Sophie Nesworthy (@Sophie_Nes) tries the Dim Sum at Oriental City
Wanting to try out a new restaurant in Leeds and fancying Dim Sum we did a quick search and Google came up with Oriental City in Sheepscar, Leeds. We’d never heard of the restaurant before. Looking over the mixed bag of reviews online we were a little dubious, but I’m pleased we didn’t just go for the usual haunts as it was a real treat.
As it’s slightly in the middle of nowhere we expected it to be relatively small and on the quiet side – oh, how wrong we were! Pulling into the car park the restaurant shares with the cash and carry next door we had to queue for a parking spot outside the big yellow exterior of Oriental City. Don’t let the façade put you off: inside Oriental City is a huge restaurant which, at 2pm on a Sunday, was packed with people.
We were greeted by a friendly man who showed us to our seats with a joke or two. He sat us around a big table with a turning wheel, which later proved useful when sharing out food. The décor is a little cheesy but once you get past this the restaurant is nicely laid out so even when it’s full you’re not sitting on the knee of the person at the next table.
There are two menus, one focusing on larger dishes, the other Dim Sum, The Dim Sum menu was extensive with over 50 different to pick from. Our eyes lit up at the wide choice!
We ordered green tea to start which came immediately. Shortly after we ordered 10 Dim Sum dishes between the four of us – more than enough. The menu is on your table with a pen to tick what you’d like to order, so it’s much easier than reeling off 10 different selections. We chose a range of dishes from familiar prawn dumplings, spring rolls and beef dumplings, to the more unusual cuttlefish with satay sauce, prawn cheung fun (steamed rice roll) and sweet lotus balls. All the dishes were on average £3 for three to four servings on each plate.
Even though the restaurant was really busy the service was quick and the food came piping hot when it arrived at the table. We were very happy with all the dishes, but the highlights for me were the sticky and soft translucent prawn dumplings, the sweet lotus balls (why have I never tried these before!?) and the steamed rice roll which was smooth and slippery (much more appetising than it sounds!). The spring rolls were just normal spring rolls so unless you’re a massive fan I’d skip these and eye up something more unusual on the menu. I wasn’t 100% keen on the cuttlefish with satay sauce but it was an unusual dish that had a nice, rich sauce with a kick of chilli and worth a try sharing in a group.
For four of us the bill came to £40, including a tip. There was more than enough food, and I would highly recommend a visit for the Dim Sum alone. At a tenner a head it’s well worth the drive out of the city centre. All in all, Oriental City has friendly service and a nice atmosphere. It’s good value for money and most importantly the food is delicious.
Oriental City Restaurant, 30-36 Cross Stamford Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 1BA