I COULDN’T remember the name of the Chinese takeaway in Devizes Road, so I took a stroll around there, and I was glad I had.

Not only did I discover that it served all kinds of Oriental dishes – not just Chinese – but also that it was beautifully decorated with golden statues, lacquered screens and large floral displays. I don’t know if you can tell the state of an establishment’s kitchens by the look of its front of house but the signs were good.

And we weren’t disappointed by the food either.

For starters we had a hot mixed appetiser which seemed like a good deal at £3.60 per person as it included two prawn toasts, two spring rolls, a couple of spare ribs, a chicken satay and a small tub of crispy seaweed. My daughter thought the spring rolls were a little on the oily side but praised the rest; and, conversely, my son said his chicken chow mein was very good and less greasy than most he’d had and as a creature of habit, that’s quite a few!

I started with hot and sour soup (£2.40) which was full of meat, veg and prawns and packed a satisfying spicy punch.

We also shared salt and chilli squid (£4.20) – thin strips deep fried in a batter with onion peppers and chilli – which we agreed was tough but tasty enough to keep us munching on.

Main courses were a success too: Chicken sweet and sour Hong Kong style (£4.60) came with a light batter, deep fried crispy shredded chilli beef was very sweet but none the worse for that and the spicy phad Thai chicken of flat noodles stirfried with beansprouts and ground peanuts is something I’ll be ordering again.

I won’t be forgetting Welcome Express’s name again.