.
The lamb with cumin seed plus cucumber salad and small shredded potato salad was sensational.
The meat slid off the small sweet and sour pork robs and the aubergines were divine.
Crispy Northern beef and the tender green beans and chilli were also brought to the table.
For dessert We finished with fruit dumplings. All I can say is wow!

TRUE TASTE OF ITALY

Cheikhos Restaurant
12 Church Street
Lutterworth
Leicestershire
LE17 4AW
01455 559869

OCCASIONALLY you find a gem. When you do it is uplifting. There are unsung restaurants out there producing quality food at value prices but it is sometimes hard to find them.
Step forward FSB member Cheikhos, tucked away in a side street in deepest Leicestershire.
I’d never been anywhere near Lutterworth before. It is a market town of 8,500 inhabitants, the home of Sir Frank Whittle who invented the jet engine.
I arrived after a seven hour drive and not in the best of moods.
The weather was fair so I went for a walk to ease my legs and spotted the distinctive restaurant frontage.
A quick glance at the menu was enough to encourage me to come back later. I was not disappointed.
As I arrived some diners were leaving, all singing the praises of the chef. A good start. The extensive menu was mouth-watering.
I decided to go for gigot d’agneau, a braised shank of lamb surrounded with Mediterranean vegetables and a rich tomato sauce. The sweetness of the lamb was complimented by the vegetables and the sauce.
What’s more, the portion was so good I couldn’t find space for a sweet.
This restaurant is just off the M1 and well worth a visit. Vegetarian devotees are catered for. The choice included wild mushrooms sauted with shallots and garlic, a touch of cream and served on a medley of green beans lightly cooked in a citrus and black pepper butter.
Next time!

LEE RAJ WORTH A VISIT

Lee Raj: 23 Squires Gate Lane, Blackpool FY4 1SN tel: 01253 406300

RECOMMENDATION is often the best form of advertising for a restaurant, but sometimes it doesn’t live up to the billing.
The Lee Raj was mentioned to me by a colleague but I had continually driven past the restaurant and gone elsewhere. My loss.
It sits near the Starr Gate tram stop at the southern terminus of Blackpool’s world-famous trams.
The restaurant is on the corner of an undistinguished street near an extensive housing estate on the way to Blackpool’s busy business park and near the airport.
The external appearance, however, fails to do the restaurant justice. Step through the door are the place is immaculate.
Soft lighting, smartly dressed tables, cutlery discretely wrapped in linen napkins all adds to the overall appearance.
The service is slick but not overbearing and the extensive menu takes some time to digest.
The restaurant, which has been on site for around a decade, serves mainly Bangladeshi food.
And clients come from places as far afield as Manchester on a regular basis.
Read the on-line testimonials, including a Tory who was attending his party conference and made the trip from the North Shore, and visitors who took a tip from a taxi driver, and praise floods out.
Many diners describe it as the best restaurant of its type in Fylde. It is no surprise, with that level of acclaim, that this restaurant has a following.
I asked for advice and eventually plumped for a chicken raj ran hawei after checking regards my lactose deficiency (no dairy).
It arrived with a special sauce but the attentive waiter, without prompt, quickly switched it to another dairy free alternative with around 20 ingredients including mango, chilli and chutney before it reached my table.
The sauce was magnificent and the chicken moist. The accompanying salad could have been spiced up a trifle and, at £4.50, it was a tad expensive, but the dish was an ideal starter.
For main I plumped for a lamb jalfrezi with special fried rice. The lamb was succulent and the sauce packed with merging flavours, none of which dominated.
This dish was priced at £7.10 with rice at £2.60 and I retained some of the sauce from the starter. It proved an ideal accompaniment.
I was too full for a sweet and the bill, with a fresh orange, totalled £15.90. Perfectly acceptable for a quality meal in a well-appointed restaurant.
The Lee Raj is near the promenade and the wind was howling outside. The rain also battered down on the deserted pavements. It was a Sunday night to be by the fireside, but Lee Raj was busy. The restaurant was warm and comfortable.
I sat, however, across from a black plaque on the wall which said: “Your custom with Lee Raj is my fortune, your dining in Lee Raj is due to my ability, your happiness with Lee Raj is my pleasure, your satisfaction with Lee Raj is my desire.”
Pompous, yes. Necessary, no. The food does the talking for this hidden gem.
It stands out among the mediocrity which can be served up in Blackpool and I was well satisfied with my visit.
I’ve subsequently thanked my tip off man and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to others.
However, I might be cutting my own throat as it could then become much busier leaving me out in the cold on my next business trip.

THIS IS NO 1

Number One
South Beach
4 Harrowside West
Blackpool
FY4 1NW
01253 343900

Blackpool’s No 1 place to stay proclaimed the advertising. I travel to the North-West regularly on business and normally stay in a large hotel. It is comfortable but impersonal.
A chance remark and a walk along the prom between meetings on the same bracing day took me past Number One. I called in for a peek and was bowled over. The homely lounge, individually designed bedrooms and a genuine welcome were vital sparks. This is five star with extras. Example, watching TV while having a Jacuzzi in your en-suite bathroom.
Stylish bedrooms and service – even down to the smallest dietary detail – add to the experience. There is even an extensive range of books and a library of DVDs to borrow.
The food is delicious. Breakfast boasts a huge choice, all freshly cooked and served with squeezed orange juice and a selection of herbal tea, if required. There are also five special selections. My favourite is smoked fish with poached egg. Evening meals are also a delight. Devilled kidneys, with a rich sauce, are superb. So is the sea bass. The meat fell off the bones.
Number One South Beach is a superb boutique guest house with a quality modern British restaurant. Give it a try.

COMFORTABLE IN MACKENZIES

MacKenzies
2-4 Bridge Road
Colinton
Edinburgh EH13 0LF
0131 441 2587
www.mackenziesrestaurant.com


FEELING comfortable in a restaurant is, I feel, so important. From the moment you walk in to the last goodbye it is good when you feel you are well looked after and not just another client.
Step forward MacKenzies, writes Nigel Duncan. I pass the restaurant most days on my way in and out of Edinburgh’s busy city centre.
Every time I’ve eaten there I’ve not been disappointed and we were there again recently. Once again, we went home having enjoyed the night and feeling that we had received value for money.
That’s particularly important as the credit crunch continues to bite. MacKenzies, however, have a strong regular client base and it was busy on the Thursday we visited.
We went there with friends and we all needed a lift after almost of month of sub-zero temperatures north of the Border.
The cottage-style restaurant is in the heart of Colinton, a village on the banks of the Water of Leith which dates back to before the 11th century. Celebrated author Robert Louis Stevenson was a regular visitor.
The Scottish-style supper menu had something for everybody. Neil and I selected piping hot, home-made lentil soup while our partners, Pam and Carol, decided on chicken, bacon and mushrooms on toast. Both selections were well presented.
On to the main course. We asked for a recommendation and, following advice, three of us plumped for boeuf bourguignon. We were not disappointed.
Carol plumped for succulent chicken wrapped in parma ham and covered in lashings of mozzarella cheese. It was superb.
Mains come with a panache of seasonal vegetables and potatoes and there was ample for everybody.
Nobody was rushing us and the chat was flowing so it took a while before the waiter ventured forth to inquire about sweets.
Three of us plumped for brandy snaps and fruit. The presentation was superb and the taste matched.
Neil luxuriated in his favourite, banoffee pie. The pastry based cake made from bananas, cream and toffee plus boiled condensed milk has been on the menu for some time and it is as popular as ever.
Summing up, this is a traditional, Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh’s outskirts well worth a visit. I’ve never been disappointed. We’ll be back...soon.