Chinese
WONG KEI
Another of Chinatown’s enduring establishments, Wong Kei has been around for decades and was long-renowned as being one of the city’s rudest restaurants. Before 2014, you’d go to Wong Kei to be shouted at and line your stomach for a night out in Soho. Since then, new management has taken over and apparently purged Wong Kei of its rude creds, but you can still drop by for quick, cheap and reliable Chinese food.
BUN HOUSE
Get your steamed bun fix at Bun House, where Cantonese buns are very much the focus, with street food snacks and rice pots bulking out the menu. Eating here is more of a quick in-and-out job rather than somewhere you’d linger over a meal. After ordering at the counter, which is laden with those bamboo baskets, you collect your food and grab a seat wherever you can find one. The pig bun is a best seller, and with sweet, rich char siu pork encased in fluffy dough, it’s not hard to see why. The lamb bun, punched up with cumin and garlic, is also worth a go, and you can’t skip the sweet custard bun either. Be warned though, the salted egg custard floods out so don’t even attempt to split it open with your hands unless you want to be wearing it.
DUMPLING SHACK SOUTH QUAY
Dumpling Shack started out as a way to get dumplings on London’s street food scene map but thanks to spin-off concept Fen Noodles, its branching out into different elements of Chinese cuisine. The brand’s South Quay site still centres around their signature shengjianbao (pan-fried soup dumplings) but also has a rotating list of specials exclusive to the site. Some of the spesh dishes include the big plate beef noodles, with slow braised marbled short rib cooked in doubanjiang, stir-fried with potatoes and peppers on a bed of hand-pulled belt noodles; Mala honey fried chicken over Hong Kong French toast with a cream corn filling; and peanut butter mochi French toast served with condensed milk & golden syrup. If you already love them for their dumplings, you’ll want to head to South Quay to give these plates a try.
MASTER WEI
Master Wei was born out of the success of owner Wei Guirong’s first restaurant, Xi’an Impression in Highbury, one of London’s favourite Chinese restaurants. Luckily for Master Wei, and despite the pressure and overbearing weight of its older sibling’s hype, it’s another hit. The vibe is laid-back, the interior is pared-down and the menu is a trove of some of those faves you’ll remember from Xi’an Impression (hand-pulled beef biang biang and Xi’an liang pi noodles) alongside new plates (the potato sliver salad and the spicy cumin beef burger). If Xi’an Impression made you fall in love with the region’s food, don’t miss out on Master Wei.
Looking for authentic Hong Kong siu mei aka Cantonese roast meats? Three Uncles are doing it in the City and at Camden’s Hawley Wharf. The Three Uncles, friends and chefs Cheong Yew (Uncle Lim), Pui Sing Tsang (Uncle Sidney) and Mo Kwok (Uncle Mo), serve up their signature chopped-to-order Cantonese roast duck, crispy pork belly and char siu pork at this spot, as well as their Hainan chicken rice, lo mein noodles, dumplings and buns. They have two exclusive Hong Kong dishes in Camden too – curry fish balls served with Uncle Lim’s secret sauce, and Auntie Jun’s char siu sou, baked sweet BBQ pork pastries handmade by Uncle Sidney’s cousin.
FACING HEAVEN
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Wednesday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Thursday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Friday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
Vegan Chinese spot Mao Chow has upped sticks and moved just around the corner – and become Facing Heaven in the process. And yes it’s still tiny, although at 28 covers, it’s double the size of the original spot. Despite the small size, it’s a fun vibe in there with brightly coloured yellow tables, black and white chequered floors, neon lights and a great soundtrack. Everything at Facing Heaven is still 100% vegan but founder Julian Denis has developed the menu to fuse Chinese dishes with his multicultural upbringing in LA, with Puerto-Rican, American and Portuguese twists shining through. Don’t miss the smacked cucumber, seaweed toast, dumplings in chilli oil made with ‘omnipork’,Chongqing cauliflower and the dan dan noods, and be sure to order a couple of MSG Margs to wash it all down with.
