New Star - 149A Duke St, Liverpool, L1 4JR Tel:0151-708 8882
Eastern Diner - 159-161 Allerton Road, Mossley Hill, Liverpool, L18 T: 0151 724 2021
The ubiquitous "Businessmans Lunch" was pioneered many decades ago by early westernised Chinese Chop Suey Style Restaurants were the three courses with a VFM price tag were seen by one and all to be the best thing since sliced bread. As my family were one of the pioneers in the 60's of such estbalishments I feel no gulit in saying that whilst VFM was a key ingredient, authenticty was not. The food served, whilst cheap filling and very tasty - it could never be called quality cuisine. The first course was alway soup - made from a catering packet or a glass of orange juice - main courses (of which there was a daily changing but limited list always came with fried rice or chips and included classics such as sweet and sour pork, beef curry, chicken and mushroom and if you were a vegetarian it would be curried boiled eggs or Spanish omelette which meant the omlette had tomato and peas in it. Dessert was a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a few tinned lychees or if the chef was in a good mood, jam sponge and custard.
Well it is now 2009 and the culinary scene has changed quite alot since the 60's but the set lunch is still alive and kicking and where it works, a great way of making money during the day time hours. FoodManChan decided to see what was "on the menu" in 2009.
Venue one was the New Star - a city centre chinese restuarnt that as a good mixture of chinese and wastern customers, where both traditional and westernised Chinese style food of a good standard is served, They have a very good cheap and cheerful set lunch menu with limited choices but ideal for the average wage slave with only an 1 hour to spare for his mid-day repast.
Venue two was the Eastern Diner - located in a thriving suburban district of South Liverpool - it is surrounded by many of other eateries, wine bars etc - many of which don't open at lunch time. It serves a mainly westren clientel and the menu reflects this but the set lunch is a vital part of their trade.There's is a more sophistcated set lunch more suited to ladies who lunch and retired couples than the office worker in a hurry in the New Star
The New Star£4.50 buys you a bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup and a serving of prawn crackers - a choice of three fried dishes, three chow mein dishes or chicken beef ir pork in the sauce of your choice which is quite generous - I think I counted about 12 different types that included clasics such as sweet and sour, curry, garlic and blackbean. Also on the list were a very delicious black pepper and a fiery chilli and garlic. These came with a choice of boiled rice, plain fried rice or chips
Chicken and Sweetcorn with Prawn Crackers - an iconic classic


These were functional but nothing to write home about - don't get me wrong I enjoyed them but they lacked the wow factor
Beef in Black Pepper Sauce with Boiled Rice


This on the other hand was a real treat - the sauce was delicious, the beef tender and look at the way in which rice is presented - all good stuff.
The Eastern DinerThe price of a set lunch at the Eastern Diner is much less straight foward, though the choice of what is available is much greater. A standard main course is £4.90, with a soup it is £5.90, but you could add a starter course or opt for an executive main course or any combination the the above. To keep things fair - I opted for the soup and standard combo at £5.90 - £1.40 more than New Star and no prawn crackers.
However, there were are choice of three soups and I had the Hot and Sour Soup which was really rather good and a much bigger portion than the New Star

Mian courses always come with chips and either plain fried rice or boiled rice and a little salad. As I had Yang Chow Fried Rice, I got the same treatment, Portion size - the New Star wins easily though taste wise both were just as delcious.

On a strainght comparison I feel the New Star just pips the Eastern Diner with comparable quality but the additon of prawn crackers and being £1.40 cheaper. However when you take into account the better choice, quality and quantity of the soup and the potential to create a much more substantial meal. the Eatern Diner deserves serious consideration. Very much a case of six of one half a dozen of the other.