A visit to The Oriental reminded me of my friend Harry's favourite saying. Whenever we go out for a meal, he'll glance at the myriad of dishes on the menu and say "where there is choice there is misery". Knowing Harry it's probably a quote from Vic Reeves or Harry Hill... Well at The Oriental the choice is mindboggling, but not misery-making. Quite the opposite. With its menu now boasting a fresh influx of great dishes - with a swathe of new Malaysian options - you are spoilt for choice, but in a nice way. Newcomers to pan-Asian cuisine are given a very helpful beginner's guide in the menu, with a rundown of some of the terms and descriptions such as Kari (Malaysian style curry) and Balcan (dried shrimp paste) - though the ever friendly staff will always explain anything else. Like its sister restaurant Thai Edge, there's also a chilli-ometer next to the dishes to indicate if it's moderately spicy (one chilli) or spicy (two). Despite all this help, we still sat there slightly glazed eyed wondering where to start. The set menu banquets were a tempting way to avoid having to make more than one decision, but eventually we settled on the Malaysian platter amongst the sharing starters (£7.50 per person) as a great way of trying a bit of everything. After nibbling on a few yummy prawn crackers and seeing the size of the starter, I wondered whether we'd manage the main courses. The beautifully decorated plate held tangy chicken wings, the tenderest Peking spare ribs (potentially messy but my favourite), satay beef skewers, prawn rolls and refreshing sweet mango salad spring rolls - unusual but a nice accompaniment against the richness of some of the other nibbles. The main courses are helpfully divided according to meat types (chicken, duck, beef, lamb etc) and specialities - where we found ourselves drawn. Nadia loved the sound of the Mango Ayam (strips of chicken with mango, £8.95), whilst ever a sucker for the out of the ordinary, I ordered the Oriental Special - king prawns cooked in fresh coconut milk with chillies, cream, lemongrass and curry leaf, served in a coconut shell (£11.95). We both also decided on egg fried rice, with some Assam Ikan (fish in tamarind, yellow ginger, lemongrass, okra, pineapple and tomato, £9.95) to share. Again, presentation was stunning - as were portion sizes. The chicken and fish both arrived in a light batter, attractively garnished and huge - two breasts of chicken and a large piece of fish; we would struggle to finish all of this. Then came the pièce de resistance (sorry, I don't know the Malaysian equivalent) - the shaved coconut shell bowl that held my prawn special. It smelled deliciously sweet and fragrant (lemongrass has a wonderful aroma), whilst every spoonful brought countless thick meaty prawns from the pinkish sauce. Not just the token three or four prawns you get at some places. The mango chicken was tangy, tender and sublime, whilst the fish packed a fair kick but was a great contrast to the other dishes. Its tomato and okra sauce was tongue-tinglingly fabulous. We took our time with this feast, whilst enjoying a couple of beers, a bottle of water and the views across the canal. Eventually we conceded defeat - the waitress doubling as a mind reader and suggested we take the remainder home boxed up. A great idea. Since its arrival in Birmingham, The Oriental has already become one of my top three favourite restaurants with its service, relaxed atmosphere and stunning cooking. It's no fluke it was recently named in The Times' list of the country's Top 10 pan-Asian restaurants. Book a table now. The Oriental Bar Restaurant 128-130 Wharfside Street,The Mailbox Birmingham 0121 633 9988 www.theoriental.uk.com
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