Met Su Yan

The Chinese-sounding name actually means 'excellent' in Hebrew. It certainly applies to Met Su Yan's service, the stylish crockery and to the most calming and elegant decor in bustling Golders Green. There are two food styles: Chinese and Japanese. The sushi menu is written with explanations, suggesting it's for kosher diners with little experience of sashimi or nigiri. The wide choice includes vegetarian maki. It looked good, but we opted for the Chinese set meal (half price at lunchtime). Starters are a strong point: imperial hors d'oeuvres was a crisp selection of spring rolls (a bit sparse on filling), seaweed and sesame chicken toasts. Spicy peanut and dipping sauces added flavour to skewers of chicken satay and barbecued lamb ribs. Main courses were less successful. Instead of choosing duck breast with fresh mango slices or 'crying tiger' (ribeye steak with Thai sauce), we ordered stir-fried chicken with chinese veg, and sizzling lamb in black bean sauce (which arrived with an appetising crackle). Rice and noodles were fine, but like the meats, unexceptional. A fresh fruit salad could have been juicier, but the sesame-topped toffee banana was a wow: bitingly hot and crisp. What's the Chinese/Hebrew for variable?