I have had a fondness for Chinese food ever since wee Ronald took me for a slap up meal on my first ever date.  We were both convinced the waiter was a spy when he came out with exactly what we wanted without asking for our order first. After peering into the flower arrangement and candle on the table to check if we were being bugged, it dawned on us that we’d just been served from the afternoon set menu. Cue much throat-clearing and face fanning, ‘Whew, is it hot in here?’

A few years after that memorable meal I moved to Hong Kong and stayed there for 15 years. I loved going into the cavernous dim sum restaurants where scary old women pushed carts of dumplings around bellowing at the customers and chucking baskets of steamed goodies on the table. The customers bellowed at each other too and if you didn’t know better, you would’ve thought that full scale bloodshed was imminent at any moment.

At the other end of the scale there were beautiful colonial style restaurants, all teak wood and softly whirling fans. The waiters and waitresses were without fail, graceful, beautiful and softly spoken. They had a way of melting into the discrete wood panelling only to materialise at your elbow before you even knew you were ready to order. Food in this type of establishment was always beautifully presented whether it was simple dumplings or an elaborately presented festive suckling pig.

I’ve yet to find any restaurant outside of Asia that has successfully recreated the happy bedlam of an authentic dim sum restaurant but I have found a wonderful Chinese restaurant that fits into the ‘colonial’ style very nicely. I’ve been in Tenerife for nearly ten years now (where does the time go?) and I have had my share of mediocre styrofoam noodles and cheap and cheerful Chinese buffets here – not that as a mum of two kids there isn’t a place for cheap and cheerful buffets – but oh, what a relief when a friend took me out to the wonderful Overseas Oriental Kitchen.

It was like being transported back in time to my days in Hong Kong before the handover. Walking inside you might at first do a double take. What? No red flock, no gold dragons? The Overseas Oriental bears no resemblance whatsoever to your typical Tenerife touristy Chinese restaurant. But then your typical touristy Chinese restaurant bears little resemblance to any restaurant I actually ate in in Hong Kong.

On the other hand the cool elegance of the Oriental Overseas Kitchen reminded me very much of many a long leisurely meal enjoyed with friends in Hong Kong and pre-1997 China. The Chinese menu is enhanced with several Malaysian dishes inspired by owner Tommy’s Malaysian upbringing and all are cooked fresh in full view through the large glass window to the kitchen.

I don’t know about you, but I mentally gloss over advertisements that say anything is ,’…the best’. How does the writer know? If he was to say that any restaurant was the best in Los Cristianos how does he know? Has he eaten in every single one of them? Has he done an extensive poll? The best what anyway? Best food, best location, best toilets?

So all I can tell you is that as far as Chinese restaurants go, Overseas Oriental is the best I have visited in Tenerife – and quite possibly the best I have been in since leaving Hong Kong. I highly recommend it. If you want to pay a visit you can find a map and a €5 token on the Oversea Oriental Kitchen webpage on eTenerife.

Please feel free to comment back and thank me for the recommendation. I know you’ll have a lovely night.

With my daughter staying overnight with a friend and the little guy tucked away at Gaga’s for the night, my lesser half and I were free from the little people on a Saturday night. Yipeee!

I can still remember when the vague whiff of freedom would have me galloping off to the nearest dancefloor but instead we opted for a sedate walk round Costa Del Silencio. The first place we meant to visit was shut and the second may as well have been as we were the only customers.

Just across the road at Coral Mar, El Botijo was doing very nicely. There was a good little buzz in the dining area and enough custom to keep Amanda busy in the kitchen. Manolo, from Gran Canaria sang and played guitar for the diners while Natalie and Paula kept them happily fed and watered (or wined).

Sitting in the bar area instead of the dining section we enjoyed listening to Natalie’s banter and watching Amanda cook up a storm. Guitar-playing Manolo sang his heart out for the diners and then came to the bar and sang some more. Unfortunately though I took lots of video of him and the girls, as well as of regulars Dennis, Ben-ben and Blackie, I accidentally formatted my camera card so can’t show you any of it. What a plonker!

So, my apologies to Manolo but you’ll just have to take my word for it. If you are visiting Costa Del Silencio and are looking for good food, served with a smile, and at a cost that won’t break the bank head for El Botijo in Coral Mar.

The internet is a wonderful place and what makes it so is the interlinking nature of related sites so that when researching a topic (like your next holiday in Tenerife) you are able to follow an organic path through a wealth of information about any subject under the sun.

With that in mind I have to recommend the Isle of Tenerife as a great site for anyone looking for info on the island particularly related to specific towns or pueblos. There is also an Isle of Tenerife blog which is worth checking out for its running commentary on Tenerife events and news.

The Paris Marrakech restaurant is tucked away on the ground floor of the C:C: Paris shopping centre in Playa Del Duque. It is a bit of an odd location but as soon as you are settled the wrought iron grille round the restaurant and colourful Moroccan decor wrap you in an exotic bubble and you can just relax and enjoy the great Lebanese and Moroccan food and entertainment.

The belly dancer, Ursula, was lovely – in all senses of the word. Not only did she charm all the men in the room with her seductive moves but she had me and Gaga charmed by her kindness to my daughter.

Both kids were made to feel very welcome and even though I had to practically sit on Sami to stop him demonstrating his break-dancing technique while his big sister was getting all the attention, he was thrilled with his night out especially his humongous serving of ice-cream.

Dinner and drinks for three adults and two kids came to less than €100 which was very reasonable.

A wee while ago I posted about the latest Carmen Mota spectacular, AIRAM. Since reporting on the experience had by my mum and her posse I’ve been myself and I can honestly say I loved it. Every minute. It is very emotional and exciting. Beautifully produced as all of Carmen Mota’s shows are.

If you are looking for an unforgettable night out go and take in the dinner and AIRAM show at Piramides de Arona. It’s not only romantic but its steeped in hot, fiery Latin passion. Just the ticket for a successful night out, don’t you think. It fairly kindled my fires, I can tell you!

You can book online via Isango (ignore their insipid description of the event. It does not do the show justice at all.) you can get 10% off the cost of dinner and show by using the voucher code WGN_7L6KG.

To make up for Giacomo Leopardi’s dark outlook on life, here is a link to someone who obviously finds a lot of beauty in her life here in Tenerife. In Tenerife Journal, ‘Canarybird’, recounts her visits rounds the island and illustrates the blog with her own striking photographs.

Canarybird’s Nest, is another blog by the same writer. This time the focus is on the past – the journey that brought her from Canada to Spain in the first place.