A Wong        

• Address:      70 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 1DE     
• Map→            Nearest Tube:   Victoria  
• ☏                   020 7828 8931
• 4.2  Yummy stars        
• Average       £30-40 pp for lunch (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)   
• Website→  
•  Menu→     

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                  4.2/5 stars

Food                                 4.5/5 stars

Value for money         4/5 stars

I have been a fan of this restaurant for some time and was thrilled to see that it has been recently awarded 1 Michelin star.

An exciting and accomplished young chef who took over the site previously occupied by his father’s restaurant a few years ago.  He initially studied Chemistry at Oxford University and then switched to social anthropology at LSE in London.  Following the death of his father, he managed his father’s restaurants and studied at Westminster Kingsway College culinary school.  He toured round China, learning about the different regional cuisine, resulting in an eclectic mélange of dishes at his own restaurant in Victoria.

A Wong gives Chinese dishes a modern twist, at times introducing Western ingredients eg foie gras and truffle.  They are stylishly presented, using tasteful European crockery.

You can find some of the usual dim sum fare here but unlike most other dim sum restaurants, you can order dim sum by the piece instead of 3 or 4 pieces in a portion.  For the curious like me, I wanted to try all sorts and so, ordered numerous single pieces of all different kinds of dim sum, probably much to the kitchen’s annoyance….

There are numerous delicious dishes but with 2 standout ones that I would go back to time and time again.  One is Chengdu street tofu, with chilli soya sauce, peanuts and preserved vegetables.  A fantastic combination of flavours – just the right amount of heat in the sauce added to the smooth tofu, with saltiness from the preserved vegetables and then finished off with the crunchiness of the peanuts.  The other one is A Wong’s signature dessert, steamed duck yolk custard bun.  The custard oozes out as you bite into the bun.  I found it a little bit on the sweet side but others just loved it. Plenty of fun dishes to try including the 63 degree “tea egg” with shredded filo.  The beef ho fun (rice sticks) was skillfully fried in the wok, giving it a lovely smoky flavour. 

The restaurant is simply decorated with wooden tables and chairs.  At the time of my visit in 2017, the chairs had a rather bare back, which encouraged you to sit upright or if you were a small child, to climb right through …  However, at the beginning of 2018, A Wong announced that he was going to get rid of these cool-looking chairs and have new ones with cushions instead.  Service was adequate with no fuss.

Lastly, I like the fact that a number of tables are reserved for walk-ins.  Great for people like me who like to eat spontaneously and do not always book well in advance.  Some tables outside allow you to gawp at passing public.  However, I strongly suggest that you do book ahead.

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, do take a look at my Dim Sum Guide under Yippie Blog.

2017

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Bao (Fitzrovia)  

• Address:     31 Windmill St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2JN     
• Map→         Nearest Tube:  Goodge Street   
• ☏                   020 3011 1632 
• 4.1 Yummy stars        
• Average       £20 pp (excluding drinks)  (at time of writing)
• Website →     
• Menu→     

More photos→  

Buzz factor                 4.2/5 stars

Food                               4/5 stars

Value for money      4.3/5 stars

This is the second branch of the Bao family, following the huge success of the original site in Soho. The 2 Bao restaurants may have started Londoners’ love affair with Taiwanese steamed buns.  You used to have to stand in a long queue for both Bao restaurants but now, Bao in Fitzrovia accepts bookings. 

The family trio, comprising of sister and brother, Wai Ting Chung and Shing Tat Chung and sister-in-law, Erchen Chang, the founders of the restaurants, seem to go from strength to strength and have opened yet another – much more refined and formal restaurant, Xu in Soho.  “Xu” is apparently named after Erchen Chang’s father.

Bao Fitz is an informal but delightful affair.  You are greeted by a U-shaped communal table on the ground floor, with more dining space downstairs - a long communal table, counter seating right by the kitchen and a few small tables.  We sat downstairs.  The kitchen took up more than half of the space in the basement.  Activity was pretty frenetic in the kitchen, focused and efficient cooking.  Calm but serious look on the chefs’  faces and there were lots of them in the small kitchen. Poor things. Made you wonder if you should offer to help.  Also, not a dull moment for the busy waitresses, as the restaurant was packed. Tap water was constantly supplied without having to ask for it.

You order by ticking items on a paper copy of the tiny menu with the recent additions of sharing dishes. You help yourselves to the chopsticks, napkins and pencils (to order from the menu or scribble on the napkins, if you like) sitting in tubs on the tables.

The bun, which you can order with different fillings, was terrific  - pillowy soft and still moist.  These are Taiwanese buns – open ones with masses of fillings.  A bit like a burger but with a much softer bun and a different texture altogether.  We had the Classic Bao, the one with the beef short rib, but the one with Black Cod really stood out.  The Tiger salad – kale actually – with a sesame based dressing – was still crunchy but delicious.  The Fried Mushroom, with a very light batter, was perfectly fried, while still retaining its texture.  Delicious with the chilli onion dipping sauce.  Their aubergine, minced tofu (ie beancurd) and Mapo sauce, was full of flavour and seriously spicy.  Their Taiwanese Fried Chicken Chop with soya cured (raw) egg was crispy on the outside with well marinated and tender chicken on the inside. Dip it in the raw egg gave it a different dimension.

Go on – fall for the bao.

2017

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Bun House   

• Address:       24 Greek Street  London  W1D 4DZ       
• Map→           Nearest Tube:  Leicester Square   
• ☏                     020 8017 9888
• 3.2 Yummy stars        
• Average         £15+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→    
• Menu→    

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                    3.2/5 stars

Food                                  3/5 stars

Value for money         3.5/5 stars

London is continuing with its love affair with bao (steamed bun).  This latest eatery offers Cantonese style buns.  These ones are closed, unlike the Taiwanese versions.  It is in a tiny space in the corner of Greek Street in Soho.  The space is split into 2 parts – the Bun House on the ground floor and the Tea Room in the basement. 

The menu in Bun House is quite small, offering a choice of Chinese style steamed buns with some not so traditional fillings eg lamb together with a choice of pickles and sides. The Tea House offers quite a different and much more substantial menu.  The menu is pretty limited and includes some snacks and skewers.

At Bun House, the star is obviously in the bun, which is pillowy soft. The savoury fillings are pleasant enough but do not particularly stand out.  However, the fish one (cod and prawn) was for me by far the best one.  The lamb one was rather overpowering with lots of cumin.  Their signature buns are in fact the dessert ones – the chocolate one with pig’s blood and the custard bun with runny duck egg yolk.  The glass noodles with peanuts as well as the lotus root crisps are well worth a try. 

The formula is to order your dishes at the counter and scrounge for one of the few small round tables with pretty Chinese style stools.  This is a quick inexpensive snacky place with a functional décor, conveniently located in the hussle and bussle of Soho – perhaps to line your stomach before a night out on the town.  Also a great people-watching place. Might be an idea to take a break at gawping at passers by while eating the runny duck egg custard….

2017

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Duck Duck Goose   

• Address: 5-6 New College Parade, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 5EP

• Map→ Nearest Tube: Swiss Cottage

• ☏ 020-7586-1224 020-7586-5630

• 4.1 Yummy stars

• Average £15+ pp for dim sum (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)

• Website→

• Menu→

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                    4.2/5 stars

Food                                  4.1/5 stars

Value for money         4.1/5 stars

DuckDuckGoose opened over the Chinese New Year weekend (end of January 2017) and took over the space previously occupied by China Garden.  The place has been decorated with a contemporary feel. I am not sure about the paintings but art is pretty subjective.  Each to their own.  Comfortable seats and tablecloths even.  With “posh” décor come higher prices.  However, the dim sum doesn’t disappoint.  More of this later.

 I recognise some of the staff from before, though the restaurant is under new management apparently.  All of them are really friendly.  A new hand or two were learning the ropes.  The restaurant was filled mostly with Chinese customers, which is a promising sign.  It has a nice feel to it, now that it has become more open plan.  After a fire next door, it has recently reopened after round 6 weeks.

The dim sum that we had were flavoursome.  DuckDuckGoose claims to make it all on site which is pretty impressive.  We particularly liked:

Peking Ravioli with Chilli Sauce – the wrappers were super thin. The dumplings were made with pork and sit in this spicy but delicious soup.  Well worth a try.

(Vegetarian) Bean Curd Skin Rolls – these are deep-fried and served with Worcestershire sauce.  The bean curd skin is quite different from the usual pastry/wrapper and has a distinct but subtle flavour.  They were perfectly fried but rather small for my liking!

Har Gau  - Steamed prawn dumpling – forms part of the usual dim sum fare. 

Crispy Duck Roll – this kind of dim sum has now become our firm favourite in our dim sum staple.  It is a bit like having crispy duck but without having to order a whole portion of crispy duck – but obviously without the pancake.  However, dipping it in plum/barbeque sauce gives you the crispy duck fix.

Turnip Paste – again, another dim sum staple.  It tasted great, though I normally like it fried a bit longer to give it a slight crispiness. 

Durian Puff – This is quite an unusual to see on a dim sum menu in London.  If you like Durian, then this tickles your taste buds.  The pastry was superb – really flaking.

Egg Custard Tart – This is one of the best ones that I have had in London – quite comparable to the ones at Royal China Restaurant in Baker Street.  The pastry was light and flaky and the custard filling was cooked to perfection.

Great to see finally a local Chinese dim sum restaurant in North West London rather than have to head into Central London for decent dim sum.  The food over supper was pretty impressive too, particularly the chicken with red wine sauce.

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, take a look at my Dim Sum Guide under Yippie Blog.

2017

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Goldfish  

• Address:        16 Hampstead High Street, Hampstead  NW3 1PX      
• Map→            Nearest tube:   Hampstead         
• ☏                      020 7794 2828
• 3.7 Yummy stars        
• Average          £25 -35 pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→      

More photos →               

Buzz Factor                   3.7/5 stars

Food                                  3.9/5 stars

Value for money         3.5/5 stars

Eat In or Take Away, Home Delivery

A better than most local Chinese restaurant in the heart of Hampstead Village. A cosy and long narrow place tastefully decorated with a view of the tiny kitchen hard at work with searingly hot woks at the front of the restaurant. The roaring woks add to the ambience of the restaurant. If you want to watch the skillful chefs in action, ask for one of the 4-person cubicles at the front but beware that it will be noisier.  If you want a tête a tête and to be able to whisper into each other’s ear (or you plan to propose), I would go for one of the tables at the back.

Service is perfectly acceptable.  You may need to try a bit harder to get their attention if you are sitting at the back. 

For starters, my favourites include:

Deep fried soft shell crab with garlic and five spice salt – you just eat the whole thing, which is coated in a light batter, together with the crispy garlic and diced red chillis. Dip it in sweet chilli sauce to add an extra dimension.

