Many of us associate Chinese food with a quick, greasy takeaway on a Friday night; however, upmarket Chinese restaurants continue to gain in popularity, and Bright Courtyard is a fine example of the gourmet side of Chinese cuisine.

The Venue
Located along Baker Street, Bright Courtyard gets its décor spot-on. So often, Oriental and Eastern-themed restaurants forget their traditions and instead opt for painful neutrality. Instead, this restaurant successfully merges typically upmarket flourishes with Chinese decorative accents. This is best highlighted by the colour scheme, with swathes of deep reds covering the walls, punctuated by dark wood dotted about. It has a richness that’s enticing, but one that's lightened thanks to the white and cream ceiling covered in simple spotlights. Decorative embellishments include traditional Chinese lamps, flashes of foliage and ornamental vases, while the white-tablecloth bedecked tables hold ornamental candelabras. It could have been a disastrous combination but the simplicity of the décor instead works – and works very well.

The Atmosphere
Bright Courtyard has a high-end appeal that’s perpetuated by the incredibly efficient staff who, although not overtly friendly, do ensure that everything keeps moving and you feel very well looked after. The clientele itself has an upmarket skew with couples and groups of friends catching up over dim sum and businesspeople catching up on important matters of the day.

The Food
Although the food isn’t as cheap as at many Chinese restaurants, for its upmarket positioning, it represents good value for money. If you’re not hungry, you could eat for £20, though when you factor in the various sharing dishes, you’re more likely to spend around £40 a head.

They offer a full dim sum menu here, although the main menu is appealing enough to tempt you away from these on-trend offerings. For starters, you’re better off ordering a few dishes to share. Their fragrant soft shell crab is particularly good. The crisp, well-seasoned batter has an almost flowery undertone that highlights the simple flavours of the crabmeat, and the portion size is very generous. Also good is the baked lamb shoulder. Beautifully – and oh-so delicately – presented, the lamb is rich, sweet and meaty with an incredible tenderness that you only get with careful, slow cooking. The spices are kept simple to allow the quality of the meat to shine – and shine it does.

For main courses, the sesame marinated roast chicken is a delight. The sesame coating is delicious, adding a pleasant crisp texture to the skin and a delicate sweetness that complements the tender, moist chicken particularly well. Similarly well cooked is their aromatic crispy duck, which is as good as any you’ll have ever tasted, while the fish dishes also excel. The deep-fried seabass with pine nuts is a surprisingly light dish given that it's deep fried, and the lightness of the seabass is retained without greasiness. The pine nuts add a nice crunch to the dish, which works well with the meaty fish flesh. It’s just a shame that they don’t also offer a steamed version of seabass for those wanting a healthier option.

The Drink
Although the usual drink selection of wines, beer and soft drinks is available here, Bright Courtyard focuses firmly on tea. They take their teas very seriously, with the knowledgeable staff happy to explain the importance of tea in Chinese culture. There’s an impressive selection, including some options that you’ll struggle to find elsewhere in London – think Dragon Well and Premier Pu-erh - alongside the more usual Ginseng Oolong and Chinese Black tea. It’s good to see that they’ve paid close attention to tradition, right down to the delightfully theatrical way the tea is served on pretty china and cutesy teapots atop a little tray. Delightful.

The Last Word
Bright Courtyard is a good example of a restaurant doing Chinese cuisine justice – and you won’t have to bust the credit card to go, either.

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