Myself, my sister and a friend went along to Xian on a Friday night to quietly celebrate my sister's birthday. A member of staff greeted us by name, immediately on arrival, and then bought us to our table located in the conservatory area at the back of the restaurant. The lovely décor was very clean and authentic, and set an intimate, but very relaxed mood. I would bring friends, family or go on a date here!

The staff members were very friendly, and always available for when you need another bottle of wine! My only complaint was that the wine menu was out of date. We noticed half-way through an open bottle, that the wine we had ordered was not the same as the one in our ice-bucket, which was partly due to the fact that we were in deep conversation when the wine was bought to our table, but I think it a reasonable expectation for that to have been pointed out before pouring?

Complimentary prawn crackers with dipping sauces were set on our table to nibble away at whilst looking over the menu. The menu had lots of choice for us meat-eating people! However, the vegetarian dishes are limited to noodles and not much more.

We took ages to order, and the staff members were very patient with us. When we finally did order, we choose a selection of dishes to share, a satay chicken dish, a mushroom noodle dish, and a king prawn Szechuan dish, along with rice. The portions were large, which is great! But, if like me, you are a bit more concerned with calories, fat etc, use the chop sticks (makes it take ages, so you realise your full sooner). There is a good Starter menu, and the usual selection of ice cream on the desert menu if you have room!

We were a long time in the restaurant, and felt relaxed and unrushed. The cost of our food along with plenty of wine came to around £20 per person.

I would recommend a visit!

Kim
September 2004