Aromatic crispy duck – you can conveniently order ¼, ½ or a whole duck depending on the number of guests or how hungry you are.  The duck is shredded into pieces and comes with the usual hot pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce (Chinese barbeque sauce). Yum.

Vegetarian crispy “duck” – deep fried bean curd rolls.  They are ever so slightly crunchy - delicious on their own or with steamed pancakes and hoisin sauce

For main courses, my favourites include:

Signature wasabi prawns – It is quite unusual to find wasabi prawns on a Chinese menu. Wasabi is a Japanese horseradish. The prawns are smothered in a wasabi sauce. Don’t be put off by the light green sauce.  The amount of wasabi is just right so that it doesn’t go up your nose.

Tofu/beancurd with pumpkin sauce – one of Goldfish’s signature dishes.  The beancurd is done to perfection with an ever so slight a crust on the outside but soft on the inside, sweetened with a thick pumpkin sauce

Braised spicy aubergine with mushrooms – cooked till really soft in a mixture of sauces with just the right level of chilli

Chilean sea bass – so tender that it melts in your mouth.  Spoon the sauce over the fish on a bowl of rice – heaven.

Another tip is to ask your waiter which of the vegetables are freshest.  My firm favourite is Chinese broccoli, which is not listed on the menu as such.  They are delicious stir fried in ginger or garlic.

They also serve dim sum at lunchtime.  If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, do take a look at my Dim Sum Guide under Yippie Blog.

October 2016

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Hakkasan  Mayfair  

• Address:         17 Bruton St, Mayfair, London W1J 6QB      
• Map→              Nearest Tube:  Green Park/Bond Street/Piccadilly Circus – or would you prefer to arrive in style?   
• ☏                      020 7907 1888 
• 4.2 Yummy stars      
• Average          £80+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→     

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                  4.8/5 stars

Food                                4/5 stars

Value for money       3.8/5 stars

Hakkasan Mayfair is the 2nd branch following its flagship restaurant in Hanway Place W1 (first opened in 2001).  Both have a Michelin star to its name, serving modern Cantonese cuisine. 

You walk into Hakkasan Mayfair and it shouts “designer” to you.  The interior design is stylish with clever mood lighting, giving it a mysterious ambience.  I just love the staircase, stunningly lit along the sides, leading to another part of the restaurant.  In the basement, the theme of latticed wooden screens in dark English oak continues from its mother restaurant in Hanway Place. 

We went on a Saturday evening.  The place was loud (from the music and people), with a real buzz.  It was a generally young well-heeled trendy crowd with a clubby atmosphere.

So, what about the food, you ask?  Dimly lit, you might need to take the menu into the kitchen to read it.  Great for a first date perhaps, so that you can’t see your date’s blemishes? 

The standout savoury dish of the evening was surprisingly the humble-looking Sanpei chicken in claypot.  The chicken was really tender and had just the right amount of spice to give it enough of a kick.  The soft shell crab had a lovely thin coating and was served with lots of crispy garlic.  I was quite excited to try the stir-fry turbot with black truffles, 2 of some of my favourite ingredients.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t really taste the truffles.  A bit mean with the truffles perhaps that evening, considering it cost just over £40 (including service)? 

The food was good overall but I went with high expectations.  By far the best dish was their Yuzu and sesame vacherin.  The meringue was served with 3 different types of sesame, presented as shards.  The sesame flavour (and the smokiness of the sesame) really came through in the meringue.  Combined with the ginger ice cream and yuzu, it was just heavenly.

Service was pretty good, as you would expect at an establishment like this one.  With service charge at 13.5%, it had better be.

A beautiful place and even the waiters were good looking.  Just dress up and party.

2017

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Hunan   

• Address:        51 Pimlico Rd, Belgravia, London SW1W 8NE      
• Map→            Nearest Tube:   Sloane Square      
• ☏                     020 7730 5712  
• 4 Yummy stars      
• Set price        £45.80 pp for lunch and £67.80 pp for supper  (excluding drinks and service) (at time of writing)
• Website→     
• No Menu→      

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                    4/5 stars

Food                                  4.2/5 stars

Value for money         3.8/5 stars

Hunan has been around since 1982 but appears to have been off the radar of many people.  It is quite a food gem on Pimlico Road with a humble façade and simple decor.  The tables are cramped into a tiny space but the place was heaving on a Saturday evening. Everything including the kitchen has been arranged according to Feng Shui so as to bring good health and good fortune.

You put your faith in the chef – Chef Peng – as there is no menu.  You just tell the waiter what you don’t eat and the level spiciness and you leave the rest to the chef.  Father and son still work alongside each other.  Dish after dish arrived, totaling about 18 of them, tapas-sized, letting you taste just a morsel or 2 of each dish and leaving you wanting more.  I was brave enough to go with some fussy eaters and surprisingly, they enjoyed every dish. 

Service was generally efficient and at times a bit chaotic as there were so many dishes to serve and clear away in the confines of the little space between tables. Just breathe in when you need to get out.  The diners seemed happy and some tables had more than one sitting. 

Don’t be deceived by the name of the restaurant.  The name does not denote the type of Chinese cuisine served here but refers to the birthplace of Chef Peng’s mentor.  His food has a heavy Taiwanese influence with a mélange of Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hunanese and Sichuan dishes etc etc.

We had some of their signature dishes – a soup with minced pork, Chinese mushroom and ginger served in a cute little wooden container - so soothing and delicious, as well as their green beans coated in the lightest of batter, fried in chilli and garlic.  Such simple and humble green beans magically turned into a true delight.  Later came their spinach tofu roll topped with a sweet and spicy sauce and their spicy squid sitting on a bed of aubergine were a success too.  The true stunner for me was the steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onion – cooked, flavoured (and filleted) to perfection.  Bear in mind that these are sharing dishes and so, if someone at your table does not eat, say, seafood, you won’t normally be served that either.

The meal did not come cheap but you do get a lot of food.  It is well worth a visit particularly for a special occasion. Be bold, venture forth and go hungry.

2017

©   2017-2018   Yippie  All rights reserved

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Jia Dim Sum Restaurant

• Address:         1 Harrington Rd, Kensington, London SW7 3ES
• Map→              Nearest Tube:  South Kensington
• ☏                      020 7584 7188
• 3.9      Yummy stars        
• Price of dim sum - £3.30-£6.80 each (at time of writing)   
• No Website
• No Menu online

More photos→

Buzz Factor                    3.7/5 stars

Food                                  4/5 stars

Value for money         4/5 stars

Eat-in or Take-away

Conveniently located literally a couple of minutes from South Kensington tube station.  This fairly small and casual dim sum restaurant spreads over 2 floors, linked by a glass panelled staircase.  It has a contemporary, simple and stylish décor with wood clad walls and a glass frontage covering the full height of both floors, giving it quite a light and airy feel.  

The dim sum that we had – including the Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai, Pea Shoots and Prawn Dumplings, Prawn Dumpings in Chilli sauce - were all of a pretty good standard.  I hear that they have a chef who specialises just in making their Chinese dough for the Chinese doughsticks, “Cheung Fun”.  Well, it definitely showed, as the Prawn with Dried Beancurd skin Cheung Fun was one of the best that I have had in London.  The doughstick was so smooth that it just slid into your mouth.  The beancurd skin gave the dim sum a slightly crispy and chewy texture which was perfect with the prawns. We couldn’t resist also ordering the Shredded Marinated Chicken Cheung Fun.  The chicken sat on top of the Cheung Fun, which you could enjoy on its own in all its glory.  The Baked Crispy BBQ Pork Buns had a crumbly pastry, topped with a pineapple glaze normally put on traditional Chinese pineapple bread rolls.  While this showed real skill and creativity, I am not sure that the Baked BBQ Buns, with its well-textured pastry and juicy BBQ pork inside, needed the extra sweetness from the pineapple. 

The service was absolutely fine. Though I was there with a regular customer, I did not witness any rudeness described by some reviewers on a website. In fact, “Jia” means home in Chinese.  Does it feel like home then? Just smile and ask the waiters if they are having a good day? 

Given the overall quality of the dim sum, I would definitely go back!

 March 2018

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Mamalan  

• Address:           Unit 18, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR  - Brixton branch - map→   Nearest Transport:  Brixton Overground/Underground   
• Address:            8 The Pavement, SW4 0HY  - Clapham branch - map→   Nearest tube:  Clapham Common  ☏    020 7498 8288
• 3.8 Yummy stars      
• Average             £20 pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→     

More photos→

Buzz factor                 3.7/5 stars

Food                               3.8/5 stars

Value for money      4/5 stars

Eat-in or Take away at all branches apart from Brixton (please check website for details)

Mamalan serves Beijing dumplings and noodles (and other things) currently at 2 sites now (reduced from 4), Brixton Village and Clapham.  Look out for different opening hours eg Brixton offers all day dining most of the week and the Clapham branch offers all day dining on the weekends. 

Each a casual eatery with a relaxed atmosphere.  

The founder was apparently inspired by the street food stall run by her grandfather and mother back in Beijing, China.  Having tried her hand at a supper club, she started her own restaurant in Brixton in 2010.  Her mother is often lovingly featured, having taught her the tricks of the trade in cooking.

The buns were pillowy soft and the meat in the pork bun was seriously tender, a bit like pulled pork. As well as their dumplings, the deep fried chicken wings were also worth trying – pretty spicy though. Watch that you don’t burn your tongue (like I did in my eagerness to eat them as quickly as possible).   

2016

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Min Jiang Restaurant   

• Address:          Royal Garden Hotel, 10th Floor, 2-24 Kensington High St, Kensington, London W8 4PT       
• Map→             Nearest Tube:   High Street Kensington     
• ☏                       020 7361 1988
• 4.2  Yummy stars        
• Average           £40 pp for lunch (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→     
• Menu→     

More photos→ 

Buzz factor                 4.2/5 stars

Food                              4.4/5 stars

Value for money     4/5 stars

Pick a sunny day with clear blue sky to go to Min Jiang, which is perched on the 10th floor of Royal Garden Hotel, to take full advantage of the spectacular views over Hyde Park, London Eye and other landmarks.  Pure joy and serene sophisticated surroundings.   Quite a grown up kind of place and with the fairly hefty price tag, you might like to leave your precious little ones on a (long) playdate….

Dim sum here is generally of high quality, a few notches above your usual dim sum restaurant in London.  My favorite dim sum here is the highly prized (well, in terms of technique and flavour) Xiao Lung Bao (Shanghai dumplings).  It has a  superb broth tucked inside (that is if you don’t leak it all before it gets into your mouth) blended perfectly with the pork filling skillfully encased in the ever so thin wrappers. Yum!  Then, there was the flaky buttery barbeque pork puff, with toasted sesame seeds resting on top. I can’t go for dim sum without Har Gau (a prawn dumpling), another delight.   The turnip was terrific on our recent visit – perfectly fried with slight crispiness and just the right amount of chilli.

