Chinese
Located on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel, overlooking Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang wins big points for setting. It also wins big points for its wood-fired Beijing duck, which is surely the best you can find in London. First they bring you a plate of duck meat and pancakes (you know what to do) and also slices of thin crispy duck skin which you dip into sugar, which is so good you’ll dream of it for months to come. You have an option of how the second serving of duck comes but we recommend getting it with the fried rice or noodles. Out of this world.
Beloved of foodies everywhere for years, A Wong finally won a Michelin star in 2017 and in 2021 it earned a second, making it the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to hold two stars. This is not a place to indulge in the classics as Andrew Wong cooks up a creative storm of modern twists of dim sum – think rabbit and carrot puffs shaped like little carrots or wagyu tart with truffle. It’s fun, it’s delicious and even though it’s in Victoria you should still go there.
BEIJING DUMPLING
It’s easy to go wrong in Chinatown but we’ve never gone wrong at Beijing Dumpling on Lisle Street. You know it’s going to be good when you spot the chefs in the window, mostly hidden by huge bamboo baskets and bellowing steam, and it doesn’t disappoint. The dumplings are fresh, the service is brisk, and it won’t cost the earth – just how Chinatown should be.
Having started out at the Dorsett Hotel in Shepherd’s Bush, Shikumen now has a very respectable mini-chain of restaurants across London. The dim sum here is of a very good standard and priced well enough that you could become a regular without flexing the credit card once. You can’t go wrong with the classics on the menu but we also like some of the more fun dishes too, such as the multi-coloured ‘rainbow’ dim sum selection and the eel cheung fun – it’s eely eely good.
Looking to try the food from the Xi’an region of China? This is the spot. It’s cheap and cheerful and you can’t go wrong with the pork and veg dumplings, the hand pulled noodles with chunky beef and chilli sauce, and the Xi’an pork ‘burger’. Highly recommended if you’re in the area.
No prizes for guessing which region these guys specialise in and yes there are mouth-numbing Sichuan peppers all over the menu. This is seriously exciting Chinese food and a good place for shaking up your mate who only ever orders lemon chicken. There’s offal dishes galore, meaty stews, whole deep-fried fish stuffed with Sichuan pepper, and all you can eat hot pot for £22.80. An absolute winner.
Like Yauatcha and Hakkasan, Park Chinois was originally set up by Alan Yau before he moved on to other things (as he always does). Park Chinois might just be his magnum opus, a ridiculously lavish palace that sticks two fingers up to austerity Britain – well it is in Mayfair after all. Dining here, with its chandeliers, red velvet drapes and gold taps shaped like flying ducks, feels like stepping back to another era and we completely adore it. There’s incredible dim sum, whole roast Peking duck, lobster, crab, and even some modern creations such as the Park Carbonara made with sea urchin. This place, more than the others even, could break the bank but check out the Prix Fie lunch menu if you want to keep it tidy. Or just forget it and go all out.
When it comes to the finest dim sum in town, Yauatcha is pretty hard to beat in our book. It now has two locations, the original in Soho and the newer one in Broadgate Circle, and we never tire of going in for some prawn and bean curd cheung fun, xiao long bao, or char sui buns. Admittedly it’s not the cheapest but you can have the Taste of Yauatcha menu, surely one of the most insanely good value eating experiences you can have in London. Aside from dim sum, Yauatcha makes some pretty mean cakes and macaroons too.
My Neighbours The Dumplings is an intimate, simple space that serves up handmade dumplings and home-cooked Asian dishes. Making waves running a pop-up in Hackney, this is their first permanent home with informal interiors and shared communal tables. The crispy prawn wontons are addictive, Shumai are the signature (and rightly so) and if you luck out and there’s belly pork on the specials menu when you visit be sure to order it. Besides the food, you can also find Chinese teas and sake on offer.