A FEW years ago Oxford Street used to just be known for its selection of pubs and bars but over more recent years this area of Southampton has been transformed into the eating mecca of the city.

Diners have a whole world of cuisine waiting for them with a choice of Indian, Italian, Mediterranean or even good old British. The newest contender to join the flavours of the world is Chinese with the recent opening of Charlie Chan's.

Enticed in by the tempting offer of an 'eat as much as you like' buffet for the even more tempting price of £9.50, we were shown to a cosy corner table in the newly refurbished restaurant.

The buffet choice is fairly extensive offering a selection of starters, soups, seafood, vegetarian and meat dishes. And best of all it is all freshly cooked upon order and there is no limit to the dishes you can try. Although it does state that food must be finished before ordering the next dish. I think this is a very fair point as often eyes can be bigger than bellies when it comes to this type of offer!

After a very courteous waiter had taken our drinks order, we set about dissecting the menu and chose barbeque spare ribs, house special smoked chicken and crispy seaweed to begin with. The portions were just the right size and the food was so good that we ordered the same all over again, this time with an addition of satay chicken on skewers.

Before we became too full up with the delicious starters, we agreed it was time to move on to the main course and went for a beef with green peppers in a black bean sauce, spicy duck fillet, stir fried mixed vegetables, mixed meat rice and noodles.

A special mention must be made for the duck, which was outstanding and had a real kick to it. The other dishes were all of a very high standard and left us wanting more. So we ordered more, but this time opted to try the sweet and sour chicken and sliced pork with seasonal greens. Again, these were all first class.

The real plus point of having this type of menu is that it really stretches the evening out making it the perfect opportunity for a good natter with an old friend.

Although it can be tempting to overeat as the break in between ordering and the dishes arriving allows the food to digest leaving room for more that you didn't think you wanted!

Charlie Chan's does offer a full menu of other delicious dishes including my favourite crispy aromatic duck and pancakes, which unfortunately aren't included on the buffet selection.

We left the restaurant feeling very full but agreed that the food and service had been more than excellent and extremely good value for money.

59 Oxford Street, Southampton - Reservations: 023 8023 3300.

emma green