Next time, we’ll try a new dish

When it comes to Chinese I tend to stick to what I know.

With a few bad experiences under my belt I know which old faithfuls I can rely on to bring tasty, hot food to my door.

But with a spirit of adventure, no doubt brought on by my third glass of wine, we took a look at the pile of menus to have come flurrying through our letterbox this week.

The Hong Kong House, in Preston Road, Leyland caught our eye, promising “quality restaurant dishes at takeaway prices.”

Sounds good.

With almost 250 dishes to choose from and a choice of four set meals we were spoilt for choice.

Staying firmly in my comfort zone I opted for sweet and sour battered chicken balls, while my husband went for the marginally more daring chicken with szechuan hot bean sauce.

We shared a portion of boiled rice and a portion of mini vegetable spring rolls.

The order took just short of an hour to arrive, which is about standard for Friday teatime in our area.

As we plated up our dishes things were looking hopeful.

The battered chicken balls were plentiful – far more than I could manage, and the food was piping hot.

My sweet and sour sauce was tangy with a subtle sweetness and perfectly smooth.

I would have preferred some chunks of pineapple and vegetatables but that is a matter of taste.

The mini spring rolls resembled cocktail cigars and were delicious. They had ample filing which made a pleasant contrast in texture to the crispy filo pastry wrappings.

Three bites into his schezuan chicken my husband was already contemplating his next order from Hong Kong House.

We both agreed that we had struck lucky with this choice and couldn’t fault the food we had ordered.

The whole order came to £13.80 – slightly cheaper than our usual Chinese, which seemed good value for money.

With our bellies bursting at the seams we filed the menu back under ‘ones to try again’ and stretched out.

Who knows? Next time I might even try a new dish.

Rachel Smith