The Lucky House restaurant and takeaway has been trading in Barnard Castle for so long that it’s easy to overlook the familiar when trying to decide on a place to eat.
However, when a restaurant has survived for more than 30 years in a small market town when others have fallen by the wayside it must be doing something right.
Our family first visited the Lucky House in the 1980s, not long after we moved to the town, making use of both the dining room and takeaway facilities on a fairly regular basis. And now, a further generation down the line, my eldest granddaughter Hayley has discovered its delights as we have begun popping in now and again for a girlie catch-up after work.
The Lucky House, which is situated in the antique quarter on The Bank, has been owned by the Yip family for more than 30 years, and is now run by Amy Kwan and her husband Simon, both of whom originate from Hong Kong. It was originally owned by Amy’s sister Helen Yip and her husband, but taken over by Amy and Simon – who previously enjoyed stints at Lucky House before owning restaurants in Darlington and Middlesbrough – when the couple retired.
“We love Barnard Castle, the people are so friendly and we have a loyal band of regular customers,” says Amy. “We like the pace of life here, and love getting out and about to explore the countryside.”
She is in charge of front of house, juggling both restaurant and takeaway orders quickly and efficiently.
On entering the premises, the takeaway counter cum waiting area is separate to the dining area, so you don’t feel watched as you eat; a nice touch.
On her first visit, Hayley had been pleasantly surprised by the light and airy dining room, which has plenty of space between tables and unobtrusive oriental music playing softly in the background. And we felt that same clean, light and airy ambience again on this occasion. No red flock wallpaper here.
Amy was quick and efficient, bringing menus, taking our drinks order, and just as importantly – making conversation and being thoroughly pleasant while explaining the contents and cooking methods of various dishes we were unsure of. She told us that husband Simon was formerly a pastry chef in a five-star hotel, and later specialised as a dim sum chef, but was now happy to be cooking up Cantonese, Peking and Szechwan dishes for his Barney customers.
Once we were settled with a glass of very palatable house red (me) and a glass of Coke (Hayley) it was a matter of minutes before our shared deluxe starter, which at £7 offered plenty for two, arrived.
There was a good plateful of thickly topped prawn toast, spicy spare ribs, deliciously crispy wontons and some equally crispy spring rolls, which we attacked with gusto, each having had a busy day at work and hardly any lunch.
And as there were at least two portions of each there was no fighting over personal favourites. It came with a dish of sweet chilli dipping sauce which was a tasty accompaniment.
It has been a familiar eating destination in the town for more than 30 years
After a decent interval in which we imbibed a further Coke and an Appletize - it being a warm evening, Hayley opted for sliced beef with mushrooms, and a separate dish of chicken fried rice, while I plumped for honey roast char siu chow mein. The beef was plentiful and declared delicious. It was tender and moist, its sauce mopped up by the equally tasty rice. My pork was as described, the meat chunky and tender, the honey discernible without being too sweet and the noodles soft without being soggy.
It being early evening midweek when we ate, we were the only diners, which didn’t bother us as we had plenty to chat about and Amy was extremely friendly and helpful, and while it does get busier later in the evening and at weekends, 80 per cent of its trade is now takeaway.
So what did Hayley make of the Lucky House, where Nana, Grandad and latterly Dad spent their more youthful evenings? Well, she accepted this second invitation straight away, didn’t leave much, and declared what she did have as excellent, so it looks like the Lucky House might not be overlooked much longer by the next generation of Dixons.
Our total bill, including drinks, came to a respectable £39.70, which we thought good value for such enjoyable, well cooked food and terrific service.
Ratings:
Food Quality: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Surroundings: 7/10
Value: 8/10
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