Let’s face it, if someone asked you for the arse end of Zone One in London, Elephant & Castle would be one of the areas that first spring to mind.

I first ate at Dragon Castle some time last Autumn for late lunch with a large group of thirty chinese people whom I mostly did not know. A socially awkward occasion, but the food had been decent.

The Dim Sum, probably re-heated frozen items made off site and bought in like the rest of Chinatown, was as you might expect, perfectly average and therefore very tasty. The Cheong-fun, again, very normal and serviceable. Worst performing was the Pak Choi in garlic, drowned in oily liquid, but still edible. Disappointing too was the Chicken fillet in Szechuan sauce, mainly because it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Service was fine. Cost for the meal without wine was fifty quid for two (we over-ordered slightly).

Perhaps the most surprising part of the whole restaurant is the interior, which while in itself nothing special, when compared to the desolation outside, looks like the Ritz Carlton.

Don’t get me wrong. Dragon Castle offers decent, traditional, Chinese fare. I would be happy eating there again. It would hold its own against many restaurants in Chinatown. But therein lies the problem. Dragon Castle offers Chinatown food, at Chinatown prices, in… the arse end of London. Unless you stick to Dim Sum, which is maybe ten to fifteen per cent cheaper than average for the same quality.

In other words, there is no good reason to eat at Dragon Castle, unless you happen to find yourself in Elephant & Castle, craving Chinese.

Dragon Castle, Walworth Road, SE17 (www.dragoncastle.eu)

Good for: When you are in Elephant & Castle and want to eat decent, traditional, Chinese food

Bad for: When you are not in Elephant & Castle and want to eat decent, traditional, Chinese food

Rating: 5/10

Price: £15-25 per head without alchohol, depending how fat you are