Of course, you go to Min Jiang to have its Peking Duck, which you are supposed to order in advance.  We managed to squeeze in an order of half a duck (enough for 2/3 persons) on the spot. A chef in his pristine chef whites appeared, ready to carve the duck on a side table, and you wonder if he has actually done any cooking that day.

The chef then started to carve the duck before your eyes.  The methodic carving of the duck skin, resulting in perfectly same sized pieces, was just mesmerizing.  The idea is to enjoy the bronzed shiny skin with just a bit of meat tucked underneath, wrapped in pancakes together with cucumber, spring onions and plum sauce or just eat it dipped in a little sugar.  Well, you may wonder why you were paying so much for a bit of meat.  Be patient.  The chef would then offer you a choice of a dish made with the rest of the duck.  We chose duck wrapped in lettuce leaves.  However, you may wish to have the duck meat made into a stir fry or another dish.

Life is near perfect when you then finish the meal with their flaky egg custard tarts. 

Service was slick and unintrusive.  All in all, a most enjoyable dining experience. 

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, do take a look at my Dim Sum Guide under Yippie Blog.

2017

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Park Chinois

• Address:        17 Berkeley St, Mayfair, London W1J 8EA
• Map→             Nearest Tube:   Green Park
• ☏                     020 3327 8888             
•  3  Yummy stars        
• Price                 Starters from £10 - £95 (Peking duck £98, caviar OMG £££££); mains from £36-£79 (at time of writing)   
• Website→
• Menu→

 More photos→ 

Buzz Factor                 4.6/5 stars

Food                              4.5/5 stars

Value for money         3/5 stars

Alan Yau, the creative maverick behind Wagamama, Yauatcha, Hakkasan, Busaba Eathai (all sold) and Duck & Rice (in a gastropub setting) has introduced yet another dining concept in the shape of Park Chinois. This time is in the playground of Mayfair. 

You are greeted by a doorman, opening the imposing double doors into the welcoming reception area with a roaring fire in an enormous black fireplace.  Then we entered the theatrical dining area on the ground floor with no windows in sight.  Instead, the walls were adorned with endless swaths of ruby red velvet “curtains” and white voiles all in swags against the black marbled floor with massive ornate gold columns.  You have a sense of being in a theatre of sorts with tables on the sides on a raised platform, with the centre stage at the far end of the long room.  The décor is supposed to be a mélange of French classicism and Asian decorative arts from the 18th century.  The lamps had stunning depictions of Chinese persons from a bygone era. A huge amount of thought had obviously gone into the design of this place.  The toilets were worth a visit too – with gold taps in the shape of swans’ heads hovering over porcelain bowls. While I wouldn’t have my living room (or toilet) looking like that, I do applaud its boldness and originality.  Loud but sophisticated.

It was a Saturday night and the place was buzzing with mostly middle-aged customers and so many staff.  Service was efficient.  With service charge at 15%, you would expect it to be nothing less.  Music from a live band and a singer started shortly after 8 pm.  Tables were on a strict 2-hour turnaround.

And the food was impressive too.  The sharpness of the green papaya salad went perfectly with the lightly battered salt and pepper squid.  The duck in the spring rolls was full of flavour and so moist.  The Jasmine tea smoked Chilean Wagyu beef and the rib-eye beef were seriously tender.  The Chilli Sichuan chicken came covered with a mountain of whole chillis (yes, it was pretty spicy).  The grilled XO black cod just fell apart, with a slight kick from the XO sauce, taking it to another level.  The portion could have been a bit bigger though, given the hefty price tag of £49.00.  The only disappointment was the chicken in ginger dressing.  That day, they were offering Poulet de Bresse, the chicken of all chicken, at £35 but it was rather dry and did not match the depth of flavour of the other dishes.

With a refurbishment spend rumoured to be round £16 million, the menu prices were seriously steep.  The wine list was extensive with the cheapest bottle round £60 rising to 4-figure sums.  Entertainment cover charge was £10 per person.

Was it worth it?  Yes, for the extraordinary experience and the food was generally of a very high standard.  Would I go again?  Without a doubt – if someone else is paying….

March 2018

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved 

Disclaimer

Pearl Liang Chinese Restaurant     

• Address:         8 Sheldon Square, London W2 6EZ     
• Map→             Nearest Tube:    Paddington     
• ☏                       020 7289 7000
• 3.4  Yummy stars        
• Average            £ 15+  pp for dim sum (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→       
• Menu→     

More photos→   

Buzz Factor                    3.5/5 stars

Food                                  3.2/5 stars

Value for money         3.5/5 stars

Pearl Liang sits in Paddington Central, which has a lovely enclave of restaurants and other shops in a big enclosed space.  The place particularly at lunchtimes has a buzz to it, with people milling about.  On a nice day, plenty of people sit out, enjoying the open space, secluded from the outside world.

You enter the restaurant and are met with a sizeable eye-catching bar and a goldfish pond.  The fishpond is normally regarded by Chinese people as good Feng Shui (transliterated to mean “wind and water”).  It is a system of positioning your surroundings in such a way so as to bring harmony. The décor still has a certain charm, though appears slightly weathered since it first opened years ago.  Gone are the tablecloths and big solid sumptuous chairs with its former uber glamorous feel.  Now a more informal but nonetheless sophisticated (though rather jaded) look. 

The service was adequate and pretty informal.  We managed to get the attention of the waiter/waitress whenever we needed during our dim sum lunches, even though it was pretty busy.

Most of the dim sum is quite good here and we particularly liked: har gau (prawn dumpling), barbeque pork puffs with its flaky pastry, chicken and Chinese (salami-like) sausage with glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf (the lotus leaf adds extra flavour to the rice), turnip paste (turnip with Chinese sausage and dried shrimps which were well fried with a slight crispiness) and egg custard tarts.  The xiao lung bao (Shanghai dumplings) were rather disappointing, as the wrappers were rather too thick.  I would concentrate on the Chinese offerings rather things like the Thai Tom Yum soup which was not particularly authentic nor tasty.  You wonder why they stick a Thai soup in the middle of a dim sum menu.  Confused.com?  Just go for the dimsum.

Definitely worth a visit.

 If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, you might be interested in reading my dim sum blog under Yippie Blog.

2017

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

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Kym’s Restaurant   - A Wong v2 

New restaurant by Andrew Wong opened on 2 October 2018

• Address: 19 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR

• Map→

The long-awaited A Wong v.2 finally opened its doors in the spanking new Bloomberg Arcade in the City.  So much anticipation, so much excitement and probably so much pressure on the popular whiz kid, Andrew Wong, to deliver. This is quite an act to follow given his meteoric rise to rock star status. Last October, he acquired his much-deserved Michelin star for his first (Chinese) restaurant in Victoria, called A Wong.

You can see his creative juices flowing in the relatively small multi-regional menu at Kym’s, using a mixture of traditional Chinese and other Pan Asian ingredients, such as Wood Ear Fungus, Goji Berries, lemongrass and wasabi, as well as European ingredients, eg wild mushrooms.  With the help from specialist chefs, Andrew Wong has dared to enter the holy grail of Chinese roast meats, hung up, glistening in all their glory on stainless steel rails, catching your eye as you enter.  

Oh my – did he deliver?  A resounding yes.  

Given its location, the restaurant is probably targeted at city workers.  However, with the likes of Pierre Koffman having already checked out this place, this is likely to be a magnet to lovers of Chinese food from all over.

Read review→

October 2018

Laksamania

New Malaysian restaurant just off Tottenham Court Road

• Address: 92 Newman St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3EZ

• Map→

I love my Laksa and so, I was thrilled to see a wide variety of Laksa on offer at Laksamania, 6 in total actually. Something about a rich spicy coconut milk noodle soup – with egg noodles, rice vermicelli and different meats or seafood - that is exceedingly comforting.  The toppings were like a happy family cuddling one another while swimming in a massive bowl of soup. The broth had an intense flavour, thanks to the exemplary effort of the experienced Malaysian Chef Danny Tan.  He has been doing his thing very nicely at this restaurant, tucked away in a side street close to Tottenham Court Road station.

Laksa is only one part of a sizeable menu, offering a mélange of Malaysian favourites as well as other Chinese dishes. Laksamania is definitely a welcome addition to the Malaysian restaurant scene.  

Read review→

2018 

The Pleasant Lady 

Address:        Soho:  23 Greek Street London W1D 4DY 

                    Map→  

                      Old Spitalfields Market: 16 Horner Square, E1 6EW  

    Map→

You can get your hands on one of China’s favourite traditional street food, Jian Bing, from a hole in the wall in the heart of Soho.  

This delicious food-on-the-go takes the form of a slightly crispy thin crepe, filled with your chosen filling, then rolled into a wrap and cut into halves.   After the dough hits the hot plate, an egg is fried on top and the filling (eg Iberco pork, cumin lamb, miso chicken or vegetables). The lady at the stall then sprinkled a big handful of coriander and crispy cracker, which added a nice crunch to the wrap, together with some chilli sauce.  I had the one with Iberico pork (which had a good flavour). The chilli sauce just gave it a bit of a kick and provided some moisture to the whole snack, which would otherwise have been too dry on its own.

I liked the fact that the lady who made the Jian Bing to order, wore rubber gloves and touched only the food with them on.  It is a (contactless) card only place.  So, more hygienic and quicker for all.  Win win situation.

Now available also in Old Spitalfields Market.

2018 

Lahpet

New Burmese restaurant opened in April 2018

• Address: 58 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6JW

• Map→
  
  .

Frustrated with his day job, Dan Anton, the co-founder of Lahpet, binned headhunting for restaurant trade, following his passion for Burmese cuisine and opened Lahpet.  It is a brand new permanent residence of what originally started out as a market stall, “bringing Burmese to London” says Dan Anton.  His father is from Myanmar and Dan loved eating Burmese dishes cooked by his grandmother and aunt every Sunday. His fondness for cooking classic Burmese dishes led him to the idea of tapping into the relatively new Burmese cuisine, which has a mélange of Indian, Thai and Chinese influences. 

Dan wanted to test Londoners’ appetite for Burmese food and so he started cooking his family recipes at a market stall in Maltby Street in 2016.  His noodles and lahpet (fermented tea leaves) salad were a hit straightaway. This gave him the confidence to open Lahpet at a temporary warehouse site in the back streets of ever increasingly popular Hackney – very close to where Som Saa used to be – in late 2016.  Despite a fairly mixed review in Evening Standard, diners got curious and more queues formed.  Trusting his instinct that “Londoners crave Asian flavours”, he finally decided to quit his day job and take his venture to the next stage.  His permanent site is in Shoreditch, sticking to “his East London roots”.

