CHUNG YING GARDEN
50 Friar Street
Worcester
WR1 2NA
01905 22972

YOU know you’re on to a good thing when you arrive at a restaurant on a snowy Saturday evening to find it already half full of customers.

I had heard good things about the Chung Ying Garden but even then I would have accepted it if Saturday had been quieter than normal.

Expecting the restaurant to have stopped, like the rest of the UK following the weekend’s snow, we called at 5pm on Saturday to check if they were still open. After being assured they were, we ventured out.

The chatter of customers and the restaurant’s traditional Asian decor was incredibly welcoming on an icy cold night.

We opted for the set menu, which included a sharing platter to start and a choice of mains with egg fried rice for just £18 per person.

The starter included spring rolls, sesame minced king prawns on toast, crispy seaweed and spare ribs in either capital sauce (a sweet Chinese-style sauce) or in chilli and salt.

Everything was delicious. The sesame prawns on toast were a huge hit with both of us and the seaweed was deliciously more-ish.

The waitress also brought out a small portion of sweet-chilli dipping sauce to accompany the starter, which was by far the nicest I have ever tasted.

The only problem was the ribs – after devouring the smallest of the two assuming the bigger two would have more meat on them, my fiancé found out that wasn’t quite the case and was met with quite a bit of gristle. But they had a lovely taste nonetheless.

For main, I opted for chicken breast in lemon sauce – a delightful mix of sweet and sour – while my fiancé opted for the sizzling char siu (pork) in spicy satay sauce, which was also a hit.

The experience itself was an incredibly relaxed affair because of the service.

The waitresses were incredibly attentive, but did not hover and there was no rushing to get one dish out after the other.

For dessert, I opted for the sorbet (£2.90), while my fiancé chose the luxury chocolate ice-cream (£2.50), which were both fine.

Throughout the night, the restaurant became full with tables being turned over as soon as the previous occupants left.

Our entire meal, including two bottles of beer and two small glasses of house merlot came to £54.80, and the experience was worth every penny.

 

HOW IT RATED
Food 4
Ambience 4
Value for Money 4
Service 4