I live about ten miles away from Strathpeffer in the Highlands.
The village gained much of its beautiful grandeur from an important Victorian spa which in times past had people flocking in droves to partake of its (apparently) healing sulphurous spring water.
Sulphur water is now firmly off the menu in Strathpeffer, but I’d heard over and over that you can eat very well at the Liking Chinese takeaway just opposite the famous Pavillion.
Although mainly used as a takeaway by locals, Liking also seats around 24.
One hungry evening we decided to head over, sit in and try a few dishes to see what the fuss was about.
It was a wintry Tuesday evening, so I fully expected the place to be quiet, and wondered if the resulting ambience, or lack of it, would be a downer on the proceedings.
Not so. Although it was very quiet, there’s a relaxed vibe about the place, thanks to the positive manner of Laura running front of house that night.
She has the life-affirming quality of being pleased to see you and making nothing seem too much trouble.
First impressions of Liking Chinese takeaway
The restaurant section is solid and unpretentious, and the place is kept nicely warm.
People came and went for their takeaways, and a few others sat in too, but it wasn’t one of those intimidating situations where you felt you had to whisper.
Yummy smells issued from the kitchen.
We decided to try ‘Starter B’, (£8) which included mini vegetable spring rolls, wonton, spare ribs and prawn sesame toast. It comes with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, and is ample for two.
We devoured it all in no time.
My favourite was the prawn sesame toast, which I’d never had before.
I know, I know, that revelation seemed to cause everyone to turn and stare at me in disbelief, and I possibly felt the building shake to its foundations as well.
What a treat I’ve been missing all these years. Crispy on the outside, sheets of prawn on the inside, I could have eaten it all night long.
What did we think of the mains at Liking Chinese in Strathpeffer?
Next came three main courses as my companion has an enormous appetite and we wanted to try a good spread of options to get the measure of the place.
I had house special chow mein (£13), my benchmark dish for any Chinese eatery.
I was offered it sans hoisin sauce, but opted to have the sauce as I couldn’t imagine it dry.
Huge swathes of sliced chicken, beef and char sui pork appeared, studded with prawns and veg atop a mound of vermicelli noodles.
Big tick from me.
Frequent Liking users had told us they like the food there because the ingredients are so fresh and they felt the sauces are a level above the usual.
Food ‘predictable’ but ‘very tasty’
They’re right about the freshness of the vegetables, which in our range of dishes included sugar snap peas and broccoli, for example.
The sauces seemed quite predictable, very similar to every other Chinese offering in the land, but nonetheless, very tasty.
The beef with green pepper and garlic in black bean sauce (£12) also ticked my boxes.
It had a deep savoury flavour with the right proportions of beef to beans and veg, and quite a sticky sauce.
My companion ordered honey chilli king prawns (£13) which despite his attempts to share with me, I resisted.
Well, I took a small corner of a prawn to make him stop, but really sweet savoury dishes aren’t my thing.
Nothing has changed in my palette, I couldn’t imagine eating a whole dish of such sweetness wrapped around battered prawns.
He enjoyed it though, and the king prawns were massive and crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
Boiled rice was extra, at £3.80 for a bowl which would do two people.
The house wine was an acceptable Shiraz (£5.50).
In the end our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and we took away some of the food in a box.
Verdict:
We felt well-satisfied, and there was certainly no inkling of the famous ‘hungry an hour later’ syndrome some people attribute to Chinese food.
As we launched ourselves back out into the cold, starry night I thought how good it is to have a charming village like Strathpeffer on our doorstep.
Plus, possibility of a decent Chinese meal there whenever the fancy takes us.
Information:
Address: Main Street, Strathpeffer IV14 9DE
T: 01997 485088
Price: £57.80 for a mixed starter, three main courses, a bowl of rice, a glass of red wine and a soft drink.
Disabled access: Yes
Dog-friendly: No
Scores:
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Surroundings: 4/5
You can read our other restaurant reviews here.
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