Sweet Mandarin
To celebrate Chinese New Year, we thought it only right to go along to the ‘Best Local Chinese Restaurant in the UK’. |
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By Katie Bowman
Hidden in the Northern Quarter, Sweet Mandarin deservedly won this award when they featured on Gordon Ramsey’s F Word. And yes - they still hear from him now.
The award winning restaurant and cookery school is owned and run by sisters Helen, Lisa and Janet Tse whose grandmother, Lily Kwok, opened the first ever Chinese restaurant – Lung Fung - in Manchester in 1959. These days, there are Chinese restaurants and take-aways everywhere but Sweet Mandarin opened at a time when food from abroad was not widely experienced at all.
The restaurant was opened even before Chinatown was established in Manchester and Lily frequently served the likes of Cliff Richard and the Shadows. Celebrity visitors are something Sweet Mandarin has become used to, with the likes of the casts of Coronation Street and Hollyoaks and premiership football players popping in for a bite.
Sweet Mandarin chef Lisa, says her grandmother and mother, Mabel are her inspiration and “their love of cooking has been passed down to me via their recipes – we still serve Lily Kwok’s curry”
With all of this cultural and culinary history behind them, the women feel strongly that they have a place in Manchester’s history as well as it’s future, “If I have made Manchester’s history then I’m over the moon!” Lisa says proudly.
Sweet Mandarin opened in 2004 next to the Smithfield Fishmarket wall in memory of the source of the fish used by Lung Fung. Lisa says “I love the Northern Quarter - its independent, fresh thinking and next door to the Arndale centre, Printworks and the Crowne Plaza Hotel - very convenient and a vibrant area.”
When the women set up their venture there were hardly any businesses in the area but “now the area is buzzing with bars, restaurants and visitors.. it is regenerating as we speak and this will improve the area as a whole”
Not a bad place to be set up then.
Now, let’s hear about what the New Year has in store … Lisa says “The year of the tiger is a very strong year, filled with prosperity and strength and we had a huge party to celebrate!” So all you tigers out there - get ready for a powerful year! You could start it off with a bang with a visit to Sweet Mandarin!
The Chinese New Year menu is served throughout February and includes dishes such as General Tse’s Sweet and Sour Vegetables and Mabel’s Claypot Chicken – but everything on the menu sounds delicious so it may be a difficult choice to make!
Lisa explains that the key elements to look for when choosing a Chinese restaurant are “good service, good ambience and, of course, good food”. On this note, the dish loved by customers and Lisa alike is the Sizzling Manchurian fillet of beef in Cantonese sauce as well as the ever popular Lily Kwok’s chicken curry. Both delicious by the way!
Sweet Mandarin also run a Chinese cookery school every weekend for beginner and intermediate cooks as well as an advanced dim sum class. The concept is to teach the customers to make great Chinese food in their own home so when visiting the restaurant they can be inspired to ‘Eat it, Make it, Buy it’. The ethos behind the cookery classes is to share the solid foundation of Chinese cookery and encourage kitchen confidence in a fun and informal environment.
As an extension of this idea, Lisa has set up Sweet Mandarin Tag Along China tours – “it’s a lot of fun and gives my students a great insight into the origins of Chinese food. Sweet Mandarin teams up with cookery schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong for a tour around China and customers are joined by Lisa to try “the vast array of differing cuisines from the different regions”. It is the perfect week long break for all foodies interested in sampling a new experience.
Despite their exhausting schedule the sisters – TV appearances, books, the restaurant and all its events – they love what they do and believe “it’s an honour to serve the people of Manchester and beyond”.
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