Oriental Idyll, Westcliffe-On-Sea

It takes a lot to truly impress me when it comes to Chinese restaurants. Having lived in Hong Kong for almost two years, and making regular beelines for Chinese restaurants here whenever I have the opportunity, I can be fairly blase, if not outright critical. So the unprepossessing facade of the "Oriental Idyll" near Southend didn't exactly make my heart leap. I glumly assumed that the promises of an £8.50 buffet on neon-coloured paper would be matched by sticky tablecloths, inedible food, and several lifetimes' worth of grease. No wonder, I thought, that were were the only fools to be ...