The Lee On

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of this family-run Bruntsfield institution and it shows no signs of slowing down. Unusually, the main dining area is situated in a downstairs warren of intersecting rooms, while upstairs absorbs the overspill and handles takeaway customers. But far from being dank and claustrophobic, the snug, subterranean dining rooms only add to the cosy, neighbourly ambience. The Lee On is clearly a home away from home for loyal returning locals, and the homespun feel extends to the food on offer. The menu covers comfortably familiar territory with few flourishes, but four decades' speaks for itself. Brisk service delivers prawn toast that gratifyingly emphasises juicy, pink prawns and crisp, golden bread over the usual sesame-dominated examples, and deep-fried spare ribs with spiced salt deliver both crunch and subtle warmth. Mains such as beef with straw mushrooms are robust, and chow mein with roast duck and char sui pork is a hearty dish of slippery noodles enlivened by meaty mushrooms and fresh tenderstem broccoli. Generous puddings include a gargantuan mound of toffee apples, and a cheerfully retro, bountiful banana boat. With almost rustic Chinese home cooking and a convivial atmosphere, the Lee On proves that its longevity is well deserved.

• High point: Cosy, convivial atmosphere
• Low point: Deep-fried spare ribs might be too greasy for some