Dan co-founded the latest venture with Zaw, the head chef, who grew up in Myanmar and had been working as a chef in London.  Zaw knew his Burmese food and started advising Dan at the Maltby Street market stall before deciding to join Lahpet as the head chef.

An exciting venture for an entrepreneur who was bold enough to quit his 9-5 job, delving deep into his heritage.   He wants to take us with him on his adventure, opening our eyes to the culinary delights of Myanmar.  Perhaps with Lahpet and other Burmese restaurants importing more produce from Myanmar and potential tourists wanting to try the cuisine before travelling there, producers and communities in Myanmar will start to benefit a bit from the expansion of Burmese cuisine in London. 

Read review→

April 2018

Poon’s Pop-up

• Opened on 17 February 2018 - now closed

• Address: 131-133 Central St, London EC1V 8AP (@ The Alchemist)

• Map→

Having come from a long line of chefs in her family, Amy Poon, daughter of Bill Poon (from the famous Poon’s restaurants from 1973-2006), was adamant that she would not go into the restaurant business.  However, destiny called and she realised that food is what she loves.  She has just opened a pop-up restaurant in Clerkenwell.  There has been much excitement and anticipation about this opening.

Bill Poon apparently was the first to bring claypot rice to the UK.  You can find some signature dishes from the Poon’s former days, such as their wind-dried sausage and bacon with claypot rice.  The wind-dried meat had just the right amount of saltiness with some sweet notes.  The rice baked in the claypot was still moist and delicious, having absorbed the flavours from the wind-dried meats.  However, Amy has put her own stamp on the menu, with the emphasis of freshness on ingredients, such as her aubergine salad and pickled cucumber.

The style of the pop-up is also much more casual against a background of pretty colours, the intention being to introduce a deli as well.

Enjoy!

19 February 2018

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Phoenix Palace Chinese Restaurant          

• Address:          5 Glentworth St, Marylebone, London NW1 5P      
• Map→             Nearest Tube:   Baker Street             
• ☏                       020 7486 3515
• 3 Yummy stars        
• Average           £ 20 pp for dim sum (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→        

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                    3/5 stars

Food                                  3/5 stars

Value for money         3/5 stars

Phoenix Palace is sumptuously decorated in a very traditional Chinese style.  You are greeted with a huge wooden Chinese throne-like chair when you enter through the automatic doors.  The place is big and dimly lit with numerous Chinese red lanterns hanging from the ceiling.  Some sections of the sides of the big room sit on a raised platform and give you good view of the whole restaurant.    

Service was adequate.  The waiters were attentive and took away empty plates soon after they have been finished.  Quite bemused that one more experienced staff was heard telling off another less experienced staff across the room in Cantonese .….  Perhaps they thought no one would understand what was being said?

The dim sum menu is huge here, covering the usual ones and more with a long list of specials as well as other specials available over the weekends.  They have on offer variants of the regular dim sum eg steamed wasabi prawn dumplings (which are essentially har gau – prawn dumpling – with the wrappers slightly flavoured in wasabi), lamb dumplings in a Peking style spicy sauce (minced lamb filling tasting like the usual beef ball dim sum), lamb fried dumplings (like gyozas), crispy onion pancakes and crispy mini dough sticks.  Some were better than others. The Shanghai dumplings had a delicious soup inside (which you just suck out before it leaks everywhere and disappear), though the way that the dough was gathered made the top of the wrapper way too thick.  The Vietnamese spring rolls had a tasty filling though the skin was similarly too thick.  The accompanying dipping vinaigrette sauce was good though.  The best dim sum for us was the egg custard tarts, which came in well-baked puff pastry.

Dim sum here is not cheap.  They range from £4 to £8 each.  Choose well!

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, do take a look at my Dim Sum Guide under Yippie Blog.

2017

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

Disclaimer

Royal China Dimsum Restaurant  

• Address:            24-26 Baker Street, London W1U 3BZ    
• Map→                Nearest Tube:   Bond Street/Baker Street         
• ☏                          0207 487 4688
• 4.2 Yummy stars        
• Average              £20 pp (excluding drinks) for dim sum (at time of writing)
• Website→       
• Menu→    

More photos →   

Buzz Factor                   4.5/5 stars

Food                                 4.2/5 stars

Value for money        4/5 stars

Part of the Royal China Group with other branches in Queensway, Fulham, Canary Wharf and Harrow with fine dining at Royal China Club (which is a few doors down from this site).

This is a very popular place especially for dim sum lunch over the weekend.  At peak times for lunch, the place is heaving with crowds of people waiting by reception and continues outside the restaurant.  No reservation for weekend lunches.  Best to come when it opens on the weekend or much later – like 2 or 3 pm.  Nope – no chance of jumping the queue – not even if you try and beg. Strict number calling queuing system. You are not allowed to get a table until everyone in your group is here.

The place is elegantly decorated with black and gold walls.   It is big and airy and resembles a sophisticated dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong.  It is popular for Chinese wedding banquets and parts of the restaurant towards the back can be partitioned off for private dining.

Staff are really friendly and service is generally good, though it can be hard to get the waiters’ attention during peak times. Certain headwaiters are allocated to taking orders and serving food with separate waiting staff bringing the food for some reason.  A bit annoying sometimes when you are dying to get to the food.

The food has been consistently good over the years.  In fact, the dim sum is comparable with some top dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong.

My favourite dim sum dishes include: Har Gau – juicy prawns wrapped in a translucent pasta-like dough; Crab meat dumpling soup – my favourite dim sum – crab meat with shitake mushroom in a thin wrapper sitting in a yummy clear soup with goji berries; Turnip Paste – they taste a lot better than the name!  The panfried turnip is slightly sweet which goes particularly well with the saltiness of the bits of Chinese cured sausage and crunchiness of the dried shrimp; Shanghai Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) – to relish this properly, I suggest eating it from a Chinese spoon.  Take a little bite and suck out the soup first.  The soup is the best part – enjoy every drop of it inside the dumpling.  The soup can be piping hot – don’t burn your tongue.  Unlike other places, the wrapper here is pretty thin; Panfried Gyozas – minced pork in a slightly crispy shell. They are best eaten, having been dipped in vinegar with slivers of ginger; Vietnamese Spring Rolls – super thin wrapper containing shrimp.  These rolls are deep fried and best eaten with the sweet and spicy vinegar dip provided dripping all over them; Steamed Lotus Paste Buns – lotus paste in pillowy soft dough; Egg custard tarts – these little gems have the flakiest of pastries.  Some of the best around; Baked/steamed custard buns – I prefer the baked ones – the buns have a slightly crunchy shell with egg custard inside.

Royal China has recently introduced a range of new more sophisticated (and more expensive!) dim sum.  Worth trying eg Beef rolls with Enoki mushrooms.

2017

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, you might be interested in reading my dim sum guide under Yippie Blog.

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

Disclaimer

Shikumen   

• Address:         Shikumen Finchley Road, Unit 7a,  First Floor,  O2 Centre, Finchley Road, London  NW3 6LU     
• Map→              Nearest Tube:    Finchley Road         
• ☏                      0207 431 9389
• 3.5 Yummy stars        
• Average           £25+ pp (excluding drinks)  for dim sum lunch (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→       

More photos→     

Buzz factor                 3/5 stars

Food                               4/5 stars

Value for money      3.5/5 stars

Shikumen, known for its high quality dim sum, has now opened a branch in the busy O2 Finchley Road shopping centre.  North Londoners now have more of a choice of a dim sum fix locally (in addition to DuckDuckGoose up the road).  It is its 4th restaurant, with others in Ealing, Shepherds Bush and Aldgate (curiously all in hotels).  The latest opening represents a departure for the usual big restaurant chains at O2 Centre. 

Shikumen means “stone gate” – arched and unique to Shanghai houses.   The restaurant sits right by the cinema on the upper floor.  The entrance is open and inviting – mmm, potentially to the bunches of teenagers gathered outside in the foyer.  The prices are quite steep though and so will appeal more to kids who get/earn decent amount of pocket-money or do not eat much.

The décor looks slick with its red-wooden tables and chairs.  Its high ceiling and wide corridor gave it a spacious feel. 

We went for Sunday lunch, which normally is a prime time for Chinese families to get together. We tried to book for 1 pm but couldn’t get a table till 1:15 pm.  So, we expected it to be jam-packed. However, we were surprised to see that only a few tables were filled.  Perhaps word hasn’t got out about its opening or people were still recovering from paying for their holidays.  Well, at least there were enough waiters/waitresses to go round who do look at you, rather than look the other way when you most want their attention.  They were courteous and efficient.

Given the Shanghai theme, you got to try their thinly-wrapped Xiao Long Bao. Drizzled with the vinegar and the slivers of ginger, I was pretty happy. The Har Gau, dipped in their yummy not-so-spicy chilli sauce, were great.  Their venison puff were a bit disappointing though.  The pastry was rather dense and not flaky.  Their turnip cake was flavoursome with chives, but there were small lumps inside the thick slab of turnip cake.  The seafood roll dipped in a little of the strong mango sauce was delicious. Their mini egg custard tarts had just the right amount of sweetness and the egg custard was of a good consistency. 

The dim sum menu was quite extensive and appealing particularly to those who do not eat pork or shellfish.  There were many offerings like mushroom dumplings (which were encased in translucent wrappers) and other vegetarian dumplings as well as duck pumpkin puffs.

Well located with easy parking and good quality dim sum. Definitely worth a try.                                                                                                 

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, do take a look at my dim sum guide under Yippie Blog.

2017

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

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Xu (Soho)  

• Address:           30 Rupert Street, Soho Chinatown,  London  W1D 6DL        
• Map→              Nearest Tube:    Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square      
• ☏                        020 3319 8147
• 4.2 Yummy stars        
• Average            £45 pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→       

More photos→  

Buzz factor                 4.3/5 stars

Food                               4.2/5 stars

Value for money      4.1/5 stars

Opened in 2017 to much aplomb, following the huge success of their 2 branches of Bao.  They may have started Londoners’ love affair with Taiwanese steamed buns.  The latest addition is a true delight.  The food and restaurant is much more upmarket and sophisticated than the 2 branches of Bao and you can book …. finally.  Luckily, they do keep a couple of tables for walk-ins.

The family trio, comprising of sister and brother, Wai Ting Chung and Shing Tat Chung and sister-in-law, Erchen Chang, the founders of the restaurants, seem to go from strength to strength and have fine-tuned their menu since their opening.  “Xu” is apparently named after Erchen Chang’s father.

You enter the restaurant, set in a bygone era of the 30’s in Taiwan.  You feel that   you have arrived at a movie set, serene and yet a bit surreal. Beautifully grooved dark wood-panelled walls and wood carved bars, overhead fans and cleverly placed booths, covered in soothing baby pink and pale green leather.  The ground floor is essentially a tea room with dining upstairs.  There are 2 mahjong rooms for hire too.  Mahjong is a traditional Chinese game (for 4 persons).

