CONFUCIUS - In Duck We Trust

On yet another sunny day in July, this time round we avoided the lunch rush hour and opted for a relaxing dinner out in the evening, when the town leaves their workplace to rest their head and limbs in the shade of the setting sun and in the refreshing cloak of a summer drink. After a few drinks in a recently reviewed location, we finally headed southbound of the Broadway, at the edge of our culinary world and probably one of the furthest joint we'll ever review.

Confucius is a Chinese restaurant almost opposite the Polka Theatre. Its plain white facade with black, stylised font and slightly smoked windows makes it hard to spot in one of the less trafficked parts of the Broadway. Our group approached the restaurant after a long straight walk in the sun from Wimbledon station, and we still could not see the name or the entrance until we were a couple of feet away.

As we set foot inside, we all knew each one of us had previous personal experiences with Chinese food. It was obvious in our minds we would set expectations against what the stereotypes would usually hold to. The entrance was very peaceful and quiet, accompanied by a medium-sized aquarium with huge fish and a small wood-and-stone mill along the wide glass facade looking onto the main street. The restaurant space was one large room whose pattern was only broken by structural pillars and low dividers splitting it into sections. Using only the natural light from the large glass facade, the restaurant gradually fell in a dim light feebly sustained by electric candles.

The staff was very polite and calm, readily available to seat us, although the place was not as busy for a Thursday evening. All tables were large round tables with the occasion 2-seat tables. Inside decor was pleasant although not original or outstanding. We all concurred the restaurant was ideal for group dinners rather than close-up romantic dates, especially if Chinese food is your favourite dinner date.

Menu had a wide choice based around the key combinations of Chinese food: beef, pork, duck, chicken, prawns and also various fish fillets in the Chef's Specials. Our orders tried to be as assorted as possible, allowing to share and pick different dishes and flavours as they were served on a small rotating table in front of us. Delivery of both starters and mains was quick although not delivered exactly at the same time. The downsize for such speedy service was that all the dishes were tepid or slightly warm when served rather than hot. We felt some of the flavours were either lost or affected by this.

All in all our taste buds did not suffer and, although we had mixed reviews on some of the dishes, we did identify some good ones. Saltiness of the food was not in excess as you would expect in other Chinese restaurants in the capital except for the sizzling beef or the ribs. Where salt content was not overdone, sweet or acid sometimes took over making the flavour unbalanced. Such was the case of the lemon duck fillet and the sweet and sours. The food overall felt slighly greasy, including the rice where it felt buttery and not as light and fluffy as you'd expect rice to be. In the end, the winning dish of the evening was the roast duck. It tasted good in your mouth, well seasoned at the right point, and all of us had nothing to object.

As we sipped some strong rice wine liqueur with 52% alcohol , which the Chinese waitress was not able to explain how it was made, we reflected on our fourth Wimbledon Eatery event. If you are out on the town with a group of friends, it is a good place to pop in and enjoy a meal together on a nice round table. It may be just above average but you can make it worthwhile.

Our verdict is as follows:

Quality of Food        3.17
Hygiene                     3.83
Value for Money      3.17
Speed of Service       4.50
Quality of Service    4.00
Ambience & décor   3.50

Confucius gets an overall rating of 72.4%