THREE UNCLES BRIXTON
If you’re a fan of Cantonese roast meats, Three Uncles is just the spot for you. The Brixton Village site, their first sit-in one, is serving up their famous Cantonese trio of roast duck, crispy pork belly and char siu pork. They’ve also got some of their classics on the menu such as Hainan chicken rice, lo mein noodles and a selection of dim sum available to eat in, take away or have delivered, not to mention the Brixton-only specials including the Treasures Platter of duck, char siu and crispy pork; roast duck & char siu lai fun noodle soup; and lotus leaf rice with Chinese sausage, steamed chicken, shiitake mushroom & chestnuts. Trust us, you want to be trying this.
BARSHU
Good Sichuan restaurants are few and far between in London but one that has got quite the rep when it comes to southwestern Chinese cuisine is Barshu. Opening back in 2006 on Soho’s bustling Frith Street, the Chinese restaurant is still going strong, attracting a crowd of tourists and locals daily. For those who have visited Barshu before, you will know the menu is BIG, and can be overwhelming if you don’t know your stuff. Thankfully the staff are on hand to help digest and make some recommendations, something we would suggest you do too, especially if you struggle with spice. The salt & pepper soft shell crab, smacked cucumber, golden soup with seabass & Sichuan pickles, and the signature dan dan noodles are all winners but there’s also everything from pig trotters to beef tripe on the menu too.
MIMI MEI FAIR
Chinese restaurant Mimi Mei Fair is absolutely beautiful. Set in an old Georgian Townhouse on Curzon Street, it has several different dining areas in various nooks and crannies, all decked out super luxe with colourful patterns, vases and Chinese artworks. The kitchen is headed up by chef Peter Ho, who was also in charge of one of London’s greatest and much missed restaurants, HKK. And that’s before you even consider that the brains behind the whole operation is Samyukta Nair of Bombay Bustle and Javamar. Peter’s signatures at HKK was the roast Peking duck, and it’s a signature here too. Other must orders include the ‘Hokkien’ seafood noodles with scallop, prawn & samba paste, the clay pot lamb and if you’re looking for something more meaty, you’ll definitely want to to try the caramelised crispy Mandarin beef.
DIM SUM & DUCK
If you like dim sum and duck, you’re gonna love Dim Sum & Duck. Located in King’s Cross, the simple, small Chinese restaurant serves some of the best dumplings in London – it’s just off the main drag so look out for the queue, which you’ll spot well before the bright blue restaurant. Once seated you can take your pick of fresh translucent dumplings, including the Shanghai pork soup dumplings, which just might be our favourite xiaolongbao in London; the crispy sesame prawn roll, a spin on sesame prawn toast; prawn & chive dumplings; fried duck bao; char siu honey roast pork; and the BBQ roast duck. Then there’s the char siu bao steamed pork bun, custard bun, crunchy tofu skin roll, cheung fun…we could go on and on and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the other Cantonese noodles, soups and rice dishes. It’s BYOB, service is fast and, like the queuing process, it’s also a little manic at times with orders and wrong dishes flying out, but it’s all part of the charm. Absolute gem this one.
Ellen Parr and Pete Kelly have been popping up across town for the past few years with Lucky & Joy and now the duo have opened a permanent place in Clapton. There’s a retro, kitsch aesthetic, with check box menus, bright neon chopsticks and colourful artworks on the walls so it’s a fun place to be. On the menu, you can expect similar Chinese-inspired dishes to those served up at the pop-ups, with all ordering done via a paper checkbox system. We’d definitely recommend the cold sesame noodles, the cumin-drenched mushroom skewers, the roasted aubergine, and the amazing fried brussel sprouts chopped with plenty of chilli and coriander. We also love the fresh spicy salads such as the Yunan smacked cucumber and the tiger salad (tip: keep both the bowls with all the extra dressing and pour it over your rice at the end).
