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RIVER VIEW
Cowbridge has been crying out for a high quality Chinese restaurant. We’ve heard good things about River View so we arranged to meet Lyn Chan, restaurant manager, to find out more.
Lyn, what did you do before you opened River View?
Mark and I ran our own takeaway business. Mark co-owns the restaurant with Mr Wing Yu Chan.
Why did you choose Cowbridge?
We felt that Cowbridge has a lot of history and has many interesting features. The locals are friendly and it attracts many tourists. It has a mix of restaurants to suit many cultures but we felt that it needed a Chinese restaurant. Family members convinced us to open a restaurant here as did the vice chairman of the local cricket club, Andy Brace, who is a very good friend of the family.
How many staff do you employ?
We employ four full time staff members and a few who work for us on a part time basis.
Are they local?
Only the part timers.
What makes you different from other Chinese restaurants?
We’re very flexible with the food we cook which makes us able to cater to all tastes. We are also able to organise parties.
Who is your chef?
Mr Wah Li, Wing Yu’s and my cousin.
What is his background?
Wah has worked as a chef at many 5 star hotels in South China. When we visited China in our teens he prepared many good meals for us.
Why did you choose him?
Wah has many years of experience in Chinese cuisine cooking and we wanted him to work with us in a family run business.
What are his specialities?
Cantonese style food. Also, as he was brought up near the river, he loves to prepare seafood dishes.
Where do you source your produce?
We go to the local market in Cardiff at 5am to get the best fresh produce. We also travel to specialist Chinese suppliers in Birmingham.
Is using local produce important to you?
We would use more local produce but in Chinese cooking, we use many different ingredients which aren’t as readily available on a local level.
Do you offer a take away service?
Yes. This is a very popular service.
What are your opening hours?
Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 2pm and 5pm to 10.30pm. Friday and Saturday 12pm to 2pm and 5pm to 11.30pm.
Are you open for Christmas?
Yes we are. We’re taking bookings for lunch and evening parties with a choice of two set menus. For turkey lovers, we have golden turkey skewers and turkey lettuce wraps as starters, while main dishes include sizzling satay fillet steak, crispy shredded chicken in bird’s nest or snow wonder land and kind prawn and scallop in bird’s nest to name but a few. We are offering traditional Christmas pudding for dessert. We can also cater for vegetarians. Prices are from £23 per person and the food is freshly prepared and cooked. Our chef Mr Li is very happy to prepare food specifically to suit customers’ requirements.
What other plans do you have for the restaurant?
We are keen to try out new ideas. Every month we try out different food. We periodically offer special tasting menus which are proving to be very popular. Customers can order as much as they like from the selected menu for a set price.
We are also considering offering cookery schools for individuals or small groups. This could make an ideal present or a unique team building activity.
How are you planning to celebrate Chinese new year?
The Chinese New year is on 7th Feb 2008. We are arranging the traditional Lion Dance in the restaurant and a Chinese theme night for the festival. It will be an interesting Chinese cultural experience.
Please contact us for more information or visit www.riverview668.co.uk.
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