Super service, scrumptious food and an added celebrity make JEREMY SMITH ‘s Chinese meal just perfect

If you ever strut your stuff through Summertown, it’s very highly likely that your eye has been caught by the Xi’an restaurant, its striking frontage blatantly revealing that a taste of the Orient is on offer within.

However, if like me you have been knocking around for around half a century or so, I’ll wager that when you were young eating out was a real occasion and often the most exotic option available for this rare and wonderful treat was a Chinese restaurant.

If this is you, then you may now find that with so many tantalising choices from around the world on your doorstep, it can sometimes seem maybe a tad too safe to opt for Chinese fare – however much you crave it.

But with merely the tip of my highly-polished patents over the doorway of Xi’an, it was apparent that a great dining experience just might be on offer for me and my eating companion.

The décor – think elegant, think modern with a splash of tradition – is immediately welcoming. And with Xi’an’s display of lucky beckoning cats near the door, all waving you in towards an impressive cluster of champagne bottles … believe me, we needed no further incentive to enter.

Once in, the staff were exactly to order. All lovely, helpful and friendly, from the beaming barman who welcomed us, our attentive waitress and the proprietors who helped us with our menu choices. And, with such a diverse menu, (I never did find out what the tiger’s whiskers were) we appreciated some guidance.

Between us we managed to order a veritable banquet, all truly delicious, fragrant and beautifully presented. For us, Amanda’s special garlic ribs, the chicken satay and the steamed sea bass fillet were the show true stoppers. All melt in the mouth.

Xi’an was in demand, with tables filling up impressively fast for a week night and helping to enhance the buzzing atmosphere. You might even catch a local celebrity in there. We spotted ITV’s Wesley Smith tucked in a corner enjoying dinner with family.

For the record, I managed to resist the urge to ask him to sign my napkin. My dining companion however simply couldn’t resist timing a visit to the ladies (one of many), when Wesley was between courses, to flutter her eyelashes.

For afters, the expected fritters are of course on the regular menu. However, we rounded off the evening beautifully by choosing a scrumptious sweet from the imaginative dessert menu, created by the proprietors’ budding young entrepreneur son, who is probably already devising his first franchise.

And for those discerning types out there who like to know if the fridges are as spotless as the tablecloths, Xi’an has a reassuring three-star rating from our friendly local food safety officers. Check out food.gov.uk for other ratings.

So if, as I have discovered from recent conversations, you are one of many people that regularly journey north of the city centre and have raised a curious eyebrow at that attractive red pagoda-style frontage… go on, give in to the lure and try Xi’an out. It’s a whole lot more than just a pretty face.

  • Xi’an restaurant is at 197 Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford.
  • See xianrestaurant.co.uk
  • Call 01865 554239