 The Set Meals Are Divine...! 
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Recommendation added: 10/10/2006 18:41
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +817)dewberry has been thanked 13 times for this contribution
"For my sisters hen night a few of us went for a meal at the Jade Pavilion Thai restaurant in Abingdon. After years of visiting Northampton I'd yet to find a decent Oriental restaurant so I entered Jade with non-too high hopes.
The inside is gorgeous. The entire restaurant is decorated in a very striking black and white design, it manages to look elaborate yet understated all in one go. There are lots of beautiful Chinese statues dotted throughout the restaurant, along with some wonderfully modern water and light features which add a calming atmosphere to the busy room. Plenty of plants are used to soften the otherwise overpowering monochrome décor, including some huge rubber plants which are threatening the space of one of the corner tables!
The menu is vast. There were eight of us and it took so much time deciding what to order that eventually we went for the 'Set Meal for 6' and 'Set Meal for 4' options. This turned out to be a brilliant move as each meal set we'd chosen was completely different so we got to sample no less than 13 separate dishes.
The food was, without exception, fantastic. The staff timed each set of courses to arrive at the same time so we were all eating in sync, and any extras we'd ordered arrived at the appropriate times.
The Crispy Duck pancakes were possibly the best I've ever tasted. The tissue thin pancakes were moist and perfect, which the duck was cooked and shredded to the ideal consistency. And the Hoi-Sin sauce… well, if I said I could have drunk a glass of the stuff… does that say enough?
The small meaty Spare Ribs were also amazing. They weren't slabs of fat and gristle like you'll probably get from your local take-away, I could really taste the pure seasoned meat in these ribs. The BBQ sauce they were drizzled in complimented them perfectly and had me licking my fingers afterwards.
The main courses were superb. As we were picking from several dishes, I put a small amount of each onto my plate. The Chow Mein was my favourite as the noodles, vegetables and chicken were combined beautifully with the salty nutty sauce. I also enjoyed the Cantonese Style Chicken in Sweet & Sour Sauce; this is my favourite Chinese dish ever and this one did not disappoint. The very lightly battered chicken was moist and tender, while the sauce was gorgeously tangy. Delicious.
The Lemon Chicken also deserves a mention. This huge dish was probably the equivalent of four sliced chicken breasts and was served with boiled rice and a divine rich lemon sauce. I used prawn crackers to mop up the last of the sauce – it was that good!
For dessert I had ice cream because I wasn't sure I had room for the various gooey sounding cakes on offer. This came drizzled in strawberry sauce and so many wafers that I could have had a cake! My mum had a chocolate cake served with cream, which looked so rich and dark that it could have been made from pure cocoa.
There's a good range of drinks available at the Jade. I had to drive back to Birmingham after my meal so was strictly drinking a gorgeously rich, creamy coffee which was absolutely delicious. There is a selection of draught lagers, spirits and alcopops at the small bar, which you can either pay for straight away or have added to your bill. Some of my sister's friends shared a couple of bottles of good quality wine which cost around £7 a bottle.
Staff in the Jade Pavilion are wonderfully attentive, but not overpoweringly so. A complimentary bowl of prawn crackers was placed on our table as soon as we were seated and menus were immediately handed out. I didn't feel at all rushed to either place my order or finish up at the end of the meal. As staff were passing our table they would ask if everything was OK, and because this place is so fantastic everything was indeed OK!
The Jade Pavilion is fully accessible to disabled visitors. The restaurant area covers both the upstairs and downstairs of the huge building, so when you phone to book your table make sure you tell them if there's someone with mobility problems so they can seat you downstairs. My mum is severely asthmatic and she had trouble getting up the rather steep stairs, so be warned.
Our combined bill came to £188; which included a massive selection of delicious food, drinks and dessert. Although this sounds a lot of money, don't forget this was split between eight people so worked out at a very reasonable £20 - £25 each. If just two of you are eating I'd recommend the 'Set Meal for 2' which consists of three starters, two main meals and two desserts and costs a bargain £32. Portion sizes are absolutely massive at the Jade so while you may think you're spending an awful lot of cash on your meal, you're getting wonderful value for money compared to the teeny-tiny portions you'd get at a take-away for the same price.
To find the Jade Pavilion is easy. From the centre of Northampton follow the main A5123 which is signposted Market Harborough, this will merge into the main Kettering Road which runs through Northampton. Once you're on this route you can very easily follow the signs to 'Northampton Racecourse', and the Jade is located directly in front of the Racecourse. The car park is absolutely huge and has several designated disabled spaces directly in front of the entrance, so there's no problem with keeping your car safe.
Several bus routes will take you past the Racecourse, but who wants to sit on a bus after having your belly filled with such wonderful oriental food…?
Jade Pavilion Restaurant
Racecourse Pavilion
Kettering Road
Northampton
NN1 4LG
Tel: 01604 621292"
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