Seventeen

The dark basement setting & chillout tunes suggest that Seventeen is more of an evening haunt than a lunchtime spot. Carved wooden screens, blue lighting & black lacquer furniture don’t deliver quite the glamour of high-rolling Hakkasan, but at least they’re an improvement on the dated interiors of most Queensway Chinese eateries. Best bets on the menu are the lip-numbingly authentic Szechuan specialities, so if you can take a dose of chilli & have an appetite for offal, the blisteringly hot seafood soup, griddled intestines or dry-fried green beans with minced pork won’t disappoint. Dung po pork (a rich, savoury stew from Hangzhou province), is also worth ordering, but other items – especially mainstream Cantonese staples such as sweet & sour chicken – get a lukewarm reception from most readers.