a driveway, and is set in superb landscaped gardens with sweeping lawns and tall pine trees. As you might expect from an old rectory, there is a paved terrace at the back, truly inviting for outside drinks in good weather, and a quiet place to enjoy the lovely gardens.

The Royal Palace offers many of the popular and well known Chinese dishes but perhaps the easiest and best value option is one of the eight set-menu arrangements, which provide five generous courses.

After sweet corn soup, we were brought a dish of five different hors d'oeuvres and by the time we had finished these we were already wondering how we would reach the end of the meal. As a main course the beef in black-bean sauce was tender, as were the king prawns with ginger, and they came with a dish of fresh and succulent Chinese vegetables, and special rice. Portions were generous throughout the meal, making leisurely dining fairly essential.

Though catering for Western tastes, this is Chinese food in a setting that's a couple of notches up from the most high street restaurants. The décor is elegant and tasteful, with fresh flower-heads used to decorate some of the serving dishes as well as the little glass finger bowls. Comfy leather chairs in the calm lounge look back to the building's Victorian hey-day, and provide a good place to wait for fellow-diners or have an after-dinner drink. The Royal Palace's service was timely and impeccably polite and we had no reservations about the optional service charge added to the bill - it was well-deserved.