The waiting staff were all friendly and helpful, perfectly coiffed, made up and well dressed.  They offered help with the menu and checked that we were happy with the food throughout. 

And what about the food?  We went for the set menu for £35 each person, which worked really well for trying and sharing a wide variety of dishes.  The stars were the chilled clams cleverly topped with cucumber, chilli and basil oil, leaving you with a refreshing and clean taste.  The beef short rib was tender and juicy and was served with slivers of crispy potato on top, sitting on a piece of marrow bone with pancakes and neatly cut batons of cucumber and other relishes.  Another highlight was their Xian Bing – minced pork encased in a bun, pan-fried and served with a dipping vinegar sauce.  Do watch out for the searingly hot juice squirting out at you, as you bite into the bun.  (Perhaps leave this one out if you are on your first date). The black pepper beef was so tender and went surprisingly well with the raw egg, all served on a hot plate.  Mixing the runny egg into the perfectly cooked steamed rice gave the rice a real richness. You just need a bit of the sauce, as it was a bit too sweet for my liking.  We were warned about the spiciness of the grilled sea bass, which had green and red chilli paste on each half of the fish. Apart from looking pretty, the fish was perfectly cooked and it wasn’t too spicy at all.

I will definitely be back for more.

2017

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

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Yauatcha 

• Yauatcha Soho Address:        15-17 Broadwick St, Soho, London W1F 0DL     Map - Soho→        Nearest Tube:   Leicester Square   ☏    020 7494 8888      
• Yauatcha City Address:            1 Broadgate Circle, London EC2M 2QS          Map - City→             Nearest Tube:     Liverpool Street      ☏    020 3817 9888
• 4.1 Yummy stars      
• Average                                           £45 pp (excluding drinks) for dim sum (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu - Soho→;   City→       

More photos→  

Buzz factor                 4.3/5 stars

Food                               4.2/5 stars

Value for money      3.8/5 stars

Yauatcha was started in 2005 by the restaurant genius, Alan Yau (who also founded Wagamama, Hakkasan and Thai Busaba Eathai).  As well as in Soho, it now has a sister restaurant in the City and 7 other branches in the US, India and Saudi Arabia. 

Stunning décor – still beautiful and elegant after all these years.  You enter through the blue door and you are immediately drawn to the counter of perfect patisserie as well as the walls of big tea canisters.  You can either eat on the ground floor or in the basement with bare brick walls and cool lighting.  The clientele looked just as sophisticated and the staff were well dressed and well behaved. You can come here and pretend to be a model or something.

Contemporary setting comes contemporary looking food. It didn’t just taste good, it all looked good, sitting so prettily.  You feel guilty ruining the photogenic little gems, like everything else here (even the vases and I wouldn’t mind having one). 

Their dim sum is of a high standard. Their xiao long bao (Shanghai dumplings) were terrific with a superb broth inside, the venison puff with its flaky pastry, har gau in its translucent wrappers (unfortunately – just 3 in a basket).  Dim sum here while delicious don’t come cheap, averaging about £7 per portion (which is quite a lot more expensive than other dim sum restaurants in London).  Their soft shell crab, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  It came served with a mountain of slivers of crispy garlic and some chilli. I could easily eat all the crispy garlic by itself (even if nobody wanted to talk to me afterwards).  Who cares if you’re having fun?

A place for a special occasion/treat and I strongly advise booking in advance.

If you are interested in learning more about dim sum, do take a look at my Dim Sum Guide under Yippie Blog.

2017 

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

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Sushi Bar Atari-Ya (Swiss Cottage)   

• Address:           75 Fairfax Rd, London NW6 4EE      
• Map→              Nearest Tube:   Swiss Cottage                   
• ☏                        020 7328 5338
• 4 Yummy stars        
• Average            £35+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→     

More photos→   

Buzz factor                  4/5 stars

Food                                4/5 stars

Value for money       4/5 stars

Eat-in or Take-away

Among the parade of shops and restaurants sits Atariya, conveniently within walking distance from Swiss Cottage tube station with South Hampstead Overground even closer.

Pretty informal restaurant with bare brick walls on one side, wooden table and chairs and the bar and sushi bar on the other side.  Right at the back is a table on a raised platform.  If you are into people watching, then go for this table.  Of course, you become more visible to others too. So, watch your manners, though slurping is perfectly acceptable in Japanese culture. Service was adequate and you can get the waitress’s attention without difficulty.

Reliably fresh sushi here, being part of the Atari-Ya restaurant group.  Its sister company supplies fish to other restaurants (including Michelin starred ones apparently) and not surprisingly, their fish here is consistently of good quality.  

There is a great variety of rolls here, offering some not just with raw fish but also with cooked food eg soft shell crab, prawn tempura, chicken teriyaki and even black cod.  Do try their spicy tuna roll too.  Their black cod with miso was tender and moist and similarly, their deep-fried aubergine with miso was so soft and full of flavour too.

They do a roaring trade here particularly on a Saturday evening.  So, if you want to get a take-away, my advice would be to order and collect quite early – well, before 8 pm.

 2017    

©   2017-2018 Yippie  All rights reserved

Disclaimer

Café Japan    

• Address:               626 Finchley Rd, London NW11 7RR   
• Map→                  Nearest Tube:   Golders Green       
• ☏                            020 8455 6854
• 4 Yummy stars        
• Average                £30+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→    
• Menu→    

More photos→   

Buzz factor                 3.8/5 stars

Food                               4.1/5 stars

Value for money      4.2/5 stars

Eat-in or Take-away

This restaurant has been around for a long time and for a reason.  Though it was taken over by the Atariya group some years ago, it still maintains the friendly local feel with consistently good food.  It was extensively refurbished fairly recently, moving the sushi counter to the back of the restaurant. The restaurant feels more spacious now.

The staff – including the sushi chefs – are always very friendly and courteous.  Unlike many Japanese restaurants, the sushi chefs do not carry a “Do not Disturb” sign round their necks.  Unlike the fish in front of them, they are alive and they smile.

It is a casual place with simple décor – bare brick walls and wooden tables and chairs.  It is also a great place to eat with the family. In addition to their usual menu, the waitress hands you a few single sheets (with their specials).  You feel as if you are about to sit an exam.  

The set lunches and dinners are a real hit – and great value too.  The sushi/sashimi is fresh.  The menu includes dishes adapted to the Western palate eg the gyozas (ie dumplings) with chicken filling (replacing the usual pork filling). There is a long list of sushi rolls with something for everyone.  I particularly like their spicy inside out tuna rolls and salmon avocado rolls.   Their fried beancurd/tofu has a thin coating and comes sitting in a light soya sauce dip. The chicken teriyaki is moist and tender and the teriyaki sauce is delicious especially when mixed with the rice.

Unlike most other restaurants, service is optional.  The great service definitely deserves a good tip.

If it was down to me, I would go everyday.

2017-2018    

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Defune Restaurant       

• Address:             34 George St, Marylebone, London W1U 7DP    
• Map→                 Nearest Tube:     Bond Street       
• ☏                           0207 935 8311
• 4.2 Yummy stars        
• Average               £65+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→      

More photos→

Buzz Factor                    4.2/5 stars

Food                                  4.5/5 stars

Value for money         3.8/5 stars

A traditional authentic Japanese restaurant with consistently fresh sashimi and sushi. The restaurant has a Zen-like feel.  The waitresses and even the clientele always appear so calm.  People tend to talk rather quietly and seem not to wish to disturb others.  The ground floor sit the sushi counter and a small seating area – with the basement hosting a communal teppanyaki area and a separate space down a few steps with a domed ceiling and tranquil lighting.

Service is great here.  The waitresses are super polite and attentive, wiping off any and every spillage as you make it without being intrusive.  That takes some skill. Well, the service charge is 15% after all, for which you would expect better than standard service.

The menu had an extensive list of sushi and sashimi with quite mouth-watering prices, ranging from £9.80 for 2 pieces of mackerel sushi to £16.80 for 2 pieces of fatty tuna sushi.  The sushi and sashimi has been of a great quality over the years. The sushi rolls were delicious too and more reasonably priced.  Better bet might be to order a starter with a combination of sushi or sashimi and some sushi rolls or go for their lunch menu.

The cooked food is of a very good standard too.  You can’t beat a classic Japanese black cod with a bit of white miso-based sauce on the side.  The fish was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. They also offer a variety of daily specials.  We tried their beef fillet with Defune’s special sauce.  The beef was seriously tender and juicy.

As with many Japanese restaurants, you can have a pretty efficient meal here and leave feeling tranquil and relaxed (apart from having less in your wallet).

2017-2018

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Dinings  (Marylebone)   

• Address:            22 Harcourt St, Marylebone, London W1H 4HH     
• Map→               Nearest Tube:    Bond Street        
• ☏                         020 7723 0666
• 3 Yummy stars        
• Average             £80+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→     

More photos→  

Buzz factor                  3/5 stars

Food                                4/5 stars

Value for money       2/5 stars

Dinings first opened about 10 years ago, introducing the concept of Izakaya cuisine (ie tapas style food eaten at traditional Japanese pub-like place).  The original Dinings is in Marylebone – a tiny place with a sushi counter on the ground floor and a cosy dining space in the basement.  It has recently opened in much more salubrious surroundings in Knightsbridge.  Ahum, neither place looks like a pub at all.

You go to this Marylebone spot to eat.  The décor is simple and it is not a place to party as such.  If you want glamour, then head to the Knightsbridge offshoot. 

The waitresses at the Marylebone one were all keen to take your order and attentive at all times.

The star is in their tapas style offerings – dainty sashimi bites sitting on a taco shell, beautifully presented on a long dish. They charge their tacos (sushi and sashimi) by the piece, averaging about £4.50+ per piece (plus 12.5% service). Their sushi was fresh and their wagyu beef was really tender.

They seem to like everything small here, their cute little tacos, small space and tables. No, you don’t need to be small to come here, though it might help your wallet.  Mmm, did everyone rush here to try out because it is run by ex-Nobu chefs? Given the price tag, I am not sure that I would rush back.

2017-2018

©   2017 Yippie  All rights reserved

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Jin Kichi    

• Address:                 73 Heath Street, Hampstead, London NW3 6UG      
• Map→                    Nearest Tube:    Hampstead  
• ☏                             (reservations)  020 7794 6158       (take away)   020 7794 7320
• 4.1 Yummy stars        
• Average                 £30+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)     
• Website→      
• Menu→     

More photos→

Buzz Factor                    4.2/5 stars

Food                                  4.2/5 stars

Value for money         3.9/5 stars

Eat in or Take away   ☏ 020 7794 7320

This place is always packed – often with regulars.  Be sure to book in advance (though bear in mind that it is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays after a Bank Holiday).  By the way, the front door is a sliding door before you wreck the door by trying to push or pull it.

