A little bit of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai put together will not make a whole, but its charming atmosphere will do for now.

The Venue
For a short street, Churton holds a fair share of restaurants; this affordable, intimate, Oriental eatery is one of them. A broody-looking little fella (credit goes to its dark mahagony facade and furnishings), Mekong looks like a picture of seriousness from the outside. But look closely and you will see that behind the red wood decor, dark rotating ceiling fan, empty chestnut birdcages, unused hammocks of fishing nets, and hovering fishermen's hats are intense pink and pastel green walls to take away from the sombreness. Delve deeper - underneath that 12-seater ground floor to be exact - and you will uncover a maze-like space.

The Atmosphere
The decor makes a very strong case for Orientalism - a fitting, possibly slightly overzealous, stepping stone to the cuisine. The initial restraint exercised by the early Saturday evening crowd fades away as the restaurant begins to fill up. The soft-spoken but proactive service staff also begins to warm up as an increasing number of regulars arrive.

The Food
Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food are listed on the bright, two-sided, A3-sized laminated menu. The menu is organized into meat (and non-meat) sections and cuisines, but the dishes themselves are very flexible and can be prepared as either a starter or a main course. The pho bo (£3.60) is a plain-looking bowl of unusually murky beef soup (which incidentally already has the mint and crunchy beansprouts added for you) , whilst the main of pad thai (also £3.60) is very ketchupy, and very filling. The hot and spicy soup is just that, but the gooey green chicken curry tastes surprisingly un-gooey, and like generic green curry. A bowl of steamed white rice may be needed to mask the way its texture looks.

The portion of the rice rolls comes in a trio of prawn, crab and something else; what matters is that it is chewy and moist and cleanses the palate. For dessert, the usually reliable fried banana looks and tastes more like a banana that is wrapped in a pale and unimpressive crepe skin. This is served in a thick and very sweet syrup reminiscent of both honey and maple. Perhaps it’s best to take up the suggestion on the menu for the chef to prepare suggested old favourites. But that would involve pretending to be a regular, and really knowing what you want.

The Drink
There is a quite a handful of wines by the bottle available here, and the prices span a reasonably wide range. But the dealmakers are the house red and white at £9 each: the house white - a Jacques Veritier (France) - is affably tangy and sweet, qualities that make for smooth sips.

The Last Word
The food sits on a shaky combination, but kudos for the atmosphere – you can bank on an easy, relaxing time with affordable food.

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