A taste of royalty at Amber Regent

The first thing wee’ll note about Amber Regent is that you must come with an empty stomach, the dish choices stretch beyond your imagination and trust us when we say you’ll want to try a little bit of everything.

Chicken satay, barbecued spare ribs, sesame prawn toast, salt and pepper king prawns, lettuce chicken wraps, honey chicken wings, crispy duck rolls, Szechuan chicken with chilli peppers, pork belly bao, soft shell crab, fresh mussels in a black bean sauce, scallops in a garlic sauce, prawn cocktails, and every kind of soup are just some of the starters you’ll find at Amber Regent. With plenty of British Chinese favourites available, Amber Regent does of course also offer some less familiar, more traditional dishes. We suggest starting with something like their stuffed crab claw or sui mai dim sum if you’re looking to branch out a little.

Moving into mains, the menu is divided into 11 sections: chicken, beef and pork, duck, seafood, sweet and sour, satay, curry, house special dishes, grill, and sides. Browsing through the extensive list you’ll find comfortable standouts such as their chicken and beef curries, sweet and sour pork, steamed salmon, salt and pepper squid, king prawns Szechuan style, shredded crispy beef, barbecued duck with plum sauce, and kung pao chicken.

If it’s a bit of adventure you’ve come for, once again we’d have to suggest the more traditional dishes on the menu that Amber Regent have become so well-known for (did we mention Samuel L. Jackson dined in just last month?). Anything in a black bean sauce or with a touch of Szechuan is going to be full of flavour and a relatively entry-level start to new dishes. The house special dishes, however, would be our best tip! King prawns and scallops in XO sauce (a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong with an umami flavour), Claypot Dong Po (braised pork belly), and the monkfish are all must-tries!

If the extensive menu starts to overwhelm, Amber Regent will alternatively happily select the best dishes and serve the set menu to take away the guesswork of just where to start.

Amber Regent lets the food do all the talking when it comes to decorating the space. White walls and table cloths and traditional Chinese touches set a tone of elegance and grace pre-dining, making this one of the more luxurious Chinese meals you can have in the UK. However, when the food begins to come out, the tables are laden with vibrant colours and bright aromas, bringing the restaurant to life with sizzling sounds and wafting steam.

Tuck yourselves into a smaller table on the outskirts for an intimate meal, or nab a table front and centre with a lazy Susan if you’re looking to order large for the whole table. Somewhat sheltered from the busy Glasgow streets, you’ll feel fully immersed into your dining experience, offering a kind break from the outside world for a couple of hours.

You’ll find Amber Regent at 50 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2RA, open Tuesdays to Saturday for lunch and dinner, and Sunday evenings. Book your table here and get ready to feast.