My family and I love Chinese food. 

So much so, that we were willing to splash out more than we normally would for dinner at Zhima, Glasgow’s newest Chinese restaurant which opened its doors in April.  

My party of four paid a £40 deposit when booking our table for a Sunday evening in August. (It barely put a dent in the final bill, which came to £195.)  

We had previously attempted to get a table on a Saturday afternoon without booking to no avail, so I knew it was popular. And while we enjoyed ourselves, the restaurant didn’t quite meet all our expectations.  

The restaurant was busy when we arrived. We were seated in an enclosed booth which allowed for extra privacy. Our marble table was big enough to fit six people – instant points for spaciousness. Teal-and-gold paintings hung on the wall beside us and a chandelier dangled above the table.  

Our server was friendly and conscientious. After taking our drinks orders (a bottle of wine, a pint of house larger, and Fanta), he asked if we had any allergies. My dad replied that he is allergic to fish.

The server hurried away, returning just a few moments later with a massive binder which detailed all the dishes which contained ingredients with allergens (including those with cross-contamination). We appreciated this – it’s definitely not the norm.  

For starters, we ordered lion head meatballs (£9.95), bang bang chicken (£9.95), duck pancakes (£10), and spicy beef satay (£9.95).  

The chicken was a tad dry, though it was coated in a tasty sauce that packed a punch. The beef was minced and slathered in a generous amount of satay sauce. Meanwhile, the meatballs were tasty and were coated in the same satay sauce.  

The winner was the duck pancakes. They came in a generous portion size (five pancakes in total), served with cucumber, spring onion, and a delicious hoisin sauce.  

Four our main courses, we ordered Mongolian beef (£17.95), beef satay (£17.95), Xianjang cumin lamb (£19.95), and chili honey chicken (£17.95) with four side dishes: jasmine rice (£3), burnt garlic fried rice (£4), and wok fried noodles (£5), and salt & chilli fries (£4).  

The cumin lamb was roasted with onion, ginger chilli, garlic glaze, sesame, and coriander. As you could imagine, it was tender and bursting with flavour. However, like the bang bang chicken, it was a tad on the dry side.  

The beef was fried with garlic, red chilli, green onion, and a sweet soy glaze. It tasted fantastic. Meanwhile, the beef satay resembled meatballs on skewers.  

We couldn’t finish the honey chilli chicken. It was overwhelmingly sweet – it reminded me of a sweet-and-sour dish, but on steroids.  

Most of the side dishes were average, but the noodles were soggy and lacked flavour.  

You could argue that the best thing about the restaurant wasn’t even the food. It was the vibe. 

The upscale black-and-gold decor gave the place an expensive feel. And the staff went above and beyond to make sure we were having a good time (I was surprised when one server opened the door for me as I made my way to the bathroom). 

It seems to me that Zhima is the kind of place you go if you want to be seen. It’s impressive. But is it overpriced for what it is? Perhaps.  

There are less expensive Chinese restaurants in the city that provide the same, if not better, quality. But the exclusive atmosphere and friendly staff might just be enough to keep customers coming back.