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The Water Margin

This 200-seater emporium in a converted church at the bottom of the Ormeau Road is the biggest Chinese restaurant in Ireland. Inside, East meets West - a comfortable reception lounge with red leather sofas leads into the large open dining space with round tables of various sizes, lots of artificial plants and garish stained glass windows, all bright reds and greens and mythical beasts.

An open bar runs the length of the inside wall and the dining area is divided between the ground floor and a gallery with a purple painted vaulted ceiling and an adjoining opaque glass walled function room. The menu is massive and it pays to either know Chinese food really well or have inside information to find your way about.

An extensive Dim Sum menu offers uncompromising authentic Chinese dishes such as steamed ox tripe and steamed fish head (in black bean sauce), a reminder that there is a large Chinese community in Belfast.

Finally you arrive at the safe haven of the set banquets, and the familiar territory of Western favourites: aromatic duck, sesame toast, sweet and sours, sizzlings and fried rice are all here - also desserts like chocolate gateau, mango pudding with cream and the fresh orange segments. At this level, the food is pretty average (and by no means cheap), but there is plenty of noisy atmosphere, and the Water Margin is somewhere to experience on a busy night for that alone.

[The original sister restaurant is in Coleraine, Co. Londonderry (see entry).] Seats 200. Open daily, 12-11pm. Set menus from about £20 per person. House wine about £20. Open all year. MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

Bottom of Ormeau Road.