Chinese

We went out for a Chinese meal last night. I was surprised when Husband suggested the local Chinese restaurant, as we'd eaten there before and although the food is really quite good, it isn't a great dining experience. Like many such places, it concentrates mostly on the take-away trade. However, it is close and convenient so I didn't protest. A meal out is a meal out, after all, and it was an opportunity to wear my new boots on a short walk.

As soon as we walked in it was clear that they had more or less abandoned the restaurant side of the business. There were just a couple of tables set up at the back, one of which we took, and noone else came in all evening. We were given menus and shortly afterwards the waitress came back to take the drinks order, apologising that there wasn't a wine list at the moment. We ordered a bottle of the house white, notwithstanding. Off she went, to come back a couple of minutes later to apologise that there was only one bottle of white wine, that had already been opened. We could have a couple of glasses out of it, or all of what was left - which did we want? She was very sorry. The wine delivery was expected tomorrow. So that was the first set-back - we had managed to find a restaurant without any wine. The restaurant is next door to a wine merchant, for goodness' sake! (Although it had closed for the evening by the time we needed it). We ordered two glasses, and the vegetarian set menu for two.

Some consternation arose and our poor waitress came back to ask, did we eat prawn crackers? We said that yes, we did. (We're not very strict vegetarians and anyway, are there any prawns in prawn crackers?)

Take-away and delivery trade was fairly brisk, while we sat alone in the back. The back door (which led goodness knows where - to the toilets or the bins, presumably) didn't shut tight, so banged every time the front door was opened.

The food was excellent and there was masses of it, lots of courses and, as always, more than we could eat. Given its limitations - I don't think our waitress was really a waitress, though she was very sweet and polite and helpful - service was fine and we weren't hurried. This became something of a problem because the restaurant was glacial. Husband was sat back to the wall with a radiator beside him, but he said it was dead cold. Each time the front door opened a blast of cold air came in, and rolled down the room, where a very small part of it dissipated through the crack in the banging back door, and the rest of it washed over us and settled round our feet. I thought about putting my coat back on and wished I had worn a vest.

I find it hard to be cross with places like this. After all, the food was good, hot and well-made. I've no idea how they make a living, and I'm sure they barely make one at all, so it would be churlish to expect that a Chinese take-away out in the suburbs is going to be able to provide a dining experience like the Dorchester. But I did wonder what the newspaper restaurant critics would have made of it.