Waterlily

Went for Chinese at teatime fantastic food and portions were tremendous would definitely recommend
Mar 22nd, 2023

Food : 4/5 | Service : 4/5 | Atmosphere : 4/5 More
Mar 6th, 2023

Mar 4th, 2023

Dec 4th, 2022

Hi everyone. This is my first review of a place local to me, something Ive not done before. Kirkby Lonsdale is a tourist destination and increasingly the visitors are driving standards in the town, which punches well above its weight in terms of the food offering it gives, with high end dining and a range of different cuisines to choose from. The volume of day trippers and holiday makers provides welcome income to shops, cafes and restaurants in the town, supporting a breadth of facilities the local population would never require or use if it had remained just a local town. And those facilities have in the main responded by competing and raising the bar in terms of the service and quality they offer. Whether youre living locally or just visiting, Kirkby Lonsdale really has become a vibrant and attractive place to be. So its a disappointment to report that the food and service I experienced on my most recent visit to Waterlily was, well. alright at best. I say disappointment because I love my Chinese cuisine and, because I spend a lot of time in London and Edinburgh, Ive become excited by what even modest take away establishments can produce when they try. Waterlily is one of those places that remains stuck in the memory of my youth of the 70s and 80s, with a predictable menu and a quality that falls way short of what can be achieved and, frankly, is now expected. Now I know the restaurant sector has really struggled in recent years, battered (not literally) by Covid, rising food prices and an economic situation that has left far less money in peoples pockets. But you could at least try. A surly attitude, a cash-only payment system - how does that look to the buying public these days - and food offered up in plastic containers and plastic bags is not the way to go. I wish I could at least be positive about the food but the truth is I ate the half I did because I was so hungry. The rest was consigned to the bin Im afraid. The chicken curry was ok, but the crispy beef was not anything like crispy and the salt and pepper ribs inedible, frankly. One of the ribs was a solid lump of pig fat and even my hunger couldnt manage that. I hate the very idea of criticising a local eatery and I would love to report progress and higher quality in the future, but Im not sure Ill be returning soon. Its such a shame. Kirkby Lonsdale can accept, and probably now expects, something better.
Mar 17th, 2023