Paddyfields, Hyth Bridge Street, Oxford

A stalwart of Chinese food in Oxford, Paddyfields is a fairly authentic restaurant next to the only Chinese supermarket in Oxford.  This isn't exactly true, but Jing Jing on Cowley Road has a entirely different selection of produce.

The haunt of tour busses full of Chinese visitors who cannot face local cuisine that challenges their sensitive palates, it also caters for students (all you can eat menus can't be bad) and locals who fill the restaurant on weekends.

We were one of those latter, this Sunday past, as we wanted to indulge in yum cha/dim sum, and Liaison was too much trouble to get to.

Service was perfunctory as always, which is fine if you know that's just the norm; you don't tend to go to Chinese restaurants for service. It is almost a badge of honour to serve excellent food with short, sharp, sometimes violent, service.

Paddyfields is good, and sometimes very good, but most of the time it is mediocre.  Quite aside from the service, the food is some of the most hit-and-miss we have come across.

This particular Sunday was one of the better, but far from best, days.

Har gow, that staple, were enormous, crunchy full of prawns, and this time just slightly over.  Sometimes the wrapper falls apart quicker than England in a World Cup, and this time it was just acceptable, but the filling was bland from the frozen filling and bordering on mealy from being left on the steamer for just too long.  It's a shame that the items can't be steamed for just the right duration; it makes all the difference, even if the filling is frozen rather than fresh.

Cheung fen were fine, with quite thick wrappers, and the same frozen prawns filling the dumplings.  Always better than no cheung fen, but not as good as decent cheung fen.

The siu mai were excellent, and we had double portions.  It was one of the best dishes we had this time, with bouncy and sweet chopped pork enveloped by wonton wrappers.

Fen zhao (chicken fet) were fine, but nothing to write home about.  Warm, not hot, and tasty but not excellent.  Ho hum.

I am sure you are now sick of hearing the washy washy review of what we were served.  Why did we stay if it were so mediocre, and why do we return?  

Pork buns, lotus rice, and chive dumplings all follow the previous prescription, and so does this entire post.

It's worth going to this Sunday ritual,and it's worth putting up with the lack lustre food.  It's not nearly as good as what these dishes should be, and below minimum expectations, but it is still better than no dim sum.

To sum up, we were served two dishes we did not order, which were taken away with apologies, and we weren't served three dishes we did order, which were taken off the bill with apologies.  We had to ask for water for our tea, and dishes arrived sporadically.

All of this sounds like a disaster which we should not recommend, but it is one of the few options for yum cha/dim sum in Oxford, and by no means the worst, and so we return.

Take from that what you will.  Lunch for two usually £30 or so, and for four this time just over £50.  But we are greedy; you can eat well for less.  The staff are really friendly, despite inattention, and we do appreciate that.