Humble entry belies delights within

When I worked in Britain, I had a boss who liked to take his staff out to lunch - on a regular basis and on the company card.

Lunch often meant Chinese and Chinese often meant duck. It's not a meat I have sampled greatly since, so it was good to find peking duck on the menu during a recent visit to Lin's.

Lin's occupies a first-floor corner site, with its entrance in Kilmore St opposite the Crown Plaza. Our waiter confirmed it once used to be the Shangri La, and I fancy there may have been other incarnations as well. The downstairs entrance is functional - a sign, a fish tank and a stairway - but reveals little of what is above and offers no window menu for browsers.

The upstairs is much more appealing, with a large, spacious refurbished premises which proved surprisingly full of diners for an early mid-week evening. Maybe they don't need that outside menu, after all.

The Wild South Sauvignon Blanc ($7.50 by glass, $32 by bottle) proved a refreshing aperitif as we sorted out orders from an extensive menu. The wine and beverages list offered a similarly pleasing choice. Designated drivers should be happy to find a Mac's Light there at only 1 per cent abv (alcohol by volume).

The salt-and-pepper fish had been highly recommended, but, unfortunately, was not available on the night, so an order of crispy chicken came on as substitute. It was accompanied by sizzling hot-plate satay beef and a couple of bowls of fried noodles and trimmings.

The chicken, suitably chunky and tasty, was garnished simply with a number of multi-coloured prawn crackers, making it a choice for those who prefer a vegetable-free option.

The thinly sliced beef, by contrast, was served in a spicy peanut sauce and included broccoli, carrots, bok choy and cauliflower in the mix.

Both dishes were allegedly "small" size, but proved more than sufficient for our table.

That was possibly because we also had my duck to tackle. This was served in different fashion to the "crispy, aromatic" variety that used to be order of the day in Britain. There was a certain ritual to the dish there, with the head waiter bringing the cooked duck to the table and shredding it in front of diners with much flashy panache. I also seem to recall the skin being devoured first with assorted dipping sauces.

Here, however, our peking duck was less dry and came delivered on a plate, already carved into slices. Otherwise, the approach was similar - the dishes of accompanying spring onions and bean sprouts, the sweet bean-style sauce for spreading and the bamboo basket of steamed paper-thin pancakes for wrapping.

Spread your pancake, fill generously and consume. Never the cheapest dish on the menu, but always a fine blend of tastes and textures, whichever version you prefer.

Desserts were offered in the form of egg tart, coconut jelly, honey sponge or lychee icecream, but we had done too well already.

Word is that Lin's is a popular venue for lunchtime yum char from the trolley. I promised we would come back another week for that one. It's what my old boss would have done.

Where: Lin's Restaurant & Bar, corner Kilmore and Durham streets, phone 377 7087.

When: Seven days, 11pm to 2.30pm, 5pm until late. Price guide: Starters from $5, mains $10 to $98 (abalone), desserts $5.

Wine: Licensed bar - beer, wines, spirits, cocktails.

Upside: The upstairs. Downside: The downstairs.

- © Fairfax NZ News