If you’re after good, reasonably priced Chinese food, then The Four Seasons Tea House is one to head for. There are two outlets: the first one in Terengganu Road started in 1998 as a tea house which served food, hence the name, but the food became so popular that it soon became more of a restaurant.

It was so successful that a few years ago, proprietor Lum Wee Chai, 43, opened up the second one in Persiaran Mahsuri, Sunway Tunas in Bayan Lepas which is equally, if not more so, popular. However, if you’re expecting premises as plush as a certain hotel chain, then you’d be disappointed. Both are plain, no frills outlets which serve good, reasonably-priced food.

“My outlets are deliberately kept fairly basic,” Lum, who looks after the one in Bayan Lepas, said “as my clients prefer value and taste.” His wife runs the other. Both are, however, air-conditioned; and service is efficient and quick. Free wifi is also available.

The traditional Cantonese staples are always going to be there: Fried Rice and an excellent Wan Tan Hor, (Fried Flat Rice Noodles) fragrant with kor char “wok hei” (old-time fragrance), or traditional Hokkien Oyster Noodles, one of their signature dishes.  Pork ribs are done in various ways, but if you like fish, then try the Sang Po Fish: Red Snapper is lain on a bed of fresh spring onions, seasoned with soya sauce and Chinese wine gravy, then steamed in a claypot to keep the flavours in -  it’s delicious.

But Lum is a canny restaurateur who realises that with increasing competition, he’s got to move with the times, so together with his local chef Ah Kheong, he’s started introducing a few interesting new dishes, some of them quite innovative and different. “They are influenced by all cuisines,” he claimed.

There’s the Thai-style Duck Breast for example, redolent of sweet basil and tongue-numbing Szechuan peppers, with a hint of black pepper sauce, or the Fried Chicken with Mint Sauce.  Other items include an excellent Prawns with Portuguese Orange Sauce or the Chok T’hong Har (Bamboo Prawns), attractively served in a hollowed-out bamboo vessel. Both are perfect with white rice. You won’t want for anything - there are over a hundred items on the menu.

Please note The Four Seasons Tea House is non-halal.

Opening Hours: Noon – 2.30pm, 6-9.30pm.

Closed on Mondays.

Website: http://www.4st-restaurant.com