The Emperor. The name conjures up regal images and connections. Concerto. Of a kingdom. Penguin!! Well, the Emperor restaurant in Stonecot Hill has a regal reputation and whatever day of the week you plan to dine here, I would strongly advise booking as this restaurant is very popular. They have quite a unique menu - you pay one price and you can then order any dishes from their extensive menu as often as you want. Yes, you really can. There is a wide choice - there are all the usual Anglo-Canto favourites as well as more unusual dishes such as prawns on sugar cane. I've been here many times with friends and it's so great that everyone can order what they like and if they want more, just order more. The starters are particularly strong. Then most people would follow with crispy aromatic duck with pancakes or Mongolian lamb in lettuce leaves as a middle course. Main courses can be served with rice or noodles. One dish that you should have is the sizzling beef - super tender. Included in the price for dessert are lychees and toffee banana or apple with vanilla ice cream. You can order special ice cream creations for extra charge. The staff are always very friendly and will be happy to help you select dishes. I also like the calming videos of scenes from diving on their big flat screen TVs Not as cute an emperor penguins but an excellent Chinese restaurant read more

I've been coming to this restaurant for years and it never fails to impress. We've had lots of family celebrations here and everyone goes home happy with a full tummy! They have a set price menu which you can order as much as you like from. You won't find any cheap fillers here, it's all great quality, fresh seafood and meats with plenty of veggie options. Also included in the price is aromatic duck (1/4, 1/2, whole depending on party size). A couple of recommendations are the salt & pepper squid - (oh, so good!) and peached king prawns - they're addictive. The price is £17 for adults and £11 for children. This is great value and we will keep coming back. You'll need to book as this place gets very busy. Your booking is also for a 2 hr sitting, so it's not ideal for a long meal - but definitely worth a visit! They also do a buffet on a Sunday which is always popular. read more

I've been coming here for years and have never had a bad visit. I love that the food is cooked to order & the only caviat is they could pay a little more attention when someone orders a different portion size. read more

I have been to The Emperor many times over the years. I went for the first time in about 18 months last week. The food is still just as delicious as it ever was; most definately the best chinese food in the area. The screen pictures create a calming atmosphere and the ambiance generally is conducive to romantic meals, nights out with friends, family meals - pretty much anything. Much of the waiting staff remain friendly and helpful. My one area of criticism for this particular visit was the sureliness of some of the current waiting staff. One of them was outright grumpy and made us feel as though we were inconveniencing her. It may have been just an off day for her but waiting staff need to remember that off days cannot be taken out on the patrons - we all have off days but we all still have a job to do and being friendly and polite remains very much an integral part of the job for waiters and waitresses. A couple of surly waiting staff on this one visit aside, it remains an absolutely favourite for me. There is no doubting the quality of the food, the drink and relaxing environment. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone. It remains one of the best places to go in the KT and SM postcodes. read more

Dined at The Emperor last night with my 2 daughters and where the first people in (Monday 6pm), we where sat in a nice spot, in front of the TV playing a pleasent aquarium DVD. Gentle lighting and a warm ambiance The staff where friendly and the food very nice. The bill for the three of us came to around £66 including a 10% service fee, which I thought was an acceptible price. I would have given this restaurant 4 out of 5 if it wasn't for 2 things. (1) The second group that came in where sat immediately next to us, this was annoying as the restaurant was completely empty, so why sit another table on top of us??, (2) The 10% service is included in the bill, yet the girl who brought me the credit card machine asked in front of everyone if I'd like to leave a tip?.. I angrily told her it was already included. read more

They do shark fin soup.

I love this restaurant! The food is superb and theres 4 courses for those who can make it! Theres so many mouth watering starters on the menu that when youre ordering you cant help but get carried away. The service is also superb, they are very attentive, friendly and accommadating. Just great! read more

OMG!! What has happened to the friendly customer service at The Emperor??? I went there to celebrate my birthday last week, cards on the table and badge with my age on it......NO ONE made a comment!! In fact we were virtually ignored!! I had to find a member of staff to order our drinks...(I've never had to leave the table to do this before), service was very, very slow. I've been a regular here for many years and I'm afraid I won't be going back!!! BRING BACK HENRY!! He knew every customer by name and made everyone enjoy themselves read more

Unfortunately The Emperor has gone downhill since change of owner and staff. Chicken satay was stringy and tough, looked deep fried, didn't even look like pieces of chicken. The ribs were greasy and just revolting. My chicken and cashew nuts, and my rice, were stone cold. The waiters kept bringing the wrong meals to our table. The apple and banana dessert was watery and tasteless inside just out of the freezer? I am sure none of these meals are cooked on the premises, I feel they may have been imported and frozen. Even the crispy duck was not carved at the table was it other people's leftovers? Since the original owners have left, this place is not run correctly, the waiters/kitchen do not seem to understand the correct orders, and food is definitely one out of five. Emperor, bring back original owner and staff, I can't understand how you are still so busy. Maybe some people are easily pleased. But I won't be back. read more

Unfortunately The Emperor has gone downhill since change of owner and staff. Chicken satay was stringy and tough, looked deep fried, didn't even look like pieces of chicken. The ribs were greasy and just revolting. My chicken and cashew nuts, and my rice, were stone cold. The waiters kept bringing the wrong meals to our table. The apple and banana dessert was watery and tasteless inside - just out of the freezer? I am sure none of these meals are cooked on the premises, I feel they may have been imported and frozen. Even the crispy duck was not carved at the table - was it other people's leftovers? Since the original owners have left, this place is not run correctly, the waiters/kitchen do not seem to understand the correct orders, and food is definitely one out of five. Emperor, bring back original owner and staff, I can't understand how you are still so busy. Maybe some people are easily pleased. But I won't be back. read more