Lychee Oriental

Recently refurbished city centre favourite, with flavourful, modern Chinese cooking

The 2019/20 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

Run by much-lauded chef Jimmy Lee, this fine-dining Chinese restaurant occupies an inconspicuous location at the back of the Lighthouse. Stylishly modern and clean, with a warm and intimate feel, it brings staples and a varied choice of specialities. The fragrant, but not too spicy hot ‘n’ sour soup is immensely satiating thanks to the tofu, prawn, shredded ham and spring onions, while, all the same, its acidic notes keep one wanting more. Spare ribs coated in sweet Peking sauce go well with a fistful of sour vegetables. What is most evident in the cooking is the freshness of ingredients, whose flavours always have a chance to come through. The stir-fried beef does not conceal the flavour of meat in an excess of sauces, and is served with asparagus that is so delightfully crunchy, it breaks with a snap. Crispy noodles with heaps of king prawn and pak choi feature spongy mushrooms that merge with the oyster sauce into a rich savoury mixture. It’s hard to find fault with Lychee Oriental, and from the food to the ambience it seems to effortlessly reach the heights.