HAVING fought our way through the sales at the Trafford Centre one night we decided we deserved a rest, a nice meal and a drink before making our way back home.

Weighed down with shopping bags, it was 9pm by the time we presented ourselves, slightly frazzled, to the hostess at her station between the cocktail bar and restaurant.

There was no room at the inn, though, so we were ushered into the bar to wait for about 10 minutes. There are all sorts of all-singing, all-dancing cocktails on the menu which are mixed by showy bartenders doing acrobatics with bottles - and strangely, they don't serve pints of beer, just halves, at £1.40, or bottles.

Thankfully, we were then told our table was ready.

Nobody had asked us if we wanted a smoking or no-smoking table, so we felt a bit annoyed to discover we were actually seated in the wrong section.

Still, we were so hungry we didn't care anymore. Just bring on the food!

As is often the case with Chinese restaurants, the menu was vast. With no fewer than 155 dishes on the list, making a choice wasn't easy.

I liked the idea of steamed dim sum and opted for the beef dumplings with ginger and spring onion, priced £2.20. Mr Eating Out's choice was minced chicken and sweetcorn soup (£2.80).

For some reason, the sweetcorn soup was served several minutes before the dumplings - as warned by the waitress.

When my starter did arrive, though, I forgot about that minor grievance. There were three succulent pastry balls filled with minced beef and topped with fresh ginger and spring onion, all brought to the table in a mini bamboo steamer. Very appetising!

THE soup, meanwhile, was thick, tasty and there was lots of it, according to Mr Eating Out.

With the starters finished, we finally took the time to look around the restaurant. There were lots of tables with red tablecloths, and a very mixed clientele - from a couple drinking Champagne to a family with five children.

Thanks to the noise of the open kitchen at one end, our eating out experience was a lot more "private" than if the place had been quiet, but it can get a bit much.

On one of the walls, there's evidence of "Wok TV" - a big screen showing the diners what's cooking in the kitchen.

It was created by master chef Wing Shing Chu as a "new concept in Chinese cuisine".

The blurb on the menu also pipes up that Cathay Dim Sum aims to "combine classical Chinese cuisine with a modern twist".

Not being a Chinese cuisine connoisseur, I can't tell you if this is right. But what I can say is that our main courses were absolutely delicious.

There are chicken, beef, pork, roasted duck, lamb, king prawn, seafood and "sizzling" dishes on the cards, as well as an extensive vegetarian menu, and set menus ranging from £13.50 to £21.50 per head.

The regular dishes are priced between £7.30 for sweet and sour chicken or beef/lamb with green pepper in black bean sauce up to £9.30 for quick fried kings prawns, scallops and squid.

THESE prices don't include noodles or rice, which, ordered as a side dish, are priced between £1.50 and £2.90.

A word of advice, though - order one of these between two people, because there's plenty on offer.

We had chicken with green pepper in black bean sauce (£7.30) and King Prawns in Kung Po style (£8.30) with soft noodles and beansprouts (£2.90).

We both loved our choices - the food was fresh, looked nice and was extremely tasty. We couldn't have had better.

For a quick, informal and tasty bite to eat, Cathay Dim Sum is an excellent choice. The service was okay and quite fast. Disabled access seems good, as there are no steps or stairs to negotiate.

There's no children's menu, but the restaurant will happily provide children's portions, and kids should "blend in" quite well among the hustle and bustle of Wok TV, the noise of the kitchen and staff rushing around. IRMA HEGER

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