A POPULAR Chinese restaurant in Cardonald has been relaunched with a top new chef on the bill.

The former New Night Place, on Paisley Road West, kick started its launch night on Sunday.

Now called The Panda Villa, bosses have brought in chef Wei Zhao, who has worked in top hotels and eateries across China, before moving to Liverpool where he made a name for himself in the city’s Chinatown.

The 45-year-old started his career in Tianjin, a major port city in northeastern China.

One of the hotels he worked in was the stunning four-star Hangzhou Jinxi Hotel before moving onto the Holiday Inn Shanghai Jinshan.

Guomao Building in Shenzhen was his next stop before he moved over to the UK to work in the swanky Tai Pan in Liverpool.

The Glasgow restaurant’s new boss, Jason Zheng, who also owns another top Japanese restaurant in Stirling. Jason described what will make the new Panda Villa stand out in a competitive market in the area - with the recent opening of another Chinese restaurant just a few minutes’ drive away in nearby Renfrew.

He said: “We’ve got a new menu in place as well as daily chef specials. We’ll be open for lunch every Monday to Friday and dinner every night.

“We’re going to have a big focus on seafood and meat - it will all be fresh. There’s a big emphasis on freshness. If we’re serving pork, it will be pork chops - only the best.

“We’ll also be hosting party nights where our guests can design their own menu in collaboration with out head chef and kitchen staff. It really is an exciting time for us here at The Panda Villa.”

The launch night on Sunday saw locals be invited to a one-off, specially prepared buffet. Guests ticket into to deep-fried milk, prawns, lobster, beef and crispy noodles and plenty of fresh fruit and sweets.

The opening night came on the same day Glasgow’s George Square became an array of colour for Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year is China’s most important festival, and celebrates the first day of the country’s lunar calendar.

Also known as the Spring Festival, colourful dragons, pandas, dancers and a Scottish pipe band lit up a special night in Glasgow City Centre.

In Chinese culture, 2019 is the Year of the Pig.

The pig represents luck, overall good fortune, wealth, honesty and general prosperity. It symbolises a hard working, peace-loving person, who is truthful, generous, indulgent, patient, reliable, trusting, sincere, giving, and sociable, with a good sense of humour and understanding.

The event started off in George Square with dragon and lion dancers, a costume parade, face painting, balloon modelling and paper cutting for the children.

The St. Francis Pipe Band from the Gorbals provided a Scottish element to the event and received a warm welcome.

The Panda Villa can be found at 2379 Paisley Road West.