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The Aroma
Group of restaurants has announced the addition of 'Alisan', a
flagship establishment. Offering Dim Sum and fine Chinese cuisine,
adjacent to Wembley Stadium, Alisan launcheD with a grand opening on
Saturday 11th November complete with fire crackers and traditional
Lion dance, which according to legend, will chase away evil spirits
and bring good luck.
The name
Alisan is taken from of a mountain in Taiwan made famous in an old
Mandarin folksong. The song is about the aboriginal women living on
Alisan mountain being very beautiful. The word "san" means
mountain or hill in Chinese. The letters "LIS" in the
ALISAN logo form the Chinese character for mountain.
The Dim Sum
Head Chef, CC Wong, was the Dim Sum Head Chef at Yauatcha
Michelin-starred Soho restaurant. Dim sum is served from noon until
5pm. The restaurant Head Chef, GW Dai, was previously at the Mandarin
Oriental, a five star hotel, in Singapore.
The
split-level establishment seats up to 200 on the ground floor. The
first floor features a cocktail lounge, with sofa seating, serving
drinks and snacks.
A function
room is available for private hire, complete with karaoke facilities.
The
décor of Alisan creates a modern yet Oriental setting. The
restaurant successfully combines an Eastern feel with modern European
features.
Commenting on
the new opening, which is directly opposite of the new Wembley
stadium, Aroma Director Colin Wong said, "The area deserves a
first rate modern Chinese restaurant offing fine dining and good dim
sum".
The Aroma
Group, which opened its first of its nine restaurants under the Aroma
brand in Stevenage in 1997, also has locations in Wood Green and
Shepherd's Bush in London, Luton, Northampton, Braintree, Basildon
and Hemel Hempstead.
Lion Dance
Background - A traditional accompaniment to restaurant openings, the
lion dance is performed by a pair of dancers inside a lion costume.
The dance is a precise demonstration of stylised movements performed
by skilled performers, trained in martial arts. The eyelids, mouth
and ears of the lion's head all move.
The dance is
accompanied by loud music played on large drum, gong and cymbals plus
firecrackers - evil being afraid of loud noise. The dance climaxes
with the Choi Cheng or 'Picking the Green', with vegetable leaves
tied to a piece of string with a red packet containing money, being
eaten by the lion. The lion explodes into activity while spitting out
the leaves, signifying future abundance.
Wembley
Stadium and the developments around it are fast becoming a major
success story for London. Planning permission for a £1.3b
regeneration will create 6,000 new jobs, 4,200 new homes and new
shops, leisure and community facilities including a multiplex cinema,
a refurbished Wembley Arena, bars, restaurants and new public
squares. Improvements in local transport will help to ensure the area
becomes a world-class leisure destination.
Wembley Retail
Park, Engineers Way, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 0ER
T: 020 8903
3888 F: 020 8903 1188 W: www.thearoma.co.uk
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