In my constant pursuit to find the perfect Chinese restaurants to fit my tastes (I am very particular about the kind of Chinese I like), I went for a lunch time date with my partner at Jin Jin. Neatly nestled amongst the fellow eateries of Cowley Road (and there really is a terrific range of culinary options in this part of town), Jin Jin offers speedy, efficiently produced food with terrifically large portion sizes for the mains.

For starters we chose the House Special Mixed Starter, which felt the perfect way to have a taste of what the restaurant had to offer, plus a side of prawn toast (a particular favourite for my partner). The starter consisted of king prawn tempura, mini spring rolls, chicken wings, curry samosas and satay chicken skewers. There was a nice diversity to this starter, with the stand out items being the prawn toast, which was flavoursome, and the satay skewers, a palatable dish to start with. On future visits I'd order these two items only as I could definitely have done with more of the chicken skewers.

In a diverse menu that also includes fried noodle dishes, Thai curries and omelettes, I went for the beef brisket and rice, whilst my partner went for the shredded crispy beef in chilli sauce. Our food came out promptly - maybe a little too fast, as there wasn't time to complete our starters before our mains came out. But it did mean our meals were piping hot, as well as being cooked through and presented nicely. My beef brisket had a satisfactory quantity of meat to the other components of the meal, while the accompanying sauce was rich and enticing. The shredded beef was appetizing, while the rice for each meal was tasty and cooked just right.

Jin Jin offers a swift meal, with hearty portions and some very good elements, such as the satay chicken and the prawn toast. While sometimes its own efficiency gets in the way of an enjoyable meal, for the most part this hit just the right spot for Chinese cuisine.

For two drinks, starters and mains our meal was £30.30.