Regular diners at The Royal Chequers Chinese Restaurant in Quorn have been reacting with outrage at a recent “review” of the restaurant written by the Leicester Mercury.

Despite the negative comments the Chequers have had some of their busiest evenings recently as former diners have flocked back to the restaurant to show solidarity with well-liked owners Steve and Amy Chan.

“We have had many people ringing to ask if the restaurant is under new ownership, as our clients simply couldn’t believe what the Mercury were saying about us.” said co-owner Steve. “Some of the callers included a former county police chief and the assistant manager of Leicester football club, both of whom booked tables. One local firm even booked their entire staff in for a meal to show their support. We have really been overwhelmed by the kind response from our clients.”

Many regulars have also stated they will write to the Mercury to show their support for the Chequers and to indicate how strongly they feel that the article did not represent the restaurant fairly in any way.

Chef Jian Lu was also dismayed by the article but has been cheered by the reaction of other diners. Steve and Amy recruited Jian Lu directly from a 5-star hotel in Shanghai, flying out to personally taste his food, after he won China’s national cooking competition 3 years in a row. He has also written numerous cookery books in his native country. How many other Chinese restaurants have a chef of this calibre behind the scenes?!

We cannot go into details as the owners are taking action against the Mercury via the Press Complaints Commission, but there is a compelling “back story” which casts doubt on the impartiality of the so-called review.

But for anyone who wants the real story on the Royal Chequers, they need look no further than the 80+ reviews on their feature here, many from people who have been revisiting the restaurant for years, and including one from a trained chef and food education professional praising the authenticity of the food.

STOP PRESS: The Mercury have had to print some letters from disgruntled regulars on their website - here, here, here and here. I hope they put them in the paper too.

If you'd like to experience "the best Chinese restaurant in the county" then I recommend the "20 Year Celebration Sunday Buffet" - see you there!