bristolreview.co.uk Dec-08
A restaurant review on bristolreview.co.uk for Water Sky Chinese Restaurant, mentioning the Eastgate Oriental City complex and Wai Yee Hong Supermarket.
Watersky, Bristols newest Chinese restaurant in Eastgate Road, Eastville is a big surprise, standing as it does on the site of the old Eastville Market. The building its situated in also houses a Chinese supermarket and the entrance is enormous with a large winding staircase up to the first floor.
As it was Christmas a beautifully lit Christmas tree stood in the hall and we were welcomed at the restaurant entrance by a charming and nattily attired waitress in a waistcoat and tie. The restaurant is vast and can cater for four hundred diners at tables spread around under ornate gold chandeliers amid large gold-leafed pillars. Cleverly the room can be divided by rolling partitions so they are able to make private rooms for parties very easily.
The restaurant was very busy and I was happy to note several tables of Chinese people eating which is always a good sign. We decided to be guided by the manager who recommended a mixed hor doeuvre of spare ribs with Thousand Island dressing (a new slant on ribs!), chicken satay, prawn toast, chicken parcels and crispy seaweed and spring rolls. It was all most excellent, especially the chicken satay which was spicy and tender. We had a nice bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc at £11.95 elegantly served with an ice bucket. The wine list is varied and interesting and they have a choice of several different beers, including my firm favourite, Tiger beer.
Then came the crispy aromatic duck, moist and tender just crunchy enough to give it bite. At this point we were in a bit of a mess and luckily hot towels are on hand throughout the meal. The main course was a mix of interesting dishes we had not come across before, braised vegetarian abalone (oyster mushrooms which look like abalone when sliced), a nod to the festive season with crispy turkey in honey pepper sauce, and a king prawn (although the prawns were a red herring as they were vegetarian and made from Soya) and mushroom curry cooked at the table on a Korean stone. We really enjoyed all the dishes and couldnt pick one to give accolades over another.
Dessert was a work of art: a white marshmallow coconut dusted rabbit and a small slab of coffee mousse which was so pretty it was a pity to eat it. Watersky is a new experience in Chinese eating, really great for parties large or small and has an unusual and exciting menu from vegetarian to specialist seafood. They also have a set menu lunch for four to share for £19.95 which must be the best value in town!
By: Jackie Vowles
Watersky Chinese Restaurant
Eastgate Oriental City, Eastgate Road, Eastville, Bristol BS5 6XY
Telephone: 0117 951 2888
See review