What do you think is the best way to choose among the many restaurants in Chinatown? I think few would disagree with my saying that the easiest way to gauge the quality of a Chinese restaurant is to observe whether the Chinese eat there.

The next time you are in Chinatown, do drop by outside the 'Young Cheng Restaurant' for a quick observation. There are always queues outside this restaurant during peak hours, and the ones in the queues are amazingly, more often than not, all Chinese! As the menu price here is moderate and there are quite a number of cheaper restaurants nearby, clearly taste rather than budget is the reason behind the queues.

A friend brought us to this restaurant one day and I must say that it is in my opinion, easily the best restaurant I have tried in Chinatown. The roast duck is sensational and it certainly makes many of the other restaurants pale in comparison. For those of you rushing for time, there are set meals at around £5. Unlike many other restaurants, a wide range of selection is on offer if you do choose to have a set meal.

There is also a group meal for 3 or more - you each pay a fixed price of £6.80 and get to choose one dish each, to share with rice. We tried the Roast Duck, a 'Tofu dish' and some Fried Pork Ribs. They were delicious and came in quite large portions.

A big thumbs up!

If you are interested, the restaurant is located at:

76 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1V 7DG
Tel: 0171 4370237

I am not sure they accept reservation, but do give it a try as the restaurant is always full. Alternatively, you could try arriving at non-peak hours.