Li Ka Fo

If you’re lost and starving in Chinatown of a lunchtime, choosing from among the serried ranks of neon signs offering Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai or all three at the same time can feel like a minefield. No longer – head to Li Ka Fo.

A few ducks hang in the window to attract the hordes, and there’s a warm welcome when you go inside and find your way to a table between Chinese families eating their way through gargantuan plates of food. It’s all very reassuring. The menu, with its dozens of dishes, begins with the more leftfield chef’s specials: pork intestines sautéed with cabbage, duck’s tongues with ginger, stew of pig’s feet and scallops. We were less adventurous, starting with lovely steamed pork buns, then crunchy sautéed noodles with caramelised pork and a thick sauce spiked with garlic, and caramelised pork with sweet and sour sauce and simple white rice. Everything was delicious, full of flavour but not too greasy and served in huge portions (what you don’t finish you can get packaged up to take away).