When a celebrity goes to a restaurant, you usually see a picture of them on the wall somewhere. For Fortune City at Holmes Chapel, his wall would have some big names on it, including Harry Styles.
Not to mention soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Sol Campbell, and Jordan Henderson. And Harry loves it so much that he even took Taylor Swift there once.
Given the celebrity that surrounds himlebe cheshirewent for a walk - and see what all the fuss was about. The reporter continued.
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'Instant feeling of warmth and comfort'
To be honest this isn't exactly my first restaurant experience as I grew up nearby and went to school in Holmes Chapel. This used to be my go to Chinese take out and I have eaten there several times.
But it's been a long time since I last visited or tried the food and a lot has changed over the years. One thing that hasn't changed is the easy access to the restaurant.
It has a prominent position on London Road, close to the Station Road traffic lights and there is ample parking to the rear of the building. It is also only a five minute walk from the train station.
As soon as I walked through the door, there was an immediate feeling of warmth and comfort. The decor was nice but basic and the lighting was dimmed enough to create a very relaxed atmosphere.
The staff were friendly, welcoming us with smiles and showing us to our window table, which led us through a huge circular door into the dining room.
We ordered a bottle of Prosecco, why not, which I really liked because it wasn't too sweet. The brand name escapes me because I stupidly didn't write it down (probably too busy drinking).
My partner wasn't his biggest fan, but he meant the most to me, so I wasn't totally devastated by the prospect. We asked for water anyway.
Food selection and taste test.
There was a good variety of dishes on the menu, including dim sum, chicken, duck, beef, seafood, tofu, and vegetables.
Prices were reasonable - starters or dim sum plates ranged from £3.80 to £10. If you wanted the crispy duck you'd spend £15.90 for a quarter or £23.90 for a half, although like many of the dishes on the menu it's designed for sharing.
For our first course, we opted for ha kau (hand-wrapped prawn dumplings) and sesame prawns on toast with sweet chilli sauce, each costing £6.90.
We were not fans of the dumplings. To me, they were a bit bland and a bit curdled; it was a bit difficult to separate them from the papery things they were served.
But other than that, the star of the show was the sesame prawn toast. The tostada was deliciously crispy and the shrimp were soft, juicy and succulent. The chili sauce definitely added a spicy touch to the dish.
For mains I had the prawn chow mein (yes I like prawns) with crispy noodles and my friend ordered the chilli shredded beef which came with sesame seeds. We both got a side of egg fried rice at 4:30.
The shredded beef was £11.90 while the chow mein was £17.90. It quickly became clear why the latter was so much more expensive.
The huge plate of chow mein came first and was placed in the center of the table with two side bowls. As mentioned, many of the dishes are meant to be shared and that was clearly the case here.
But when the Shredd Beef Tangle was served along with our sides, my colleague turned down my offer to help me with the chow mein.
With a reluctant but determined sigh, I began my Mountain Chow Mein rundown, looking down at my bowl of egg fried rice and thinking, "Why the hell did I order you?"
But it was delicious. The shrimp were deliciously juicy again, as were the vegetables, and the noodles were really crispy. It was a mission, but it's a testament to how good the food was that I managed to mostly finish it.
And to my surprise, I was able to physically taste some of the shredded meat, which I enjoyed. It was sweet and went well with rice.
cost-benefit?
In total, the meal between the two of us cost £80.15. Given the amount of food we received and the inclusion of a £20 bottle of Prosecco, I thought it was a reasonable price, especially given the current economic climate.
Overall, it was a nice experience, as you'd expect from Fortune City over the last four decades. The food was just perfect, excellent value for money and a beautiful relaxing place to have a meal.
According to the website, the restaurant's focus is "serving the best Chinese food Asian cuisine has to offer" as well as "the newest and most modern dishes from all over China."
It will always be difficult, if not impossible, to say if the food is really "the best". But Fortune City certainly remains my favorite Chinese restaurant in Cheshire.
Fortune City is located on London Road, Holmes Chapel and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5:00 p.m. m. Takeaway is not currently available' due to a combination of factors including inventory shortages, transportation disruptions, and labor shortages.
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