Garden Chinese Restaurant, Pocklington

IT'S not often the head waiter in a restaurant does his best to dissuade you from trying a dish. But then, our waiter at the Garden Chinese Restaurant in Pocklington was rather unique.

A short, feisty Chinese man with an endearingly brusque manner, he managed the difficult trick of making you like him while breaking all the rules of waiterly deference.

My wife Lili and I were browsing through the menu before ordering when our eyes were caught by a dish intriguingly described as Rainbow Duck.

What is Rainbow Duck? asked Lili, who is very obviously Chinese herself.

"No, not for you!" our waiter growled. "That's for westerners!"

Despite pressing, we never did find out what the rainbow duck was, and had to reluctantly turn our attention elsewhere.

The menu at the Garden isn't the most extensive or adventurous, but it does cover all the basics. There was a selection of soups at £2.20 each - including the ubiquitous chicken and sweetcorn, but also other options such as chicken and mushroom or wonton soup - plus a range of appetisers. These included a half crispy duck to share at £11.80, plus most of the usual offerings including spare ribs, spring rolls and that mysterious rainbow duck.

The main courses included duck, chicken, pork and beef dishes with assorted vegetables and sauces, together with king prawn meals and various chow meins. Were there any fish dishes? Lili asked, flicking through the menu in vain. "No. No fish."

Suitably chastened, Lili chose the wonton soup (£2.20) to start, while I chose chicken pieces in rice pastry (£3.90). For our main course, we ordered fried beef with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts (£5.30) to share and a side dish of mixed vegetables (£2.50) also to share. We fancied noodles instead of rice, so I was going to order the Chinese Roast Pork chow mein (£6.30) and Lili the chicken chow mein (£6.30).

Our waiter intervened again, however. One portion of chow mein would be plenty for both of us, he told us sternly. We surrendered, and opted for the pork chow mein only.

The Garden is clearly - and deservedly - a popular eating place in Pocklington. It was as busy on an early Saturday evening as an anthill. Even at 7pm there were groups of people going in before us, and most of the tables were already taken. It's clearly a big favourite with families - several tables were occupied by parents with excited young children, who were enjoying the exotic thrill of trying Chinese food.

Inside, it is a cheerful, friendly, cottagey sort of place - round tables covered in cloths, chintzy chairs and carpet, brick fireplaces. The tables are laid with heavy knives and forks, and there is little to make you think this is a Chinese restaurant, except for a few large red lanterns hanging at strategic points.

It is fun, familiar and comfortable - with just enough exotic Chineseness to keep the children happy.

Lili's wonton soup, when it came, was good - small pastry parcels packed with prawn in a thin consomm soup full of sliced Chinese vegetables.

My chicken parcels were also good - four large spring roll-like parcels of white rice pastry packed with chunky chicken pieces and chopped vegetables, and accompanied by a sweet-and-sour sauce dip. The filling was so searingly hot that I burnt my mouth, but it was a tasty and filling start.

There was a short pause before our main courses arrived, which we filled by sipping our drinks - a decent glass of medium dry house white for me, Chinese tea for Lili - and watching the happy, crowded tables all around us.

We quickly recognised that our waiter had been right when our main dishes arrived. The plate of chow mein was huge - more than enough for two - the thin, salty, chewy noodles generously topped with red-edged slices of pork and a mountain of mushrooms, Chinese leaf, sliced carrots and water chestnuts.

The generous side dish of vegetables was more of the same, and the large portion of fried beef came in a dark, salty sauce with yet more vegetables.

It wasn't the best Chinese food we have eaten - but there was plenty of it, and it was satisfying and filling.

The tasty beef was my favourite, although the chewy noodles, some of which still had crispy edges, ran it a close second.

Not subtle cooking, but great for a cheerful, inexpensive night out with friends.

The bill for a mountain of food that we struggled to finish - we had no room left for dessert, which seem to consist mainly of a range of ices - came to just over £20, including drinks. Great value for what had been an enjoyable evening in cheerful surroundings.

And it was good to see so many children enjoying a meal out with their family without having to dress up to the nines and be on their very best behaviour. No wonder this is a family favourite.

Fact file:

Garden Chinese Restaurant, Railway Street, Pocklington, tel 01759 303243

Food: filling

Service: unique

Value: excellent

Ambience: cheerful

Disabled access: Yes

Steve and Lili visited on Saturday August 21

Restaurant reviewers aim to be fair and accurate. Any comments on this review should be addressed to Chris Titley, Features Content Editor, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN or email

features@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 15:57 Friday, August 27, 2004