11:59am Friday 21st May 2004
SNARESBROOK and Wanstead are fast becoming east London's answer to other trendy parts of the capital like Islington and, situated on the borders of both, Loon Yee in Station Parade would certainly hold its own with the sophisticated foodies of North London.
Having enjoyed a nice day out with friends in one of Wanstead's modern and funky bars, I decided to ask a couple of them along to one of the area's eateries.
So after a short walk down to Loon Yee opposite Snaresbrook tube station we were seated by very friendly staff in a Chinese restaurant that has clean, modern seating arrangements and a very attractive atmosphere, which was reflected by a reasonable trade despite it being fairly late on a Sunday evening.
Having been a little undecided on what dishes to choose from a fairly extensive menu, our party decided to plump for one of Loon Yee's set meals.
Our choice from the B menu started with crispy aromatic duck with all the trimmings and plenty of meat to make at least three pancakes, meaning this restaurant had got off to a good start.
The meal moved nicely on to soups, with two of us plumping for wonton and the other a chicken sweetcorn offering. Again these were rich in flavour and set us up nicely for our main meal.
Our mains included a chicken and mushroom dish, chilli beef, sweet and sour king prawns and special fried rice. Again unlike some Chinese restaurants where they try and make dishes look bigger by adding lots of sauce, these all offered great value and certainly didn't give away anything in taste often the case with these budget set meals.
I have to say that with three Chinese beers and a soft drink added to the total bill, which came in at a very respectable £54.20, Loon Yee proved that in a restaurant sector often choked by pure greed, you can still find truly stunning value for exquisitely flavourful food.
For more information or to book a table at Loon Yee call 020 8989 7848.
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