I have always liked Chinese food but my visits to genuine restaurants offering authentic cuisine have been few and far between. That situation changed when I paid a visit to Shanghai 30s in Oxford, on a mission to unravel some of the mysteries of far eastern cooking.

Fortunately I was not travelling blind on this quest, taking with me a Chinese friend, Ying Groves and her British husband, Richard, who run Oxford-based lingerie business, Silk Cocoon.

Shanghai 30s is situated in what used to be the Restaurant Elizabeth in St Aldates, occupying a beautiful 15th century building across the road from Christ Church.

As you would expect, there are wonderful oak panelled walls and doors, but while traditionalists may argue this is not the place for such a restaurant, I would beg to differ.

The fixtures and fittings, many of them authentically Chinese, complement rather than clash with the surroundings and the elegant portraits provide a worthy talking point.

The place was virtually empty as we arrived to be warmly greeted by the waiting staff, led by manager George Lee.

The menus were whisked into our hands and we were left to contemplate a predictably extensive selection of delicacies.

Soup seemed a good idea as it was a cold day and I opted for the hot and sour variety which was available with or without chicken (£3 or £4).

This combined egg, bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms with hot white pepper and vinegar, a combination that was too spicy for one member of the party, but I found it nourishing and tasty.

By now the main dining room in which we were seated was starting to fill up with largely business customers, who had clearly visited before.

Its location of course, makes it an ideal venue for city centre companies, as well as the nearby colleges.

On to the main course, and we decided to share three dishes on the lunch menu - Five Spiced Beef, Kung Po Chicken and Aubergine a la Sichuan, all priced at £6.50.

The dishes were served with rice and we paid a little extra for a portion of fried rice and all were delicious, offering a range of different flavours.

My favourite was the beef with its delicate spices making it truly delicious but the others were equally well received.

To wash it down we ordered glasses of the house wines, Semillon Chardonnay and Shiraz Cabernet which were robust enough to support the food without having their flavour drowned out by the spices.

I did particularly well out of the sharing arrangement as it is apparently a tradition for Chinese people to treat guests by plying them with food regularly.

So every time I put down my chopsticks to flex my fingers, another portion arrived on my plate courtesy of Ying, which, given the quality of the food, I was not about to refuse.

The presentation was also superb with roses carved from beetroot and flowers adorning the dishes.

Meanwhile, the service was prompt, pleasant and efficient, although it was difficult to tell whether this was enhanced by Ying's conversations with the staff in Mandarin.

A quick run-through of some basic words afterwards did little to boost my knowledge of the official Chinese language, even though they continued to be piped to me on a visit to the loo.

The conversation turned to Shanghai and Mr Lee, who studied catering at Oxford College of Further Education and business at Oxford Brookes University, informed us that the name of the restaurant referred to the time in the 1930s when the city was known as the Paris of the Orient'.

People travelled from all over the world, fuelling the food culture and transforming local dishes.

To dessert, and having been over-fed on the main course I declined any further challenge to my digestion but my companions tucked in to an attractively presented fresh fruit platter (£4) and Almond and Banana Rolls (£4.50) which were by all accounts beautifully crisp and sweet.

After coffee we all felt satisfied but not uncomfortably full and the bill for £66 including a ten per cent service charge, was very reasonable.

As we left, we were presented with complimentary vouchers offering discounts on our next visit, and there is little doubt we will be using them soon.

Contact: Shanghai 30s, tel: 01865 242230, www.shanghai30s.com