Quite happy to savour a flavour of the Orient

Jul 18 2011 By Ladies Who Lunch

ChinaBléu restaurant, Lanark.

THIS month, for a change, we thought to try our luck with a Chinese meal, having already sampled the lunches on offer in Italian and modern Scottish restaurants, large and small.

We had heard good things of ChinaBléu in Lanark so, on a warm sunny day, we headed for this little restaurant and take-away tucked away down a one-way street in the Royal Burgh.

The sign above the door says ChinaBleu but everyone seems to pronounce it as China Blue, and surely that makes more sense than the 'French' spelling of blue, if that is what is intended (but then why the acute accent above the 'e'?).

Perhaps the name was chosen in preference to the usual Green Dragon or Lotus Flower etc. to make the restaurant sound more modern. Certainly the interior is quite definitely modern and uncluttered, with a notable absence of flocked wallpaper, dragons, paper lanterns and the like. A large air conditioning unit (if such it was) on one wall is perhaps the only item which would hint at its oriental origins.

We were given a warm welcome from our waitress and had plenty of tables to choose from - mid-week lunchtime is apparently normally pretty quiet and we had been told there wouldn't be any need to book. In fact, there were only two other tables occupied while we were there.

The full menu was tempting as it included a whole range oriental dishes - Thai, Cantonese and Japanese (no French), but we opted for the three-course lunch menu at £6.90 which offered more than enough choice to suit us all.

Starters comprised four different soups, garlic mushrooms, pancake rolls, prawn cocktail and capital ribs - and we tried three of these. The main courses were too numerous to list here, and more than enough to make choosing difficult for anyone who likes Chinese cuisine.

There were no surprises or potential thrills listed under 'sweets' unless you have never tasted a pineapple or banana fritter, fruit cocktail or ice cream. If you have, and find them resistible, coffee and tea were offered as alternatives.

Initially we considered having soft drinks only, but for the sake of consistency chose a bottle of white wine to share. Red wine, we thought, might overpower what we hoped would be the delicate Eastern flavours of our meal, so we chose a bottle of the delightful-sounding 'light and fruity' Trebbiano Chardonnay/Colle de Gelso - one of the cheapest wines from a pretty wide wine menu - and were not disappointed with our choice.

Throughout our meal the service was quietly efficient, the wine was opened and tasting offered before pouring, glasses were refilled as necessary, cutlery cleared and replaced with fresh for each course, with no sign of hurry but no lengthy waiting for attention at any time. We were not offered water, but this was speedily brought when requested.

And how was the food? Almost all was rated as fine - not making you pause while eating to announce how great it was - but generally plates were cleared and there were only few minor criticisms.

The neatly-packaged pancake rolls were particularly enjoyed among the starters and the prawn cocktail was a large and tasty helping. The mushrooms alone were less well-received, so lightly cooked as to seem almost raw in a rather gloopy and faintly garlicky sauce (if you expected the ubiquitous breaded garlic mushrooms, you would be in for a surprise).

As mains, the lemon chicken was applauded (metaphorically only) for its crispy batter and 'perfectly lemony syrup/sauce' the chicken in plum and strawberry sauce was moist and light with the strawberriest-ever tasting strawberries, and the chow mein with thin strips of chicken also very acceptable with its light soy sauce coating.

For the sake of our readers we tried the fritters, both pineapple and banana - sweet, sticky, with quite crunchy batter and very soft banana. Okay, but then who goes to a Chinese restaurant for the desserts anyway?

Overall, we agreed that we had enjoyed a pleasant meal in tasteful surroundings, been offered ample choice with the set lunch menu, and given service worthy of the tip.

Not bad at the price!

Our scores:

Location 8. Ambience 7.5. Menu/food 7.5. Service 8. Value for money 8.5. Overall score 39.5/50.

Today's tip: a change can be as good as a rest!