THE Lotus Leaf is a fairly cosy, friendly enough little restaurant-cum-takeaway on the main drag through Birtley, just near the fire station.

Online reviews on a well-known website suggest people have had mixed experiences here; with some becoming huge fans and others having sworn never to return.

Staff competence appears to be a bit of an issue but, having stopped in on a quiet Monday night, that criticism appears to be entirely unfair.

We were greeted by a friendly enough young waitress who took orders for drinks and managed a jug of water with two glasses, half a lager and a bottle of white wine easily enough.

My request for an ice bucket for the wine was met with something of a double take, but she managed to find one, although when she left I noticed it was empty and the wine was ‘chilling’ in a slender room temperature metal bucket.

Ten minutes later, when the waitress returned, for the food order I told her and she said she ‘might be able to get some in down the side’ as opposed to underneath, which was clearly the better option.

Despite this, she returned with a bigger ice bucket and a good amount of ice and order was restored.

Having said that, my heart was already sinking at the laminated menus and knives and forks laid out without a chopstick in sight.

To start, we ordered crispy shredded beef pancakes (£5.80) and Chinese spare ribs (£4.90) to share.

For the main I ordered the house special chow mein, which came with beef, pork chicken and prawns, but asked for it to be cooked without the seafood.

Instead, we wondered, if it was possible for the prawns to be added to my mother’s cashew nut stir fried vegetables.

Again, we were met with a pained expression and the waitress, who spoke with a local accent, said she was not sure how to explain this to the chef, as he is Chinese and his English is not great.

Within 20 minutes she was serving starters and main courses together, and it was our turn to look bewildered.

Me: “Do you always serve all of the food together?”

Her: “No, it was just that he cooked it all at the same time.”

Me: “Right. Do you think you ask him to keep the mains warm until we have finished the starters then please?”

I did feel a bit sorry for her when I went to use the somewhat grubby toilet facilities and heard her trying to communicate this to him.

It made me think about the scene in Fawlty Towers where Basil is pretending to be both himself and the chef to avoid embarrassment and is overheard by an irate Mr Hamilton.

The food was actually pretty good, and I think the waitress was trying very hard, but could do with a better knowledge of the dishes on the menu and better communication with her chef.

The pancakes was thin and delicate with more than enough to share and the beef was chewy and unusual but not unpleasant, although a bit more salad would have helped.

The spare ribs were tasty enough but there was not that much meat on them.

For me, though the highlight of the evening was my chow mein, (£9.50) which even though it was a bit cold on the outside was still very enjoyable, well cooked and tasty.

The same can be said for my mam’s stir fry, (£6.50) which came with the prawns as requested, so they did manage to get a few things right.

Visually, the owners have made an effort with the décor to give it an oriental atmosphere, but it is a little tired and would benefit from a little TLC.

People tend to do online reviews if they are overjoyed, or as sick as chips, but I have tried to be fair and balanced.

The food was generally fine, but there was room for improvement front of house.

FOOD FACTS

Lotus Leaf, 82 Durham Road, Birtley, DH3 1LU

Tel: 0191-492-3838

Open: Monday-Thursday 5pm-11.30pm, Friday and Saturday 5pm-12midnight, Sunday 5pm-11.30pm

Ratings (out of ten): Food 7 Service 6 Value 6 Surroundings 6