THIRSTY thieves who stole themselves a taste of the Orient have been left with egg fried rice on their faces.

Two barrels of a strong Chinese beer, called Sun-Lik, were taken from the rear of the Oriental Pearl Cantonese restaurant, at Clifton Moor, York, along with a barrel of John Smiths Smooth.

But the thieves may now be facing a quandary, restaurant bosses have revealed.

For the kegs of the Sun-Lik brew are likely to be completely useless to anyone other than the restaurant itself, as special equipment is needed to pump out the beer.

Restaurant manager Ellie Tsang, 37, who has worked there for more than ten years, has warned other people in the pub and restaurant trade not to accept the beer and to tell the police immediately.

"We are one of the only two restaurants which sell this Sun-Lik Beer in the area.

"The thief will not be able to pump any of the beer out without the relevant equipment. We had to do without the beer for two days and our customers went very thirsty!"

A York Police spokesman confirmed that the beer had been stolen from the rear of the Oriental Pearl, probably between 1.30pm last Monday and 2pm the next day. CCTV footage from the area has been taken away to be examined.

He said: "Our inquiries into this incident are ongoing. We would ask anyone who is offered this beer in suspicious circumstances to contact us immediately on 0845 6060247."

Updated: 09:36 Saturday, November 27, 2004