AUTHENTICITY isn't the same as good. It's crass to assume that because a restaurant is packed with people from the country that its cuisine represents, it's going to be high quality. So I promise my impression of the newly-opened Jacky's Kitchen wasn't based simply on the fact that my family and I were the only Western faces among the scores of Chinese crowded inside on the midweek evening we ate there. Nor particularly by food that was a whole lot different from the usual fare at Chinese restaurants, though the novelty did increase our pleasure in the way that any discovery quickens the heartbeat a little. But what won us over was threefold. Service was disarmingly helpful and friendly. The food wonderful. And prices were low. I usually reserve five-star ratings for top-notch places that serve top-notch food at the sort of top-notch prices that cause panic attacks. But this joint - where I paid less than £60 for a huge meal for four, a decent bottle of plonk, a couple of pints of lager plus soft drinks - deserves the accolade for combining quality and value. My wife, sons and I were the first Brits to eat from the a la carte menu, turning down an option to eat from the more familiar buffet selection (it's not a buffet at all... confusingly, the dishes are freshly cooked and brought to table). The waitress guided us patiently through a list of dishes based on North Chinese rather than Cantonese cuisine. So goodbye to those gloopy sauces so heavily laced with MSG that afterwards you could sup the contents of Gazza's drinks cabinet and still be thirsty - this was uncomplicated, well balanced food based on good quality ingredients treated with respect and understanding. Simply boiled fresh soya beans, vividly green and enlivened with a little star anise, came first and were great finger food. A bowl of sauteed prawns, plump and fresh, were also simply prepared. The bowl of small chunks of chicken was a different matter - highly spiced with chilli whose whack was only slightly lessened by sesame. Next to arrive was a bowl of lamb skewers. The sweet meat had a good barbecue edge and a herby flavour I couldn't quite fathom. Forget the sticky spare ribs that are served at Cantonese gaffs - the ones we ate here were stumpy, meltingly tender things stewed in a dark, rich gravy laden with onions. The waitress also brought us a dish that didn't appear on the menu - chicken and peanuts given a zingy dimension by lemongrass and ginger. Appetites were by now waning, but we managed to sample some excellent soft, steamed dump-lings stuffed with vegetables, shrimp and egg and to tuck into a bowl of rice. Desserts were not ordered, but the bowl of fresh fruit that was brought to our table was a refreshing end to a meal that was as interesting as it was enjoyable. Liked the funky decor, too. How much? £56 for four. Vegetarians? Choices. Child friendly? Very. Disabled access? Fine. Parking? On-street. Go back? Can't wait. Where? Unit 4, Southside, Bromsgrove Street, Birmingham. | 
