Hee’s Chinese Restaurant

23 Westminster House, Town Centre, Basingstoke, RG21 7LS

01256 464410

hees-chinese-restaurants.com

ONLINE reviews rave about the food, service and atmosphere at Hee’s Chinese Restaurant, with various customer sites rating it as among the top eateries in the borough.

So when I visited the town centre restaurant on a Monday lunchtime I was amazed to discover that my companion and I were the only customers in there.

The décor looked slightly dated and the music - a compilation of instrumental eighties hits - wasn’t quite to my taste but the restaurant was warm and clean and the waiter who showed us to our table was friendly.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that a business launch, with a starter and a main, was priced at just £6.80 and the very reasonable price made up for the lack of variety on the menu.

There were plenty of delicious sounding options on the other, more expensive, menu which looked like it would offer some great choices for an evening meal.

To start I opted for the spare ribs which, despite the generous portion size, were slightly dry and bland, though my friend, who went for the spring rolls, was pleased with his choice.

My main of beef and green peppers in black bean sauce with egg friend rice was served quickly following the starter and was extremely tasty. The dish was well-cooked, full of flavour and very filling.

My companion’s dish of chicken in garlic sauce with egg fried rice got the thumbs up from him and the portion sizes of both mains were very generous.

The final bill, including two soft drinks, came to just over £17 which I felt was a great price for a filling and speedy lunch out.

The muted atmosphere and lack of other diners put a bit of a dampener on the lunch but I would certainly return to Hee’s for an evening meal to find out why it is such a local favourite.