Jenko's, Ketley

Reviewer's rating: ***** It is two-and-a-half years since I first visited Jenko's and claimed it was the first restaurant where I had failed to find even the slightest fault, writes Kirsty Smallman. I don't think I have said that since.

But during that time a restaurant can easily slip in standards so I returned to Jenko's with a group of friends on a well deserved night out to see if it was still a five star dining experience. I was not disappointed.

I had booked the table for 11 people at 8pm but we arrived early to enjoy a drink in the bar area first. As soon as we had all arrived I was glad to see the owner, Norma, was still 'front of house' and welcoming her guests as if they were old friends — her diners were obviously still as important to her as when she first opened the doors.

We were shown through to the log cabin which Norma and her partner Mark Jenkins designed, imported and had built at the back of the Compasses pub three years ago. The place was full of diners, including larger parties like ourselves and a few tables for two.

Although I knew what I was doing at the Mongolian, some of the party did not so as we were given menus, Norma explained what to do. And for those readers who have never tried it — you choose from a selection of raw fruit and vegetables, followed by raw meat — including beef, lamb, chicken, and fish, including prawns, salmon and smoked haddock and then top your combination with spices and ladles of sauces.

(For those who are not too adventurous and a bit worried about what theirs would taste like there are a few recipes to follow on the wall!)

Next stop is the huge griddle where two chefs throw on your food and get to work with their wooden swords (Mongolian warrior style!) — members of our party were amazed as they turned about ten different meals individually before serving it. With the polite comments of "Enjoy your meal" at the griddle and the young South African waiter calling us "maam" — we were in our element.

At the griddle was a familiar face — it was Norma's son — who was also cooking during my last review. In fact many members of the staff were familiar and it was nice to see the owners had kept to their word when they said they only employed good staff and kept them. Indeed they did.

So we had each got our very "different" meals and after helping ourselves to noodles, pasta and rice we returned to the table. But one member of the party had enjoyed hers so much she was already up for her second visit to the griddle before I'd even seen what she had had on her plate!

Despite there being plenty of food on offer, we just couldn't resist the offer of the home-made chips and garlic bread as side orders.

Literally everyone had something different on their plates. I went for a mixture of chicken and beef with a combination of most of the vegetables — bean sprouts, peppers, mushrooms, spinach (the list goes on) topped with spices and sauces from the Chilli Khan-Do recipe — and chilli-based it was. The succulent meats and the beautiful fresh vegetables cooked in the wonderful sauces made it a dish with a good kick! I was impressed — if only I could have taken credit for the recipe!

Others enjoyed satay recipes, sweet and sour, or the more adventurous just added a bit of everything and hoped for the best — but the 11 clean plates on the table showed nobody created too much of a disaster!

My second visit included salmon and smoked haddock cooked in the green Thai curry sauce — simply delicious.

A third visit was tempting but I knew I had to leave room for the home-made dessert — I went for the home-made cheesecake with fresh strawberries.

Most of the party followed suit with various toppings including banana, toffee and walnut.

At the other end of the table I spotted the homemade chocolate brownies which looked wonderful. Apparently the home-made sweets have become so famous in Telford that Norma is considering starting a pudding night — can I book my place in the queue now?

ADDRESS

Jenko's Mongolian Barbecue, Compasses Inn, 72, Beveley Road, Ketley, Telford TF2 6SD

01952 617997

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Mongolian skewered mutton kebabs (£3.95); spinach tartlets (£3.95)

MAIN COURSES

Mongolian buffet - eat as much as you can (£14.95); Sunday roast buffet (delivery also available) - selection of meats, vegetables and home made gravy. (Eat as much as you can - £10.95)

DESSERTS

Home-made cheese cakes; gourmet ice-cream; luxury liqueur and ice-cream combination; rhubarb crumble; pavlova; sticky toffee pudding (£4.95 - £5.50)

ATMOSPHERE

Extremely friendly, warm and inviting - in fact you don't want to leave.

SERVICE

A professional and friendly team of young staff

DISABLED FACILITIES

Access from car park and separate disabled toilet