Zheng He's

This is one of my favourite restaurants in the world! The food is stupendous, the setting is traditional and authentic, the staff polite, helpful and they chatter in Chinese!

The cuisine is described as New Chinese - it has modern elements, and Western Influences.

One of the main reasons I like it so much is that Jiaozi is on the menu. Jiaozi are little Chinese dumpling stuffed with minced pork and spring onion/ scallions. My homestay Granny in China made them, and this is the only other place I've got them!

The menu is quite varied - you can have typical fare like Sweet and Sour Chicken in a cripy noodle nest, or shredded pork belly. There are lots of noodle and rice dishes, and the Peiking Duck is fantastic too.

It is expensive, especially for Chinese food. But you're paying for the surroundings, the chef's expertise and probably all the antiques dotted around the interior! You can also eat outside in the early spring and autumn, but it can still be very hot in September - we sat out in October and the humidity wasn't too bad, it was comfortable. Sitting outside is lovely, you get either an amazing different from usual view of the Burj Al Arab or a view down the waterways in the hotel of the traditional cooling towers decorating the complex.

Basically, it's a fabulous Chinese restaurant, the wine is quite pricey, and it's Voss bottled water you get unless you ask for Evian or the house stuff so beware!