The Opium Den, Oxford

Yesterday, I went to Oxford and made a return visit to the Opium Den. There was no sign of the cheap £5.00 set meal, which was worrying as apart from the Hot and Sour Soup the food was not very good. I ordered the Hot and Sour Soup at £3.50 and Mixed Meat with fried noodles at £6.90. The soup came in a smaller bowl than usual, but it was full to the brim and very good. Lots of vegetables in it. The main course came and the plate was piled high. It looked good with lots of decoratively cut carrots, mange tout, cabbage and meat. Strangely the meat also contained seafood - king prawns and fish cake! Also,there was beef, chicken and barbecued roast pork. Not bad at all. The noodles would have been nice and crispy round the edges had they not been buried under the meat and vegetables. All in all a pretty good meal, but far too expensive for what it was, and the fish cake repeated on me for the rest of the day.

Kowloon, Gerrard Street, London.

Went to the Kowloon Restaurant in London's Chinatown. Had a very disappointing chicken satay. The chicken was nice, but the satay sauce was awful. Thin brown stuff that tasted slightly of curry powder. No peanut taste, although there was one tiny piece of peanut in it. The main course was superb. Soup Noodles with Roast Duck. I had this when I came here last time. Succulent duck with oh so tasty skin. Different greens this time. Last time it was Chinese cabbage. This time it was Chinese greens. Dark green leaves that tasted slightly of sesame oil. Delicious!