You are greeted by the cooking area where they grill skewers after skewers.  The décor is quite simple and modest but pleasant.  I prefer to sit on the ground floor level than the pretty tight space in the basement, though upstairs is often filled with the smells from the cooking area.   This is compensated by the buzz and warmth in the room upstairs.  Cosy atmosphere all round.  Not really a place for big groups if you want to sit comfortably.

Service is totally adequate.  Staff are friendly.  As they are always so busy, you will need to make an effort to get the staff’s attention.

Jin Kichi is famed for its grilled skewers.  We love the chicken yakitori skewers with its sweet soya sauce and many others eg shitaki mushrooms, asparagus and chicken wings. 

The sushi and sashimi here is consistently fresh and skillfully presented. 

The cooked food is equally good here.  Do try the aubergine with sweet miso sauce, the (cold) spinach with bonito flakes and the perfectly cooked black cod and grilled mackerel.  Even someone like me who was not a massive fan of mackerel has been converted….

Enjoy!

2017-2018

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Roka (Charlotte Street)

• Address:             37 Charlotte St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RR
• Map→                  Nearest Tube:    Goodge Street
• ☏                          020 7580 6464
• 4.1 Yummy stars        
• Average              £80+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)   
• Website→
• Menu→

More photos→

Buzz Factor                  4.4/5 stars

Food                                 4.2/5 stars

Value for money        3.8/5 stars

Roka (Charlotte Street) has been around since 2004.  It was the first of 4 Roka restaurants, with one in Canary Wharf (since 2009) and 2 others in Mayfair and Aldwych (which opened in February and October 2014 respectively).  They were the brainchild of German chef, Rainer Becker (from the Zuma fame in Knightsbridge, London).

As you walk in, you can understand why Roka (Charlotte Street) is still around after all these years.  Stylishly decorated, the place was heaving – full to the brim.  Buoyant, noisy with the buzz of the waiters, clientele and the roar from the centre stage of the restaurant – the robata grill – with the sushi counter on the other side.  Clever design, making the cooking the main attraction, well ahead of other restaurants in its days. 

Robatayaki is a Japanese method of barbeque.  Pieces of food on skewers are slow grilled over a hot charcoal.  It originated from fisherman in northern Japan, Hokkaido, who had to find a way to cook on boats.  The charcoal also provided a source of warmth for them.

The menu was extensive.  Food was beautifully presented and delicious.  The standout dish was the kampachi sashimi salad – yellowtail sashimi with yuzu truffle dressing.  The spicy beef was perfectly grilled.  Do also try the black cod in yuzu miso and of course, the skewers.

The waiters were helpful. However, they were far too busy to be attentive, given that the restaurant was full.  You had to make an effort to get their attention, particularly above the din. What?  I hear you say (if you can hear yourself speak), with the “optional” service charge being at 13.5%.

It is pretty difficult to get a table here. You are strongly advised to book well in advance, though some tables did come up a few days before we went. 

2017

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Sakana-Tei  Japanese Restaurant      

• Address:               11 Maddox St, Mayfair, London W1S 2QF      
• Map→                  Nearest Tube:   Oxford Circus       
• ☏                              020 7629 3000
• 3.4  Yummy stars        
• Average               £ 35+ pp for lunch (and quite a lot more for supper)  (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• No website      

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                    3.2/5 stars

Food                                  3.9/5 stars

Value for money         3.2/5 stars

Sakana-Tei is very much a down-to-earth authentic Japanese restaurant. It is totally unpretentious in its décor, pretty basic in fact.  You come here to eat great Japanese food and not to be seen as such. It is normally a good sign if you see other Japanese people eating here as well…..

The staff were all friendly enough.  Polite and quiet, as you would expect in a Japanese restaurant.  Our young waitress, sweet as she was, did not appear to understand much English.  She couldn’t quite grasp what we were asking.  Help!  Google Translate.  Pointing to the menu worked best.  And then, my friend’s main lunch took a while to come after chasing.  However, the food, when it came, was great. 

We went for a combination of set menus (which were reasonably priced given the quality of the raw fish and its central location) and various à la carte items.    The sashimi and sushi were very fresh. The fatty tuna (Toro) just melted in your mouth.  If you like uni (sea urchin), you have to order separately at “Season’s  price”.  On the day, 2 pieces of uni sushi cost £16. 

The stars of the day were the appetizers that came with the Special Chirashi (sashimi spread on a layer of rice) set lunch.  The clear soup – served in a cute little teapot and poured into a tiny saké cup.  It was so full of flavour.  The other appetizer was this incredibly smooth savoury egg custard, again steeped in deliciousness. 

I had the Special Chirashi set lunch.  It had a fair amount of sashimi on top of a bowl of well cooked sushi rice eg tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, squid, yellow tail, prawn, mackerel, crab stick.  If you like lots of raw fish, this would be the one to go for.

The black cod was well marinated.  It was cooked well and was still moist.

You come to Sakana-Tei for some good honest and authentic Japanese cuisine without having to pay staggeringly high prices.  My kind of restaurant.  I would definitely go again.

2017

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Addie’s Thai    

• Address:             121 Earls Court Road, Kensington & Chelsea, London, SW5 9RL       
• Map→                Nearest Tube:    Earls Court        
• ☏                          020 7259 2620
• 3.2 Yummy stars        
• Average              £20+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→      
• Menu→      

More photos→   

Buzz Factor                    3/5 stars

Food                                  3/5 stars

Value for money         3.5/5 stars

Eat-in or take away (but no longer offering free delivery)

You know that you have a find when you see Thai people eating at the restaurant.  The décor is down to earth with some blue mosaic tiles on some walls and wood effect tables. Who needs elaborate furnishings when you can get good food at reasonable prices? 

Service was perfectly adequate with polite and helpful staff.  The restaurant filled up and food was served promptly.  You can be in and out in less than an hour, which is great for mid-week walk in lunch.  There was no set lunch menu as such.

The restaurant serves Bangkok street food, having been set up since 1987.  The menu is quite extensive, serving many of the usual Thai fare.  The Thai fishcakes and grilled prawns with Addie’s own sauce and lots of garlic were pretty good.  The sauce with the prawns was particularly delicious, rather sweet and rich.  However, the Panang curry with chicken was a bit bland. 

2017

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Greyhound Cafe

• Address:        37 Berners St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LZ
• Map→             Nearest Tube:   Goodge Street
• ☏                     020 3026 3798
• 3.8      Yummy stars        
• Price                Small plates/salads £5-£13; Mains £12-24 (at time of writing)   
• Website→
• Menu→

Buzz Factor                   3.8/5 stars

Food                                 4/5 stars

Value for money         3.5/5 stars 

No Thai Green Curry on the menu.  That sounds promising; I am always looking for something other than the bog-standard.  Even more promising is Greyhound Café’s provenance.  It started life as a fashion line in Bangkok in 1980.  It branched out into its first restaurant in Bangkok in 1997 (with Fortune magazine, a business-related magazine in Asia Pacific) describing it as having ‘`the hottest seats in town” within a few weeks of opening. It is known for its restaurant design as well as its food and now has over 20 branches in similar modern stylish surroundings all over South East Asia.

Their first venture in Europe is in a bustling part of Fitzrovia at a prominent corner site with huge windows, outside seating and plenty of greenery and vibrant yellow flowers to make it look inviting. The interior had a contemporary and relaxed feel with rows of wooden tables and chairs and subdued lighting from globe-shaped glass baubles that appeared to float from the ceiling.  A massive fish trap dangled from the ceiling as a Thai symbol to bring good fortune, with its opening facing outwards to attract customers in.

The restaurant has been described as having “Global influences add[ing] invention to the Thai menu…” or should it have read: “Global influences add confusion to the Thai menu…”. I just don’t get Thai food with spaghetti, bruschetta nor burger and chips.  Chips in a Thai restaurant?  Really, in London? 

We didn’t bother trying the fusion dishes.  Most of the food that we ordered was really delicious though.  The Rib-eye satay was very well marinated.  It was so tender; we had no difficulty prising it off its skewer.  The sauce was rich and thick with curry pastes mixed into coconut milk, some sweet and sour notes from tamarind and a bit of crunch from the crushed peanuts.  It had a slight kick to it, though it was not as peanutty as others that I have had.  The Todmun Pops (spicy fried fishballs) with a slightly chewy skin were delicious, especially when dipped in its sweet and spicy sauce. 

Dish of the day was the “German-style” fried pork knuckle in a spicy tamarind paste.  The crunchy skin didn’t have the crispiness of Chinese roast pork but was more than compensated by the meat, still moist and soft like a baby’s chubby cheek.  Eating the bit of fat still attached to the skin and meat, together with its jaew sauce (Thai chilli sauce with its sour and salty notes) just made you want to go back for more.  It was a hearty dish that you would want to share with others, which would make the hefty £22 price tag seem better value.

The only disappointing dish was the rather bland Grilled FakThong (Thai Pumpkin) Tofu Salad.  The tofu (beancurd) was mushy and came with a sesame dressing lacking in flavour.  But, given the overall standard of the cooking and quality of the ingredients, I would definitely go back and try some more dishes, also as the staff was pretty chilled. I was impressed that no one waved the bill at us even though we sat there for nearly 3 hours, deep in conversation, solving the world’s problems. 

I just wish that they would ditch the European style dishes and come up with some more delicious Thai dishes.  Nothing that we had was terribly spicy at all, unlike at some other Thai restaurants in London (ironically with British chefs, like Som Saa in Shoreditch and Kiln in Soho). The European palate for Asian flavours has progressed so much in recent years.  Go on, we can take it! 

May 2018

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Kiln (Soho) 

• Address:         58 Brewer St, Soho, London W1F 9TL     
• Map→              Nearest Tube:     Piccadilly Circus         
• ☏                       No telephone number
• 4.3 Yummy stars        
• Average           £25+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→       
•  Menu→        

More photos→  

Buzz factor                  4/5 stars

Food                               4.5/5 stars

Value for money      4.5/5 stars

Kiln, the latest offering from the chef, Ben Chapman in addition to his first restaurant, Smoking Goat, shows that his cooking is going from strength to strength.  The food here is much better than at Smoking Goat. The name, Kiln, describes the wood-burning cooking area (which does not use any electricity or gas), all for everyone at the bar counter/walk-ins to take in the theatre and the aromas of the spices.  Downstairs sit a few tables with reservations for 4 or more people.  The place is full of life in the evenings but be prepared to queue for quite some time (unless you managed to find enough friends together and book in advance).

The menu is pretty small (with no dessert).  You won’t find any of the usual Thai fare of Thai green curry or Pad Thai here.  Their regional Thai food (with influences from Yunnan, Burma and Bangkok Chinatown) is generally terrific here and the waitresses were always on hand to help decipher the menu.

