Jade Restaurant

If anybody told me that some of the best Cantonese cooking in the south of England, which I am mad about, was to be found in dear respectable, church-going Salisbury, I would have tended to raise the quizzical eyebrow. This, of course, is pure prejudice for which I should be arrested by the thought police. The next thing to note is that you should not pay too much heed to - how can I put it - the housekeeping side. It's what's on the plate that matters, the floor and the décor can take care of itself. Jo Yeung and his wife seem to have run Jade for ever, always with the same unalloyed success, and those who think beyond the end of next week must worry about what will eventually happen . . . . . . well let's leave it.

Two of the secrets of their success are so obvious that one wonders why restaurateurs ever do otherwise. Freshness of ingredients, coupled with simplicity of cooking - that's it! Since many of their dishes rely upon the sea for their origin, both are vital for success. Most of the Cantonese favourites are on parade, some with a slight twist applied with confidence against a background of the plaudits of thousands of happy customers leaving with satisfied smiles on their faces. No wonder the return rate is as high as the spire of the nearby Cathedral.