NO-NONSENSE CHINESE OFFERS QUALITY FOOD

Yinjibar, Hull

Where: 1C Charles Street, Hull city centre.

Call: 01482 228998.

Visit : www.yinjibar.com

Open: 11am to 11pm, seven days.

Accessibility: Street level, fine for wheelchairs.

Vegetarian: Options available.

Family friendly? Yes.

Parking: Find an on-street bay nearby.

Chive dim sum: £3 Steamed parcels of chives which have a delightful unusual tang.

Octopus sushi: £4.30 Something for the adventurous. Octopus served up in sushi parcels.

Stuffed egg plants and green peppers: £7.80 One for the vegetarians. Spicy vegetable offering.

Salt and chilli king prawns: £8.80 Prawns with a kick.

I t is always reassuring when you walk into a restaurant to find it full of people from the origin country of the food you are about to scoff.

You imagine that if a trattoria is full of Italians, it must be good. If a curry house is patronised by the local Indian or Bangladeshi community, they must know something you don't.

If a Tex Mex is crammed full of cowboys ... you get the point.

So, wandering into Hull's unassuming Yinjibar, in Charles Street, on an ordinary Tuesday lunchtime, the first thing we clock is the impressive number of tables occupied with Chinese.

Have they come in the knowledge that this is the place they can get an authentic taste of home? We'll soon find out, but the initial omens are good.

Yinjibar has been part of the furniture in Charles Street for the past few years; a favourite with arty types looking for a quick bite before heading around the corner to Hull New Theatre for as long as I can remember.

If you are not a fan of the stage, you may know of Yinjibar's off-shoot takeaway in Beverley Road.

The red and gold liveried frontage is clean and smart, but once inside you get the impression that this is a no-thrills establishment; the sort of place that offers unfussy, honest Chinese and sushi dishes in not overly elaborate surroundings.

It's functional, rather than glamorous, but when you've just nipped out for a quick working lunch, you don't want too many distractions.

The tables are bare wood and, although the menus are delivered in impressive wooden books, the walls are simply adorned with posters advertising specials and deals.

We plump ourselves in the corner where I order a Chinese beer and my dining companion chooses a rather boring large bottle of water – a feeble excuse that a single beer will preclude the possibility of further work once back in the office.

The menu is actually quite impressive, packed with delights such as octopus sushi (£4.30), ama ebi sweet prawn sushi (£4.30) and shake salmon sashimi (£4.60).

There is a healthy selection of dim sum and the usual Chinese fare, such as sweet and sour dishes, ribs and Chinese curries.

We choose a mixed platter starter for two (ribs, prawn toast, spring rolls – £8) plus two sets of steamed chive and king prawn dim sum (less than £3 each), which were served in traditional woven baskets.

The chive dim sum was excellent, while the assorted platter goodies were fine, whetting the appetite for the mains, while not being over-facing.

For the main course, I chose the sweet and sour pork (£5) with steamed rice, while my companion settled for Singapore- style vermicelli – a sort of Chinese-Italian mash-up of thin noodles and chow mein- style beef, prawns and pork (£5.60) – which he reported was "most appetising" and came stacked with a decent amount of meat.

The sweet and sour pork came in a loose batter in a generous pool of sauce that awoke the tastebuds with an impressive kick of ginger. This played nicely against the doughy blandness of the rice.

In total, the bill came to £34.93, which we thought was fine. You get what you pay for and the food was quality.

To be frank, Yinjibar isn't the sort of place you would take a first date or a contact to land a business deal – there are more glamorous places in town for that.

But if you're looking for a no-nonsense, quality and authentic Chinese that offers something a little different from the others, then this could be the place for you.

Type: Chinese and sushi.

Quality of food: Unfussy, good.

Atmosphere: Fine.

Service: Good.

Value for money: Average.

Best for: Authentic Chinese.

Would you go again? Yes.