One of the star dishes for me was the Langoustines with Kaffir lime and sweet mint. They were in ceviche style – “cooked” by the lime juice and so, retained their freshness to resounding success.  Their Aged lamb skewers are a firm favourite of mine, the lamb being a “mature” lamb (up to 5 weeks).  Don’t be put off by a bit of fat on the lamb.  Eat it all – fat and all - to get the maximum taste sensation. You get a serious hit of cumin and Szechuan pepper, chargrilled to perfection.  I can eat so many….  Their Claypot baked glass noodles with Tamworth pork belly and brown crab meat came with a strong lime juice based sauce.  You can order this as a starter or main course portion.  It may not look Instagram worthy but the pork (with a bit of fat on) was full of flavour and tender, though I would have preferred to have a bit more pork in the dish.  Their Wild Ginger and Beef cheek curry from Burma had an intense sauce which went very well with some rice.  Beware that some of the curries could be pretty hot.  Suggest that you check with the waitresses and ask for dishes to be toned down in heat to your taste or you can find yourself teary-eyed or speechless or both.  A great excuse to go for ice cream afterwards.

As with most Pan-Asian food, best to come with a few friends, so that you can try a good number of dishes.  Some seriously good cooking with deep flavours here and still really good value too. 

2017

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Lahpet

• Address:        58 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6JW
• Map→              Nearest Transport:  Shoreditch High Street Overground 
• ☏                      020 3883 5629
• 4  Yummy stars        
• Price                 Starters - £5-8; mains - £11-15 (at time of writing)   
• Website→
• Menu→

Buzz Factor                  3.9/5 stars

Food                                4/5 stars

Value for money       4.2/5 stars

 The Shoreditch restaurant is quite a departure from the early days of the former self of the restaurant.  It shouts: “We mean business.”  A fully-fledged grown up restaurant, stylishly designed with a copper-clad bar and sophisticated lighting, replicating the communal dining from its former Hackney site, with booths by the windows.  The window panes are adorned with leaves, creating a distinctive light effect in the evenings. 

The menu has a number of classic Burmese dishes as well as some originating from Shan, where Zaw came from.  

Lahpet salad, their best-seller and a national favourite in Myanmar, had so many layers of well-balanced tastes and textures – red cabbage salad with sourness and slight bitterness from the fermented tea leaves, crunch from the fried garlic, split peas, butter beans and peanuts, tomatoes, chillis and dried shrimps.  A real taste sensation – earthy and tangy.  Just so moreish. Tons of fried garlic but they didn’t come over as overpowering at all. 

Their Ginger salad (Gin Thohk) was pretty good too.  The cabbage was doused in a dressing spiced with ginger and chilli, giving the dish just the right amount of kick.  The different nuts, butter beans and lots of fried garlic provided more contrasting textures.    

The array of fritters – Mandalay, sweetcorn, Bottle Gourd (a bit like marrow) and Shan Tofu (made of split peas) came with a mild tamarind sauce.  The inside of each was moist and tasty but I found the rice flour coating a bit too thick and difficult to cut through.  The sweetcorn fritter was my favourite – soft on the inside and slightly sweet. 

The standout dish of the day for me was their Coconut noodles with chicken (Ohn-no Kauk Swé) – a bit like a Singaporean Laksa but much milder.  The curry soup was stacked with so many different layers of flavours – coconut, ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander, paprika etc.  Adding the fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime juice given as condiments took the dish to another level.  The marinated chicken was delicious and tender and the noodles were so soft that you can easily slurp them all up.   It is no surprise that this has been another of their best sellers since Day 1 at their Maltby Street market stall.  The prettily cut out wonton cracker gave the cuddly and warm bowl of goodness some crunch.

I will be back to try some more!

Read the story of the co-founder, Dan Anton →      

April 2018

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Patara  (Hampstead)     

• Address:           82 Hampstead High St, Hampstead, London NW3 1RE      
• Map→              Nearest Tube:    Hampstead         
• ☏                        020 7431 5902
• 3.2 Yummy stars        
• Average           £45+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→       
• Menu→      

More photos→   

Buzz factor                  3.5/5 stars

Food                               3.2/5 stars

Value for money      3/5 stars

Bang in the middle of Hampstead Village sits Patara, a fairly new but welcome addition to the restaurant scene in this neighbourhood.  It is part of a chain, with its flagship restaurant in Soho which opened many years ago.  Other branches have sprung up over the years, including (Beauchamp Place) Knightsbridge, Oxford Circus and the latest offering in Wimbledon.  Some branches are apparently “temporarily closed”.  So, do double-check before going.

The Hampstead one has a contemporary feel, with pale blue chairs, wooden tables and the walls partially in royal blue while complemented in pale grey in the lower part, all cleverly lit to great effect, giving the place some real ambience.  A beautifully crafted full height wine cabinet with its wooden shelves and fascia divides the dining area near the front from the main one.

You can expect to get your usual Thai dishes, such as Thai green curry (called Chicken Kieaw Wan here) and Pad Thai.  The restaurants are supposed to follow the same recipes.  However, I found that the Hampstead Thai green curry to be too sweet for my liking, in fact, fair bit sweeter than, say, the one in Knightsbridge.  Their chicken satay (and peanut sauce), fish cake, duck in ginger tamarind sauce were all pleasant enough.  The prices are a lot steeper than most other Thai restaurants in London.  You are being asked to pay for the sophisticated and comfortable surroundings and location. 

Lunch is a great time to go and take advantage of their choice of lunch menus, ranging from £9.90 to £24 pp for a minimum of 2 persons (excluding drinks and service).  Their seabass was really moist and full of lime and chilli flavours.

They have a special tea menu too.  When it came – with very few tea leaves in, I wondered whether I had just ordered hot water instead.

This is high-end Thai food.  Very convenient for the locals.  

Buzz factor                  3.5/5 stars

Food                               3.2/5 stars

Value for money      3/5 stars

2017

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Som Saa (Spitalfields)   

• Address:                  43A Commercial St, London E1 6BD      
• Map→                     Nearest Tube:    Aldgate East              
• ☏                               020 7324 7790  
• 4 Yummy stars        
• Average                   £40+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→        
• Lunch Menu→       Dinner Menu→      

More photos→   

Buzz factor                  4/5 stars

Food                                4/5 stars

Value for money       4/5 stars

Minutes from Spitalfields market. It attracts a young crowd, happy to wait for a table at the bar.  As is the trend these days, walk-ins are welcome (which may be good for someone like me who doesn’t always bother to reserve a table well in advance).  All is not lost, as you can still book for lunch and if you can find 3 other friends together, you can book for supper too. 

Industrial feel with exposed and tall ceilings and bare brick walls, the place was buzzing in the evenings.  Unless you can lipread, your friends may have to shout if you want to hear them.  The staff was friendly and we had no problem in getting their attention despite the crowds.  Try waving manically with your iPhone light on.

Andy Oliver, one of the chefs, was a 2009 Masterchef finalist and had, since, worked under David Thompson, the famed Thai cuisine guru.  As the story goes, Som Saa started life as a pop up in Hackney and very quickly raised more than they had hoped for through crowd-funding and the rest is history. 

The chefs are not afraid to use their chillis and spices in their take on North-eastern Thai food.  So, be prepared for the ride (and perhaps bring a yoghurt with you).  Their curries have been consistently good eg braised beef cheek with chilli vinegar sauce, though sad to see their goat curry disappear from their menu.  The goat curry was so tender and flavoursome.  Perhaps in years to come, it will become more readily available and Londoners will get to enjoy it.  Their grilled long aubergine salad with egg and prawn floss was also quite a find. However, the best was saved to the last – the salted palm sugar ice cream with turmeric grilled banana was just heavenly.  You just got to taste it to believe it.

This is the place where you will forever be converted from ordering your usual Thai green curry or Pad Thai.  Thank goodness that they are not on the menu.

2017

Cây Tre Soho      

• Address:              42-43 Dean Street W1D  4PZ             
• Map→                 Nearest Tube:    Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road           
• ☏                           020 7317 9118
• 3.2  Yummy stars      
• Average               £28+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→         
• Menu→         

More photos→  

Buzz Factor                 3.2/5 stars

Food                               3/5 stars

Value for money      3.5/5 stars

In the heart of Soho sits Cây Tre.  Perfectly located to catch the Soho crowd or pre- or post- theatre clientele.    You can have a quick bowl of noodles or linger for longer.  A long line of plastic white tables greets you – with a casual and functional feel.  Nothing fancy at all but a quick meal.  You can be in and out in less than an hour, which is great before theatre.

Cây Tre is part of the Vietnamese Kitchen group, the 3rd of 6 in the restaurant chain.   There is another branch of Cây Tre in Shoreditch/Hoxton.

You will find familiar Vietnamese dishes here such as Phô (noodles in soup which apparently takes 18 hours to make!) and Vietnamese rolls.  They say that they fly in handmade noodles into London twice a week.  A chunky piece of prawn sits under the translucent wrapper of their classic Vietnamese summer rolls, which don’t taste of much but do eat them with their delicious sauce.

2017

City Càphê  

• Address:             7 Ironmonger Ln, London EC2V 8EY       
• Map→                Nearest Tube:    Bank      
• ☏                         No telephone
• 3.6 Yummy stars      
• Average             £12+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→        
• Menu→       

More photos→  

Buzz factor                  4/5 stars

Food                               3/5 stars

Value for money      3.9/5 stars

Eat-in or Takeaway (by ordering online)

The queue outside the little lunch place started soon after 12 pm.  So, if there was a queue, it must be good.  Sure as not to miss anything, I joined the queue. While queuing, I started chatting to others in the queue - all part of a loyal following of City workers in the area. 

City Càphê started with a group of refugee Vietnamese who arrived in the UK in 1978.  Having initially catered just for the Vietnamese community, it finally opened its first restaurant in the City in 2010 and this year, its sister branch, called Moi An was born in Fetter Lane.

Back to the queue.  It began from outside the eatery and then meandered round the tight space past the few tables and plastic red chairs/stools, the fridge offering rolls (with a variety of fillings) and bottled/canned drinks, before finally reaching the order counter.  You order your hot dishes (all served in a take-away box/container all ready to go into a paper bag).  They can be eaten on site (if you manage to find a table/seat by the window) or taken away.  The formula works beautifully, no fuss, efficient and reasonably priced.

The menu has your usual Pho (rice noodles in broth with some meat/vegetables), Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguettes) and rolls.  Their spicy glass noodle soup with prawns was well worth trying (and you can ask to have it not too spicy) and so were their summer rolls (with prawn and pork). You can pick up a box of 2 (cold) summer rolls from the fridge which come with a flavourful dipping sauce. If you can’t finish everything, you can always take it away with you.   

