Review: Minh's Restaurant, Shifnal

In my efforts to track down a decent Chinese restaurant to review in time for the Year of the Horse, I asked you, the readers, for ideas.

And after a very welcome response, I came up with a shortlist of three.

Through no reason other than the proximity from my own front door I settled upon one in Stourbridge.

So, early on Saturday morning I gave them a call to book a table for that evening.

Whoever took my call seemed incredulous that I thought I'd snag a primetime table this late in the game.

"You want a table for tonight?" he laughed haughtily. I felt very put out.

He offered me a slot at 6pm or 9.30pm. Since I am neither Icelandic nor Italian, I declined.

And while I am glad the place is doing such a rampant trade I didn't appreciate being spoken to so discourteously.

The food there might have been good but after that incident I'm in no rush to find out.

It was a different story when I called Minh's Restaurant in Shifnal where staff were polite, friendly and said they looked forward to welcoming me later that evening.

It was next on my list with my sat-nav claiming it was a 40 minutes drive from home.

And it would have been had the M54 not been shut. Our diversion took an extra 25 minutes and by the time we reached Minh's our table had, understandably, been given to other diners.

No matter, we were welcomed, seated at the bar and proffered drinks and menus to browse while we waited.

Less than 10 minutes later they'd found us a spot in the already packed restaurant, heartening to see on an icy night in January. The atmosphere – a perfect tonic for the winter blues – was warm, lively and people seemed to be having a genuinely good time tucking into steaming plates of food. And while the pink and yellow interior looked a tad tired it was inconsequential; diners were just too busy having fun to notice.

There's much to be said for swanky, polished dining rooms with seemless service and crisp white crockery but not if it's at the expense of the ambience. Who wants to sit in strained silence listening to every muffled cough and spit, worried you're slurping your soup too loudly? Not me, that's for sure.

Well, there's none of that here.

If I could use one word to describe the mood on this Saturday night in question it'd be raucous. And it was rammed up a notch when the entire restaurant broke out into an impromptu Happy Birthday for one of the guests on a table of 10 gents. With this spirit in mind, it really would be an ideal place to celebrate Chinese New Year next Friday.

Service was speedy and we were given some compilmentary prawn crackers to munch on while debating what to order.

There's all the usual suspects we've come to expect on a Cantonese restaurant menu from crispy spring rolls and wonton to seaweed and prawn toast. There's also a good few surprises, particularly for seafood fans, with stuffed crab claws, steamed scallops and stirfried mussels in black bean sauce all in the starters selection.

Main courses include tempting-sounding sizzling platters, the usual sweet and sour/black bean/chow mein/szechuan options, and oriental casserole dishes. Non-meat eaters don't miss out with tofu and vegetables playing the leading role in more than a handful of choices.

The set menus also represent good value with three course options from £16 per person.

The other half settled quickly on the quarter of aromatic crispy duck while I chose the deep fried crispy squid with sweet and sour sauce. At £9.50 and £7 respectively they were not cheap dishes although we soon realised that this is reflected by the generous portions.

"Think we've ordered too much?" the boyfriend asked as piled-high plates dashed past our table.

"Call it our final blowout," I replied shrugging. "Last big meal before the diet starts." I've been saying that since December 28 and failing miserably.

The starters arrived; a plate of shredded duck with wafer-thin pancakes, strips of cucumber and spring onion, and a pool of dark, luscious sauce looked impressive. It ate well too, the sinewy meat was packed with flavour, the pancakes sheer and the sauce fruity. We ate the lot. And there was a plenty.

I was less impressed with the look of the squid; huge chunks of seafood disguised by thick, pale batter. It was accompanied by a deep bowl of brightly-coloured sweet and sour sauce.

However, against my better judgement it tasted rather nice, sating my secret lust for all things deep fried. The squid wasn't rubbery and the sauce was well-balanced with the right sharpness to counteract the sweet. I couldn't eat it all for fear of bursting before the arrival of the main course.

A considerable break gave us opportunity to relax, digest and, randomly, sing a good-natured Happy Birthday.

A waitress delivered a couple of hot plates and rice bowls which reminded me of the special occasion Chinese meals of my childhood. In fact, the whole evening was deliciously nostalgic and comforting. In a flash, I was back in the late 80s, excitedly anticipating the seemingly exotic food compared to mum's home cooking.

So on to the main courses of which we chose the sizzling satay chicken, szechuan prawn and kung po beef with cashew nuts. Side orders of stirfried soft noodles and steamed rice filled our table.

If I could reconsider my answer to the aformentioned question 'have we ordered too much?' The answer would be the affirmative.

The chicken satay had real fire, coating great hunks of chicken breast in its spicy, nutty sauce. It had more kick than a donkey sanctuary and made the typically chilli rich szechuan king prawn seem surprisingly mild. The kung po beef was a real hit too; lip-smackingly fruity with slithers of tender protein and toasted cashews.

I was particularly impressed by the quality and quantity of the meat and seafood. Not only were they generous portions, they were generous in key ingredients – a rarity, even in some top flight places. It's all too easy to bulk dishes up with cheap root veg but this was not the case here. And of the veg that was there – carrots, peppers, onions – it was expertly cooked, retaining its bite and sweetness.

If I could be critical it's that the ingredients – both meat and veg – weren't chopped small enough. There were whacking great, cumbersome quarters of onions and pieces of meat the size of a baby's fist. More finely diced ingredients would have looked more elegant and been easier to eat.

Side orders hit the mark. The mound of white rice was soft and ideal for soaking up the tasty sauces while the noodles had depth from rich soy and spring onions.

We couldn't finish everything and, therefore, could not progress to pud. There was a rather tempting-looking chocolate cake in a glass display cabinet that had my name on it had I not been as stuffed as a sausage.

Service was efficient and polite, if not always with a smile.

The bill, which came with the nice touch of two fortune cookies and chocolate mints, came in at just over £60 including four soft drinks.

It's not cheap but in terms of volume and decent quality food you get what you pay for.

It's the Year of Horse and if you're as hungry as one, then this is the most definitely the place.

Emily Bridgewater