Eatery

On Sunday we had lunch at Tsui Wah in Central, one of a chain of restaurants. The style of this chain is ... eclectic. This is the kind of brightly lit, permanently bustling Hong Kong restaurant that has a very cheap but extensive menu, covering nostalgic Chinese favourites, 'Western' dishes (including roasts and spaghetti), Japanese noodles, and instant macaroni and noodles. I had baked Portuguese chicken with rice, accompanied with iced coffee (made with Carnation I'm sure); Christine sampled the fried noodles with pork and bean sprouts, and hot lemon tea.

The decor is 80s roller-disco meets American family restaurant; the service is harried and slightly surly, in the best Cantonese tradition; the hot tea brought to the tables is used for rinsing chopsticks and cutlery, not drinking; leftovers are scraped into large plastic buckets hauled around by brash women wearing marigolds; tables often become communal; orders are frequently mixed up. But, it's all very good-humoured, with a varied clientele (dressed-up young women, old couples, families, shady businessmen and the occasional Japanese tourist), and the food is quite tasty and good value for money.