You can be in and out in 20 minutes (excluding queuing time).  Ideal place for a (super) quick lunch.  Go somewhere else if you want to propose.

2017

CôBa Restaurant   

• Address:               244 York Way, London N7 9AG    
• Map→                  Nearest Transport:     A bit of a walk from Kings Cross Underground or Caledonian Road Overground        
• ☏                            07495 963336
• 3.8 Yummy stars      
• Average                 £25  pp  (excluding dessert and drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→         
• Lunch Menu→      Dinner Menu→         

More photos→  

Buzz factor                  3.5/5 stars

Food                                3.9/5 stars

Value for money       4/5 stars

CôBa Restaurant sits in the corner of crossroads in the vicinity of the newly developed Kings Cross area of York Road.  Though quite a walk from public transport, it is a convenient location for a bite to eat before or after visiting Kings Place and Kings Cross Theatre and many other places nearby. The décor is simple and has the trendy industrial but roomy feel.  It seats 50+ with the bar at the back.

Following the trend of welcoming walk-ins, the restaurant currently accepts only dinner reservations. 

The service was attentive but not intrusive.  The staff were friendly and helpful.

The menu claims to be Australian-inspired Vietnamese food.  The chef patron is Damon Bui, who is of Vietnamese descent and has apparently been inspired by his mother’s cooking back in Australia.  After a successful run of supper clubs, he opened CôBa Restaurant in October 2015. 

The menu is pretty short and has a BBQ theme, though you can still order your usual Vietnamese rolls.  Their Beef Pho was fairly average as the soup base lacked depth.  I suppose that I was comparing their Pho with what I had in Vietnam, the experience of which I have not been able to re-live in London yet….. However, there are many other dishes here that were well worth having.

The prawn toast, which I had heard about, did not disappoint.  In fact, it was one of the best things among the dishes we ordered.   The toasts deceptively hid a good amount of minced prawn – all deep fried and served with as mildly spicy mayonnaise.  We really enjoyed their Papaya chicken salad which was pretty spicy.  The original version comes very hot.  Do ask the waiter to tone down the heat if you can’t take very spicy food and want to be able to speak afterwards. 

Their BBQ Pork and BBQ Chicken noodle salad with lemongrass, fried tofu, mint, red chilli served with nuoc cham sauce (a garlic chilli dipping sauce) were also delicious and really refreshing.  The BBQ meat had an intense flavour which blended well with the noodles and the mild chilli dipping sauce.  

Definitely worth a visit and going back to!

2017

Sông Quê Café     

• Address:              134 Kingsland Road London  E3 8DY     
• Map→                 Nearest Tube:     Old Street (about a 15+ minute walk) with Hoxton Overground (2 minute walk)    
• ☏                          020 7613 3222
• 4  Yummy stars        
• Average               £20-25+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)  
• Website→          
• Menu→        

More photos→

Buzz Factor                    4/5 stars

Food                                  4/5 stars

Value for money         4.2/5 stars

Food is great here.

The focus is on the food rather than the décor, which was very basic, with tables quite close to each other.  The restaurant is one big room packed full of people in their 20s/30s with a lively atmosphere (though can be rather noisy) at evening meal time. The walls are a garish green but the tables do come with table cloths.  The restaurant sits in the corner of the road.  Best to avoid sitting facing the cross roads as you may be blinded by the super bright lights of the oncoming cars.

The menu is very extensive, offering 168 dishes (excluding desserts)!

The best dish we tasted was their Pho – with a myriad of combination of ingredients.  The soup has a real depth of flavour.  The Pho here was the closest to the truly astoundingly scrumptious Pho that we have had in Vietnam. 

Their chicken satay was richly marinated and simply delicious, with a thick satay sauce drizzled over them.  I would have preferred to have the sauce separately, leaving me to dip the satay in as much sauce I liked.  Unlike satay in other restaurants, the star in this dish is in the chicken itself rather than the sauce.

The softshell crab was pretty good too.  If you can’t take very hot food, I would stay away from eating the chillis.

The chicken in tamarind sauce was another winner. Accompanied by onions, chillis and a rich sauce, the chicken was seriously yummy.

This is a restaurant that is really good for casual dining and the food is uncompromisingly delicious.

One thing though.  Avoid going to the toilet if you can or go with a friend.  The lock was missing on the toilet door…

2017

Viet Grill      

• Address:          58 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8DP
• Map→              Nearest Tube:    Hoxton Overground/a bit of a walk from Old Street tube    
• 3.6  Yummy stars        
• Average           £25+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)    
• Website→         
• Menu→        

Buzz factor                  4/5 stars

Food                               3/5 stars

Value for money      3.5/5 stars

Viet Grill is in Kingsland Road, home to by a whole host of Vietnamese restaurants. Like the other restaurants in this street, a very casual dining experience with wood effect tables and chairs.

There was a real buzz to the place when we went on a Saturday evening.  In fact, the place was heaving with mostly quite a young crowd. 

Viet Grill is part of the Vietnamese Kitchen group, the 2nd of 6 in the restaurant chain.  

You will find familiar Vietnamese dishes here such as Phô (noodles in soup which apparently takes 18 hours to make!) and Vietnamese rolls.  They say that they fly in handmade noodles into London twice a week. Chunky pieces of prawn sit under the translucent wrapper of their classic Vietnamese summer rolls, served with a delicious sauce.

2017

Rasa Sayang

• Address:        5 Macclesfield St, London W1D 6AY
• Map→             Nearest Tube:   Leicester Square
• ☏                     020 7734 1382
• 4.3  Yummy stars        
• Price                “Nibbles” - £3.90-£7.90; Mains - £7.90-£15.90 (mostly £7.90-£8.90); desserts - £3.90-£4.90 (at time of writing)   
• Website→
• Menu→

More photos→

Buzz Factor                   3.5/5 stars

Food                                 4.5/5 stars

Value for money         4.8/5 stars

Eat-in or Take-away 

This little gem of an authentic Malaysian restaurant has been going for years and sits modestly in a side street to the hustle and bustle of the main thoroughfare of China Town.  When I first saw the frontage with the menus displayed by the window, I must say that I was initially put off by the garish sight of them.  Dare to venture in and you are greeted by these hideous wooden tables and chairs.  High up on the wall was a rusty-looking placard, advertising Ovaltine as an energy drink in Malay.  Did the décor get lost in translation?

The waiters were friendly and helpful.  Service was perfectly acceptable. This is a no-frills eaterie but read on…. 

We tried a few of the main staple of Malaysian food such as Char Kuay Teow (flat noodles) with seafood.  This was one of the best I have had in London in terms of flavour. It had just the right amount of sauce and wow, was it a good sauce.  Just wish that they had thrown in more prawns and other seafood.  The satay sauce accompanying the chicken satay was rich in peanut flavour with some sweet and sour notes.  It was not too spicy at all.   Beef Rendang was tender and the sauce was thick with coconut milk, perfect with some steamed rice.  Roti canai (pan-fried flatbread) was terrific, dipped in the chicken curry.  The chef turned up the heat in their Kang Kung Belacan (Morning Glory/water spinach) stir fried in Belacan – a shrimp paste often used in Malaysian cooking.  That and the Char Kuay Teow were probably my favourite dishes of the day.

Desserts such as Sago Gula Melaka (tapioca pudding with palm sugar, coconut and evaporated milk) and Cendol Ice (shaved ice, pandan jelly bean and coconut and evaporated milk) were definitely worth the calories.  The Sago might not look particularly enticing, but be brave and dive in.  This is a place that has substance over style.   

Would I go back?  Any time.

Feb 2018      

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Roti King

• Address:           40 Doric Way, Kings Cross, London NW1 1LH
• Map→                Nearest Tube:          Euston         
• ☏                        020 7387 2518
•  4.1  Yummy stars        
• Average             £ 12 pp for lunch (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)   
• Website→
• Menu→

 More photos→

Buzz Factor                    4/5 stars

Food                                  3.9/5 stars

Value for money         4.5/5 stars

Eat-in or take-away

My first impression of the place was that it must be good.  The outside of the restaurant was not fancy at all.  However, I arrived minutes before it opened at lunchtime and there was already a queue from the restaurant in the basement onto the pavement with mostly orientals.  They wouldn’t let you sit down until everyone in your party has arrived.  You could understand that, as the restaurant was tiny – with about 30 or so covers.  The place very quickly filled up as soon as it opened.  This is a quick in and out place.

Near the entrance of the restaurant was the small open plan kitchen, where the chef’s mastery in making the roti canai was in full view.  Mesmerising to watch.  Roti canai is a flatbread in Malaysian cuisine, which goes really well with curry. 

The décor was basic – plain white tiles on walls, with wooden benches and chairs.   A very casual dining place. 

The star of the show was definitely the roti canai.  The curry sauce was flavoursome.  Another typical Malaysian dish, Char Kuey Teow – stir fried flat noodles with eggs, prawns and chicken with a bit of chilli.  Their version did not disappoint, though it was not the best that I have had.

The food was great value – and they offer a wide range of dishes on special lunch deals.   The staff was friendly enough.  Service was quite basic. Just one waiter took orders during the manic lunch time period.  When you come here, you come for the food.

2017

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Singapore Garden  

• Address:               83 Fairfax Rd, London NW6 4DY       
• Map→                  Nearest Transport:    Swiss Cottage Underground or South Hampstead Overground         
• ☏                           020 7328 5314 
• 4.1 Yummy stars      
• Average               £40+ pp (excluding drinks) (at time of writing)
• Website→       
• Menu→       

More photos→   

Buzz factor                  4.2/5 stars

Food                               4.2/5 stars

Value for money      3.9/5 stars

Eat-in or Takeaway

A long established institution here, originally a family-run restaurant started by its matriarch, famed for its authentic Singaporean dishes. 

You enter the restaurant bathing in a sophisticated setting, greeted by some beautiful fresh flowers on the counter of the bar.  There is an unusual find in this restaurant – table cloths.  You soon feel at home with their friendly staff and their regulars at the restaurant.  Buzzy atmosphere in the evening. In warmer weather, the front patio doors are open and you can sit outside and pretend that you are in Provence. 

Laksa here is legendary – rice vermicelli with prawns and slices of fish cake in a spicy coconut soup.  It is pretty hot though, I warn you.  Their satay is the next best thing here – especially its spicy peanut sauce.  Their chicken seem to have lost more and more weight over the years but they still taste amazing.  The chicken is tender and the ginger definitely comes through. 

Many other delicious dishes on offer eg Chiew Yim soft shell crab (fried with garlic and chilli), Chiew Yim Dover Sole, Ayam chicken curry in its coconut sauce and spicy aubergine in yellow bean sauce.  There is a variety of bean curd dishes to choose from including their speciality of Tauhu Goreng – with peanut sauce (though a bit sweet for my liking).   

It is somewhere that I would go back to time and time again.

2017

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