Review: Imperial Restaurant, Gateshead

Gordon Barr, Evening Chronicle

IMPERIAL RESTAURANT, 489 Durham Road, Low Fell, Gateshead. Tel: (0191) 491 5558/1633

MY good friend Donna had been raving to us about this restaurant for longer than I can recall and finally, last weekend, we got round to checking it out.

The four of us had booked a table for 7pm, and were surprised at how busy it was so early on a Saturday evening, and thought it a good sign.

It was nothing compared to what was about to come, as two hours later there wasn’t a table to be had and, despite being so busy, the staff coped stupendously. That alone was evidence enough that Donna’s musings about the Imperial were justified.

The restaurant itself is situated up a flight of stairs, which would prove tricky for the less able and infirm and once inside there is little room for manoeuvre, although you never actually feel cramped as such.

Prawn crackers arrived on our table within seconds and, having ordered bottles of rose and sauvignon blanc, we contemplated the vast menu.

With so much to choose from, we decided we would be best having a banquet, so as to sample a variety of dishes.

These range from £13.30 to £26.30 per person, so we went mid-range, opting for the Royal Banquet at £16.30 a head. As another bowl of prawn crackers – and they were cracking crackers, not in the slightest bit greasy – arrived on the table, I had to force myself not to indulge too much and spoil my appetite for what was to come.

Nothing seems too much bother for the staff so when Fusspot decided he needed a few alterations to the banquet to satisfy his semi-vegetarian needs, they were only too happy to oblige.

While three of us tucked into chicken and sweetcorn soup, Callum had sweetcorn and bean curd. Both soups were delicious, served hot and with a lovely texture.

For appetisers we had crispy aromatic duck with pancakes and vegetables, crispy seaweed and, as there were four of us, we were also treated to deep fried wan tons with sweet and sour sauce.

Crispy aromatic duck is one of my favourite dishes, and this one did the business – there was mountains of duck, shredded perfectly and non-greasy, while there were plenty pancakes to go round.

The seaweed was flavoursome, while the wan tons were delightful – crispy and again not overly greasy. The team sorted out some crispy vegetable spring rolls for Callum which he devoured.

We had five dishes for main course – sizzling beef Cantonese style, pork in sweet and sour sauce, chicken Szechuan style, king prawns in chilli and salt and fried shredded chicken in spicy Cantonese sauce – and yeung chow fried rice and egg fried rice for Callum.

Before they arrived, though, warm plates were placed on the table. That is always a winner in our book, and when the meals did arrive, they were all within seconds of each other. By this time the restaurant was full, yet none of the staff were flustered and attention to detail remained intact.

The king prawns in chilli and salt were to die for, and as Derek and I were the only prawn eaters, we made the most of them, even though they had a kick that set our mouths on fire. Sublime.

Donna lapped up the pork dish, while the lean and tender beef was oozing with flavour. Both the chicken dishes also passed the Fusspot test, the shredded, spicy dish getting additional acclaim.

Throughout the night we were asked if we wanted a rest between each course, and we certainly needed one after mains, although the fresh fruits of melon and orange were a welcome cleansing for the palate.

Somehow, we still managed extra desserts on top of the banquet, enjoying banoffee pie, coconut ice cream, lemon sorbet and fried banana fritters.

A wonderful evening was had by all - wonderful company, wonderful staff, wonderful service. Little surprise it gets so busy and my advice is to book in advance.