Popular Liverpool Chinese restaurant Lu Ban is offering a new twist on the great British afternoon tea tradition. Tony McDonough reports

Afternoon tea is a popular choice for many people but Liverpool Chinese restaurant Lu Ban is offering its own twist on this great British tradition.

Described as a ‘taste of decadence’ Chinese Afternoon Tea offers “delightful dumplings, sensational steamed buns and beautiful sweet treats”. First serving will be on Sunday, November 21 with Lu Ban’s “gorgeous” drag artist providing the entertainment.

To accompany their food, guests can sip the bottomless Lu Ban cocktail of the week or choose from selected wine, beer, tea and soft drinks. Chinese Afternoon Tea costs £39.50 per guest for a 90-minute reservation.

Lu Ban is located on the Cains Brewery site in late 2019 on the Cain’s Brewery site in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle district. It is the first Chinese restaurant in the city to include a cooking school that will train 100 chefs every year.

The restaurant and international training centre were the result of a £2m collaboration between the Tianjin Food Group (TFG), Tianjin School of Commerce and the British Lu Ban Workshop.

TFG is a a state owned Chinese company which provides 80% of the food produced, bought and eaten in the region of Tianjin, which has a population 18m people. The venture aimed to offer Liverpool diners a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine.