Rating **** Russell Roberts finds a restaurant that lives up to his high standards for Chinese food.

Having lived in Shrewsbury all of my life and being a big fan of Oriental food it’s perhaps surprising that I have never paid a visit to The China Rose.

When attending Shrewsbury Sixth Form College I would walk past it every day but never gave a second thought about going in for a meal – even with the hard-to-miss Chinese decorations adorning the top of the building.

A while ago a friend had told me he had enjoyed a good meal there and I had been meaning to sample it for myself.

So after a hard day at work my partner Alison and I decided it was about time we tried it out.

I’ll confess now that The China Rose restaurant had a lot to live up to. Our personal favourite Chinese in this area is Zenna in Pontesbury and I was expecting high standards.

Entering the restaurant we walked up the stairs and it immediately felt like we had passed into a downtown restaurant in a foreign land.

The atmosphere of the place seemed very authentic with a fish tank at the top of the stairs leading to a spacious open-plan restaurant with oriental balloons and Cantonese paintings and wallpaper.

It was very dark inside but it didn’t seem to matter and in fact if anything it made it feel like a more relaxing dining experience.

Like a lot of couples at the moment we aren’t exactly brimming with cash so when we saw the set menu at £16.50 per head we decided we should go for it.

Before making our choice we were greeted by a friendly waitress who placed down a basket of prawn crackers.

They were crunchy and fresh and a nice snack to enjoy while sipping at a glass of Mateus.

The starter for the set meal was chicken and sweetcorn soup. It arrived relatively quickly and was hot and very tasty. It was a thick soup that was well prepared and tasted fresh rather than out of a can. Despite my love of Chinese food I’m not usually a big fan of this soup but this offering was a pleasant surprise.

The China Rose, Shrewsbury

The soup had whetted the appetite perfectly and we were glad to see a large mixed hot platter which comprised capital spare ribs, prawn toasts with sesame seeds and crispy pancake rolls.

Again they were all hot and tasted as though they had been freshly cooked. I was even surprised to see Alison tucking into the ribs which she is not usually partial to.

The plate was large enough for two of us but not so big that we couldn’t manage anything else. I particularly liked the ribs and the sauce on them wasn’t spicy but still tasted great.

As with any sticky food like this you need a finger bowl, and this was brought out as standard.

Once we had finished our mixed hors d’oeuvres I was happy to hear our obliging waitress ask if we wanted a moment before moving on to the main course.

We opted for a short break but I was impressed to see how efficient they were with the cooking.

The main course selections all arrived together and were presented on hot plates to keep them warm.

This section of the meal included a delightful special fried rice, fried sliced duck with vegetables, sweet and sour chicken and fried beef with chilli and black bean sauce.

The meat dishes were cooked well and the rice was among the best I have tasted with small pieces of meat and vegetables and expertly seasoned.

For dessert we ordered fresh fruit as part of our set menu. Although we were very full from the meal we still looked forward to an enjoyable pudding to send us on our way.

But unfortunately our hopes were slightly dashed as all that turned up was an orange sliced up. Don’t get me wrong I’m not expecting Eton Mess or profiteroles but a few scoops of ice cream or a fruit salad would have done the job a lot better.

The only other criticisms I could make of the restaurant was the fact that I had asked for a jug of water to go with our meal when I ordered the wine. The wine arrived in quick-time but we had to ask again for the water before it turned up on our table.

Overall we were very impressed with The China Rose and will certainly be visiting again.

For the money the food was excellent and I think the restaurant offers great value for money in times when more and more people don’t want to spend the earth on an evening out.

The toilet facilities are also very good and the restaurant has an extensive wine list.

ADDRESS
The China Rose, 5-6 First Floor, St Austin Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1SA
Tel: (01743) 236 599

MENU SAMPLE
Roast Pork Peking Style (£7.90); King Prawn in Kung Po Style (£9.50);  Shredded Chicken with Beansprouts and Noodles (£9); Fried Crab with Ginger and Spring Onions (seasonal price)

ATMOSPHERE
Relaxed and traditional

SERVICE
Efficient and friendly

DISABLED FACILITIES
No disabled access