Ask 10 people their preferred choice of food and you can bet that at least eight of them will say 'Chinese'. Over the past decade we Brits have become enormously more adventurous where food is concerned. Of course, there are still a small percentage of people who are reluctant to try anything new and religiously stick to fish and chips wherever they may be in the world, but thankfully the days of the typical 'prawn cocktail, steak and chips and Black Forest gateaux' are long gone.

The popularity of Chinese restaurants was endorsed when three friends and myself dined at the Emperor Court, in Portland Street, Clifton. The owners are a husband and wife team and have owned the restaurant for over 15 years. Kim Lien Vien is 'front of house', and one cannot fail to be impressed by her welcome and genuine desire to please her guests. Husband Thanh Que Vien is the chef and the kitchen is his domain, but we were assured by Kim Lien Vien that the roles are reversed when they are at home. (Typical - isn't it girls?)

The Emperor Court specialises in the three most famous provincial cuisines: Peking, Szechuan and Canton. Peking dishes are light, elegant and delicately seasoned. Szechuan dishes are the opposite: they are hot and spicy, with chilli peppers being the characteristic ingredient. Cantonese dishes specialise in the technique of stir-frying and steaming, which retains the nutrients, colour and flavour of fresh food - particularly seafood.

The menu is huge, but we opted for a set meal that consisted of starters such as King Prawns and Chilli, Satay Chicken, Crispy Lamb and spare ribs. The second course was Crispy Aromatic Peking Duck (being a veggie, I had spring rolls which were delicious). The main course consisted of Sizzling Beef with Green Pepper and Black Bean Sauce, Chicken with Oyster Sauce, Sweet and Sour King Prawns with Special Fried Rice, and Singapore Noodles.

Apart from serving delicious food, one is made to feel really welcome by Kim Lien Vien and her staff. Even when extremely busy, she always has time for people, and it is patently obvious that the key to their success is the expertise of Thanh Que Vien in the kitchen and the friendliness of Kim Lien Vien.

With a partnership like that, they cannot go wrong!

Diana Dean

© Whats on Bristol Website www.whatsonbristol.co.uk

If you want a quality Chinese meal, this place is a good bet - the chef won a prestigious Chef of the Year Award a couple of years ago and standards of food and service are consistently high. The only drawback is the decor, which is garish in the extreme - yellow and dark pink, never a good look! Ignore that though and concentrate on the Peking, Canton and Szechuan cuisine. There are loads of vegetarian options and a good choice of seafood, plus main meat courses like cha siu roast pork, crispy Peking duck and satay chicken. A set meal consisting of three courses starts at £17.50 per person, with 10% off takeaways. As well as the usual beers, lagers and spirits, there's a good wine list, including Chinese Great Wall Wine - sounds interesting.

Yahoo Travel Review.

Excellent Food, Excellent Customer Service, Relaxing Atmosphere

The Emperor Court is tucked away in a small side street just a few minutes from Clifton village. For those not from Bristol the nearest landmark is the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It is not advertised particularly well and unless you have been told about it by a friend or work colleague you probably wouldn't know it was there. The entrance is at street level but as soon as you are through the door you have to descend two small flights of stairs to reach the cloak room area. Small bad point - no wheelchair access and with the width of the stairs no chance of even lifting one down. Here you are greeting by one of courteous staff and shown to your table. They have a variety of sized tables ranging from two through to six but they are able to cater for larger parties by using another section of the restaurant.

The restaurant itself is small with a low ceiling but the tables are arranged in a way that doesn't make you feel that you are being crammed in. There is one particular table for two that is in an alcove just out of the main eating area which is our favourite but be sure to ask when you book if you want this one. Here it is even quieter and you don't get people coming past you while you are eating. Combine this with subtle lighting/decoration with unobtrusive background music and you have a very relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy your meal. Lookout for the fish tank!!!

Onto the menu itself. In the years I have been going the menu itself has changed little. There are 4 set meals to choose from depending on the number in your party. Each one is varied and offers good value for money as there always seems to be more food than you can possibly eat. The Emperor Court specialises in the three types of cuisine. These are Peking, Szechuan and Canton. Peking dishes are light, elegant and delicately seasoned. Szechuan dishes are the opposite: they are hot and spicy, with chilli peppers being the characteristic ingredient. Cantonese dishes specialise in the technique of stir-frying and steaming, which retains the nutrients, colour and flavour of fresh food - particularly seafood. I'll take you through a typical meal for two that we would choose on a visit to Emperor Court.

Starters - Mixed selection consisting of spare ribs(2), crispy lamb, spring roll(2), seaweed, prawn sesame toast, chicken satay and some prawn crackers. Excellent combo whetting your appetite for the rest of the meal. The seaweed is always crisp while the lamb is never too greasy. A real favourite.

Next course is crispy aromatic duck served with pancakes, spring onion, cucumber and hoi sin sauce. The duck is excellent - not too salty and not too greasy.

And lastly beef with green pepper in black bean sauce. This is served sizzling on a hot skillet (THE best way, do not accept alternatives!). Sweet and sour chicken and noodles Singapore style (noodles in Chilli sauce). All courses are served at a good pace, no waiting but not too quickly either. The staff will always allow you to control the pace of your meal. The food is always piping hot instead of luke warm which we have experienced at some Chinese restaurants.

They have a good selection of wines, lagers, beers and spirits all at a reasonable cost but watch out if you like the odd cider as they do not serve this. Other specialties such as lobster can be ordered in advance but beware of the seasonal variations in price.

Above all the welcome you receive from the staff and the service throughout your meal (even if they are very busy) is excellent. The cost for our selection including a couple of beers came to just over £50 and that includes a 10% service charge, something you don't min d when the service is as good as this. One thing to note maybe for the scruffy(?) such as myself is that there is no dress code of anykind. If you are the jeans and t-shirt type of guy/gal then there are no problems with this restaurant.

It is not essential to book but during the winter months you would be well advised to do so as it can get quite busy. If you need somewhere to walk it off then the suspension bridge is just 5 mins away where you can walk over and back at a leisurely pace. The bridge really looks good when all the lights on it when darkness falls. Overall it's still my favourite after all these years. If you haven't been then give it a try, you WON'T be disappointed.

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