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The best Chinese restaurants in London
The Chinese food scene in London is rich and diverse. From bold Sichuan cookery, freshly steamed Cantonese dim sum, and Canto-Malay delights, it’s worth noting that the country’s food culture varies wildly from region to region. Indeed: the breadth and depth of Chinese cookery far outstrips the substandard ‘sweet and sour’ from your local chippy. Keep reading to discover the best spots to enjoy Chinese cuisine in the capital.
North China Restaurant
Chinese
North China Restaurant has been open since 1976. The aim for the team here is to provide Northern Chinese cooking at its best, paying particular attention to the ingredients and raw materials, making sure they are of the highest quality and freshness. There are special peking set courses to decide from, as well as hors d’oeuvre, soups and a number of protein-led dishes including prawns, chicken, duck, pork and red meat. There are various vegetable options to choose from as well, meaning no-body needs to miss out.
Dumplings and Baos offers a BYOB experience, and is especially great for large groups as the team happily accepts party bookings. Open Wednesday to Sunday, this place can be found on the Clapham Park Road. Choose from special Asian aromatic duck, dim sum dumplings, Chinese steam baos, soups and more! There are regional Chinese bites too, including everyone’s favourite – Hong Kong sweet and sour!
Hare & Tortoise has fantastic locations in Chiswick, Ealing, Bloomsbury and Kensington, the latter conveniently located near Olympia exhibition centre. This is a bright venue with a large window frontage, offering an extensive range of pleasant authentic Asian dishes served by a friendly team. Fusing Japanese dishes with Chinese flavours, you can choose anything from salads to noodle and rice dishes. The Roast Duck & Rice is particularly good: slices of roast duck served on steamed rice with a homemade sauce mixed with cinnamon, aniseed powder and ginger, garnished with Chinese greens and spring onions.
Rock & Rose is where East meets West. This fusion restaurant is a stylish oasis located in central Richmond, where the food is fresh, modern, and super tasty. With its glitzy interiors (palm-tree print wallpaper, dazzling lights), it’s the perfect spot for a date-night or celebration. The menu is extensive: from crispy duck and watermelon salad (filled with cashews, beanshoots, sesame and mint), to dim sum shrimp gyoza, chilli salt squid, and smoked tofu curry – you’ll be spoiled for choice. Why not kick off your meal with their Asian-inspired platter: complete with shrimp gyoza, chilli squid, vegetable spring rolls, chicken wings, and prawn crackers, all for under £20? The cocktails here are knock-out (and there’s a cocktail hour Monday-Friday between 5pm and 7pm). What’s not to like?
For a seriously upmarket taste of Cantonese cookery, head to Pearl Liang, with its beautiful interiors and exacting service. There’s a large dim sum menu (hello wild mushroom dumpling with black truffle!), but it’s the a la carte menu that stands out. The seafood is particularly impressive: sauteed razor clams are served with a delectable garlic shoot and shrimp sauce, and the sea bass comes with a choice of nine sauces! All the ingredients are fresh and the food is prepared delicately with real attention to detail. Prices are high – reflective of the quality of the dishes – but if you’re looking to treat someone (or yourself), Pearl Liang makes for the perfect destination.
Chi is a child-friendly Asian fusion restaurant located on New Oxford Street. The kids menu includes bao and fries, and rice bowls – jasmine rice with pickled cucumber and carrots, and your choice of chicken katsu curry, vegan katsu curry and teriyaki chicken. Adults, you’re also spoiled for choice. From bao buns to Asian flavours such as sweet and sour, chicken satay and peking. One of the must try dishes, however, can be found on the grill section of the menu: Char Siu Pork – slow cooked pork belly, char-grilled with a sticky char siu sauce, served with ginger and plum dipping sauce, pickled apple and coriander.
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