THERE seems to be a real influx of Chinese restaurants opening up around the area at the moment.

I headed off to Port Solent to try one of the newest - Dragon Marina.

The huge glass windows of the restaurant catch your eye as soon as you walk from the ample car park to the Boardwalk area around the marina. The problem comes when trying to find the door! Thank goodness my dining companion had eagle-eyes, or maybe it was just the delicious aroma of Chinese cuisine that lead him to the entrance, which is just located up a flight of stairs away from the main Boardwalk.

The dining area is magnificent. It has been thoughtfully designed with a modern feel. It equals the outstanding location with views over the marina where multi-million pound cruisers bob about in the gentle waves.

To make our selections as easy as possible, we opted for one of the set dinners - the Royal Dragon. The Royal menu at £21 is one step up from the Mandarin Dragon (£19) but not as impressive as the Imperial Dragon (£24), which in turn is not quite as regal as the Imperial Royal Dragon (£26)!

The Royal Dragon option consisted of chef's mixed hors d'oeuvres (sesame prawn toasts, spring roll, crispy wonton, seaweed, satay chicken and capital spare ribs) to start. Crispy aromatic duck made up the second course, along with sweet and sour chicken, beef in chilli and black bean sauce, pork with seasonal greens and special fried rice.

The starter was just enough to provide a taste of each offering, which were so delicious we could have eaten twice as much. The crispy duck was stripped from the bone at our table by one of the waiters. It always amazes me how much meat comes from a relatively small joint. Complete with more than enough pancakes, cucumber, spring onions and hoi-sin sauce, the duck was delicious.

The main courses were all expertly cooked to a really high standard with the beef dish particularly of note. Again, my only comment would be that the portions weren't large enough.

I don't know whether we were abnormally hungry that night or just that my companion sneakily helped himself to a bigger share when my back was turned, but I would have liked a bit more of everything.

If you want a first class Chinese meal in delightful surroundings, then Dragon Marina is for you. But if you have a larger appetite I would recommend you avoid the set dinners and choose from the menu.

To reserve a table call 023 9237 6888 or log on to www.dragonmarina.co.uk