Chaozhou Inn

In the very best of Chinese traditions, Chaozhou Inn is a place where you can sit down, order, gossip, eat and be out of the door in an hour. The menu is a tempting mix of the familiar (braised meats and roast pork) and the fabulously esoteric (duck tongue with orange sauce, chilled jellied pig trotters, charcoal-grilled pig’s nape, and pig’s stomach fried with XO sauce). A plate of roast pork and char siew is served unadorned, resplendent in its low-key combination of smoky sweetness. Duck is braised simply in a fermented bean paste and then served, thinly sliced, alongside strips of tofu scented with five-spice powder; the flavours are admirably subtle. Vegetarians also get a look in with treats that extend beyond the usual half-hearted sautéed vegetables so often seen at other omnivorous restaurants. Paired with the pale-hued vegetarian fried rice, the opulently named Four Treasures was a fragrant blend of gingko nuts, assorted mushrooms and the tart hit of kiam chye. The setting is cosy, the prices affordable, the staff knowledgeable (if a little harried) and, judging by the rapid turnover of customers, it’s a bona fide crowd-pleaser.

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