Murger Han is a X’ian Chinese restaurant with branches in Euston, Mayfair and the City that seriously delivers the goods, and is super cheap too. The speciality here is Biang Biang noodles. They are made fresh in house every day and hand pulled by the chef into one giant 12 foot sheet and then cut into wide, thick strands before cooking. The noodles are spot on and come with some epic sauces – we particularly love the braised pork, tomato, egg, and chilli sauce. Sides such as gyoza are excellent too, as well as the murgers themselves – a flat bread stuffed with stewed beef or pork.
To cut right to the chase, BaoziInn has some of the best dim sum in London. The all-day menu features a range of Cantonese-style dim sum but mixed with a few touches from Sichuan and Hunan. Across the board, the dumplings are well made, fresh, and delicious so you can’t really go wrong… but we do have some top tips. From the ‘steamed’ section get the Fragrant Chilli Pork Baozi in Beetroot Juice Dough, and the Ruby Prawn Dumplings in Beetroot Pastry. From the Cheng Fen rice rolls section there are only two options, but the Dan Dan ‘Chang Fen’ with Minced Pork and Sichuan Preserved Sprout was a winner, and you should definitely get a plate of the classic pork wontons. There’s also a whole other massive menu of noodles and street food dishes too.
Asian fusion joint ULI is a real neighbourhood gem. It’s been around the block, first coming onto the scene in 1997 and their twists on Chinese, Thai, Malay and Singaporean favourites has kept ULI as a staple for locals and visitors for years. We love the Thai sea bass fillet steamed with chilli and lemongrass and the stir-fried beef fillet with spicy black pepper sauce, again with lots of red chilli, is also a beaut – sticky parcels of juicy meat drenched in a sweet and fiery sauce. For great, simple Asian food in Notting Hill, ULI is a great shout.
In case you’re not already familiar with Din Tai Fung, it’s a multinational chain originally founded in Taiwan that specialises in dim sum, particularly Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings). For its first ever European outpost, DTF has landed in Covent Garden. With close to 250 covers you (hopefully) shouldn’t have to queue too long and there is the first ever Din Tai Fung cocktail bar inside, serving Taiwanese-inspired cocktails and Chinese tea while you wait. The Xiao Long Bao here are indeed incredible; the skins just the right thickness, the soup full of flavour and the filling fresh as you like. Probably our favourite dumplings are the prawn and pork shao mai, made with a fresh prawn topping off the dumpling and with soup inside too, and we also love the pork and veg wontons in black vinegar and chilli oil, and the crispy golden prawn pancake. For dessert it’s worth trying the red bean and chocolate xiao long bao too.
LU LU SHANGHAI DELICACY & SAKE BAR
Searching for a place to get your Chinese fix in Stokey? Lu Lu is the place. The restaurant’s chefs are from Shanghai and there’s a decent dim sum section. The dumplings are all made fresh and by no means are they perfect – the casings are pretty thick but they are tasty and there’s no added MSG. They’re not badly priced either at just under £4 for three. Shout out to their lip-numbing cucumber salad too.
Dragon Inn Club is just round the corner from A Wong in Victoria and although they are both on this Chinese restaurants map, Dragon Inn Club is a very different kind of place. Decorated in traditional style, this is more of a classic Chinese spot where you can tuck in to roast Beijing duck, a variety of spicy hot pots, rice and noodle dishes and all those other favourites. It’s a comforting place and a good backup to know about if you’re in the badlands of Victoria and can’t get a table at A Wong.
Sister to Yauatcha, Hakkasan also knocks out some beautifully refined Chinese food at its two locations in Mayfair and Hanway Place. It loses minor points for the permanent nightclub soundtrack but the cooking more than makes up for it. A meal at Hakkasan doesn’t come cheap but there are a range of set menus on offer (with one at the Fitzrovia branch coming in at £39 per person) so you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to eat here. But if you’re going all out, don’t miss the venison puff, crispy duck salad, the roasted silver cod or the truffle roasted duck.