Rice Box reminds me of a time when I was much younger and had less money, but strangely ate out more. Back then it was unfailingly quick, delicious and filling, and I'm delighted that this is still all very much the case.

To liven up our Friday we went hunting for some lunch. The menu is long, in fact there are several parts to the menu with a new Bento section, and Thai dishes. So it's lucky there's a copy outside. We hopped up and down in the cold debating the merits of various dishes. It would have been much warmer to read the menu at the counter, but this way we felt more decisive. I chose Lamb with Ginger and Spring Onions with Special Fried Rice. My partner in crime passed over the Intestines Bento Box in favour of Duck.

His box consisted of roast duck with plum sauce and pineapple, a sizeable portion of plain rice, 3 mini veg spring rolls, and the "inspired" addition of chips which were particularly good dipped in the sauce, apparently.

My lamb was steeped in a rich, dark sauce, with pieces of ginger disguised as bamboo shoots which gave it a real zing. The rice was definitely special enough to eat on its own, with a savoury richness and a whole host of little nibbly additions - lamb, pork, prawns, peas, omelette - but not too powerful to accompany another dish. The foil containers of old have been replaced with a more generic tupperware, but it does lead to less sauce spillage.

The restaurant itself is warm, airy and light, with long benches and canteen-style tables. The service is just as quick and friendly as it used to be. It felt like a real sanctuary, with people taking time out to eat lunch peacefully. And we got free prawn crackers. It's not haute cuisine for a special supper, though you could definitely have a friendly feast here. Our lunches came to £21 and we were very full and happy afterwards.