DOWNTURN, credit crunch, recession ... it’s time to tighten those belts.
But one sure way of cheering yourself up is always to head off for some good food, good company and a night out.
So, how do you balance the need to give yourself a break with the importance of not splurging the cash – especially with the Christmas credit card bill on the way?
That’s where Jimmy Chung’s comes in.
There’s something appealing about a place where you can eat all you can at a price that won’t punish your wallet – £9.90 for dinner through the week, £11.90 from Friday to Sunday.
Okay, so no one is expecting fine dining out of a steam tray, but the foodie snobs needn’t turn their noses up. The dishes on offer are fresh, tasty and plentiful.
And, given the dozen starters, a dozen main courses and rice, noodles and prawn crackers on offer, if there’s something you don’t like there’s plenty of other choices.
The Edwardian Hotel offers an elegant setting for the West End outpost of the Jimmy Chung empire, with friendly staff offering a warm welcome.
Now, there’s an art to buffet eating. Don’t stuff your face with the starters being rule number one.
That said, I couldn’t resist the tender, salty and spicy chilli squid, or the meaty richness of the peppercorn spare ribs.
Even the Indian interloper of beef samosas went down a treat – Chinese five-spice tang and all.
Meanwhile, the aromatic crispy duck had my beloved saying “mmm” – but wishing she hadn’t slathered on as much of the rather overpowering plum sauce.
There were almost too many mains to choose from, and there seemed to be an overabundance of black bean dishes – king prawn, mussels and chicken.
The seafood versions were delightful though, especially the plump, on-the-shell mussels.
Other star attractions included honey chilli chicken that steered the right course between sweet and spicy.
The sweet and sour pork, however, came across as overly sweet and a tad too gloopy for my tastes.
Believe it or not, we still had room for desserts. Told you we were old hands at pacing ourselves.
My beloved was gleeful to discover a retro Black Forest gateaux.
Meanwhile, I ventured out with a mango pudding – a sort of brulee crossed with panacotta. It was a fine end to the night.
Tighten our belts? Yes, on the cash front. But we were loosening them on our breeks after that feed.