Orchid

It was my first visit to Orchid a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my friend’s 30^th birthday and I doubt it will be my last. The quality of the food is excellent… although that being said I’m more of an Indian curry fiend and don’t often dine out for Chinese food so have little to compare it to! Even though it’s on the quayside it is a little secluded from the hustle and bustle of the quayside bars, approximately a 5 – 10 minute walk away.
Some of our group went for the 4 course set menu which comprises of soup, selected starters and mains and tea/​coffee which was good value for money at 23.50 per head. I decided to order off the main menu and this turned out to be quite expensive with my starter alone costing £10.50. The duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce and seaweed were delicious and they were very good portion sizes. The main course was satisfyingly good too… tender pieces of meat and excellent flavours but perhaps lacking in heat considering I had opted for a chilli option.
Unfortunately what let this restaurant down was the service. It was a busy Saturday night and there were a number of large groups dining. All the staff were very friendly however it seemed they were unable to cope with the demand and as such it took us just short of 4 hours to eat our meal! Waiting an hour inbetween courses is a little extreme… they definitely made their money out of drinks whilst we were waiting!

Went here for dinner with my parents and boyfriend last week, and really enjoyed it! Service was very good, everyone was so polite and almost a bit formal, really. I’ve not eaten in Chinatown here but I think that’s where you’d go for more casual Chinese. This definitely has a more upscale vibe, from the décor in the dining room, to the service, and luckily — to the food.
Portions aren’t massive — get one entrée per person, for sure. We got three, thinking we’d be stuffed, then later wished we’d had another. We got chili garlic vegetables (£7), duck in orange-​Cointreau sauce (£13.50), and beef with asparagus and cashew nuts (£10.50). Steamed rice is £2.60 per person which is rather annoying, but we got three orders of it instead of four, which was enough. Order one less rice than you think you need. Everything was very good — not too sticky sweet like Chinese can be. The produce was fresh. The duck was tender and lovely, the beef was juicy and served in big chunks, and it was nice to have some many just-​crisp veggies to go with the meal.
We split cake after — which was the only thing served in a big portion! It was some massive piece of goodness called a Snowball with just tons of stuff going on, I don’t even remember, but it was *very* sweet. Some might find it a bit cloying, though I liked it.
All in all it’s very good food, though the environment is a bit stiff and formal, and it’s a bit pricey for what you get — in terms of quantity, not quality, at any right. I’d come back certainly, but would be eager to go to Chinatown first to see if I can find some equally good Chinese for a bit less money, in a more relaxed atmosphere!