Liverpool TOP 10 PLACES TO EAT

BEST CHINESE

Yuet Ben - family run, has been serving up superior (northern, Peking style) Chinese food in Liverpool since 1968. Its juicy, aniseedy BBQ ribs are legendary, while dishes like sweet and sour 'cherry' chicken, £6.90, keep things interesting.

'Yuet Ben' means honoured guest, so be prepared for a warm welcome at Liverpool's longest-established Chinese restaurant. The restaurant isn't particularly glitzy but the cooking is impressive, with unusual and authentic dishes alongside the best crispy duck on Merseyside.

"Still the best Chinese restaurant in the city"

"Best of all, head towards Liverpool's stunning Anglican Cathedral and discover Yuet Ben, which delivers some of the finest Chinese cooking in Britain."

Yuet Ben means 'Welcome, honoured guest', which is exactly how one is made to feel by the Lim family at the city's oldest Chinese, established 1968. The sweet and sour cherry chicken (£6.90) is particularly good.

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Taller and older than its many challengers, Yuet Ben's strength is its authenticity. The staff strive to treat diners as 'honoured guests' (which is what the restaurant's name means.) The menu is poetry - try tomato and egg- flower soup, gon bay chon seaweed, lamb with leeks or cherry chicken if you want to rediscover why Chinese cuisine is the most exquisitely perfumed in the world. Other fantastic dishes are kwo- ta chicken, which uses a red wine reduction, and the house special spare ribs. Vegetarian options have won acclaim. Nothing here is over-sweetened or made solely to explore a chef's fascination with the red and orange sections of the spectrum, and the set menus are a steal.

Fast approaching 40 years in business, the Yuet Ben (Honoured Guest) is relaxed and welcoming, and serves arguably the finest Chinese food in the city - right opposite the spectacular arch that forms the gateway to Europe's oldest-established Chinatown.

Having celebrated its 35th anniversary and still going strong, Yuet Ben (meaning 'honoured guest', fact fans) continues to set the standard for Chinese food in Liverpool. Apparently the first Peking style restaurant in the city, its unmatchable view of the Chinese Arch, wide range of dishes and relaxed atmosphere has endeared the place to three generations of families, professionals and celebrities alike. Carnivores and vegetarians are catered for in equal measures and the wine list is as long as your arm. There's even a monthly themed Wine Circle night for the more daring gastronauts out there. So, what are you waiting for? A written invitation?

The Yuet Ben has a real pedigree. Set up by Yuh-Ho Yau in 1968, Liverpool's most famost restaurant is now run by daughter Theresa and husband Terry serving authentic northern Chinese dishes. The restaurant is a relaxed, informal affair where visitors are greeted by Terry as if they were personal friends. Looking out onto the biggest Chinese arch outside of mainland China, the restaurant boasts a dedicated vegetarian menu, a comprehensive wine list (with a handy set of recommended bottles) and one of the most tastebud-savvy course selection in the North West. The Yuet Ben is a true Liverpool institution - the city would be much poorer without it.

Yuet Ben, Liverpool's Peking restaurant, greets and treats visitors like long lost friends. It's a trait that has been perfected through two generations of Yuh Ho Yau's family and continues today under his daughter and son-in-law's attentive eye. The menu is smaller than in other Chinese restaurants but this could be because Yuet Ben is unlike them. It serves Peking cuisine - a combination of cooking methods from Northern China - and does not rely upon the brightly coloured additives and salt found in many Chinese dishes. The wine list is long and reasonably priced and staff are really keen to give advice about which wine will go with your food. In fact, considering how laid back and stylish Yuet Ben is there is really a down-to-earth air about the place as tables fill with groups of regulars. Visit this Liverpool landmark and you too can experience the pleasure of being treated as an honoured guest.

"This place has been going for over thirty years and its the best choice in Chinatown ..... great food which isn't too pricey..... the decor is as easy on the eye as the food is on the stomach."

"Terry and Theresa Lim's Yuet Ben stands out from the city's usual Chinese restaurants in that it fits into neither the chop suey house nor the big, modern 'do everything' type. Well worth a visit for something a little different from the usual."