Firmly established by the Oriental population of London as a favourite restaurant for seafood, the Mandarin Kitchen is even rumoured to be frequented by descendents of the Thai royal family.

The Venue
The Mandarin Kitchen is located near Hyde Park in the heart of Bayswater’s mini-Chinatown on Queensway. This restaurant stands out among the other ubiquitous Chinese restaurants for being the place to go for top quality lobster. Most popular in the evenings, the Mandarin Kitchen is easy to reach after a day’s work in the West End, after shopping in the designer boutiques from Notting Hill, or straight from a stroll in Kensington Gardens.

The Atmosphere
Although very quiet at lunchtime this restaurant is teaming with people in the evening and the staff are extremely efficient at multi-tasking and providing a prompt service for everyone. The facade of the restaurant boasts a vividly painted window depicting fish and other marine life. Inside the decor is simple with white washed walls and white linen cloths on the tables. The banquettes upholstered in burnt orange-coloured suede offer comfortable places to sit if you are lucky enough to be able to book one.

The Food
The fresh lobster is the jewel in the crown on the menu and is available in six different sauces and usually served on the bed of noodles. Sashimi or steamed lobster are available as is lobster with ginger and spring onion, which is highly recommended. Alternatively try the lobster with black bean and green pepper chilli sauce. The price for these exquisite dishes is seasonal and only available upon request, so if you want to try something slightly less costly, fresh crab is a very good alternative at around £14.00 and can also come served with ginger and spring onion. Although this is a specialist seafood restaurant, for those who do not want seafood there is a variety of poultry, pork and beef dishes on the menu.

The Drink
If you don’t want to drink Chinese tea, there is a good selection of red and white wines which have been chosen because they compliment Oriental food. The restaurant recommends Chablis, or Sancerre to go with shellfish.

The Last Word
This is top quality Oriental dining in central London at its best and depending on how you order it is also extremely good value for money.

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