Wangs

With its buzzing atmosphere, 90s hip-hop soundtrack and killer cocktails (seriously, try the Sichuan Margarita), this neighbourhood Chinese spot a stone’s throw from Stokes Croft is a breath of fresh air. You won’t find anything sweet ‘n’ sour on head chef Emily Xin Xin Chan’s short, seasonal menu of around a dozen flavour-packed sharing plates and sides. Instead, she raids China’s many regional cooking traditions to create an enticing carousel of complex, vibrant dishes that feel fresh and modern. Chan was formerly head chef at Tare, and her classical training shows in the presentation and clever layering of flavours, whether in a dainty salad of carrot, cucumber and otherworldly wood ear mushrooms in a chilli and sesame dressing or an indulgent plate of spicy charcoal-grilled Xinjiang lamb rump. Wangs is extremely popular with the loyal local crowd, so book to guarantee one of the tightly packed tables on the ground floor, or even a counter seat overlooking the open kitchen. When it's full, the long, thin room with its exposed brick and artfully distressed plaster walls feels like walking into a party.