The Mucky Badger

Location and Photos

Bath Place,
Leamington Spa.
Warwickshire.
CV31 3BP.
Tel: 01926 313030 

Review

Tucked away in a quiet unsuspecting part of Leamington Spa I’d not been to before, hides the Emperor’s Restaurant. I’m a big fan of Chinese food and I rarely find a menu without something I like.

As with all international cuisine restaurants, I try to go for the specials or for a dish I’ve not seen before as I believe that is the best way to see the incumbent chef’s talents. Often this works out well and I leave impressed other times I leave thinking “And that was supposed to be special?”

My companion and I decided to take a break from our usual Chinese of choice and venture to unknown territory after reading some rave reviews of the Emperor on Google. We eventually found it and were pleased to also discover another pay and display car park near by that we had no idea about.

On entering, the first thing that we noticed was how well decorated it was. Subdued lighting, a small bar area and a friendly greeting welcomed us. We hadn’t booked as often we decide to go for something to eat on the spur of the moment and, as it was early, we thought we would be likely to get a table. We were ok for a table except we were asked to make sure we had finished by 8.30pm. This was fine as 2 hours dining was more than ample.

We were shown to some seats. At first I thought “Oh no! They really are expecting a coach load” as we seemed to have been seated at a precarious round table with not much elbow room. But we were given a basket of prawn crackers to munch while we perused the menu.

The menu was extensive and slightly expensive too. However we carried on hoping that the prices reflected the good reviews and the plethora of awards adorning the the wall. We opted for a mixed starter, two main courses and some yung chow fried rice. I can’t recall if this was one of the set menus or not but that is what we got.

Before long we were shown into the equally beautifully decorated main part of the restaurant and seated at a proper table. Our first course arrived and was quickly munched. As with most Chinese restaurants I’ve been to in Warwickshire they are a bit stingey on the dipping sauce but I’ve had enough practice at rationing what we get so was able to stretch it further.

The mains arrived. Considering the price of the meals the portions were a bit on the measly side. I’m sorry but Nouvelle Cuisine went the way of the dodo in the mid nineties. None the less, the meals were delicious and we had room for desert, mine consisted of banoffee pie while my companion went for the lemon sorbet.

Conclusion

A delightful little place and a hidden gem in Leamington Spa. In all the meal was delicious but the small portions let the place down. If you’re going to charge upwards of £16 per person you’ve got to provide more than just a light snack. I’m sorry to be so harsh. The staff were wonderful, the surroundings immaculate but all this is nothing if the portions leave me wanting more.

Scoring 68% – Bigger portions please! Even the Plough at Eathorpe does more for less.

4 Responses to “Restaurant Review #2 – The Emperor’s Chinese Restaurant, Bath Place, Leamington Spa”