Park Chinois

Dim sum heaven

Iberico pork puff

Dim sum lunch on a weekend is perhaps one of the most popular things to do as a family outing in the Chinese community, but for me, I will always find time for a dim sum occasion. The standard dim sum you can find in Chinatown London is enjoyable, but if you are looking for a next-level dim sum experience, Park Chinois is the place for you. The Mayfair fine dining joint use top-notch ingredients, such as Iberico pork and wagyu beef, and all handcrafted skillfully by a team of very experienced chefs, all made freshly on the day. For my 17th visit, I noticed there are a few new dim sum items and that is what I ordered, along with a few classics.

Iberico Xiao long bao

Supreme seafood dumpling

Wagyu beef bao, siu mei and scallop dumpling

The Iberico puff was an upgrade of the classic Cantonese minced pork and taro puff, the meat filling was rich and had layers of texture, served fresh instead of cooked well in advance which is the norm in many other Chinese restaurants. The new dish scallop dim sum had a really fresh umami taste, the scallop was steamed just right with a lovely sweetness, and the dumpling pastry had the perfect thickness and smooth texture. One of the most impressive-looking dim sum in Park Chinois is the truffle and mushroom rice roll, a thin layer of rice sheet wrapped around beancurd rolls that are stuffed with mushrooms, and topped with black truffles. The earthiness of the mushrooms somehow worked well with the seasoned sweet soy sauce, very enjoyable.

Wagyu beef udon

Turnip wok-fried in xo sauce

Truffle and mushrooms rice rolls

It has been a while since I last had a full-on dim sum experience in Park Chinois and it was just as good as I recalled. Everything I have encountered was top-notch, and quality-wise it can rival many Michelin-starred places in Hong Kong, so judging the food alone, I think Park Chinois is at its peak in London's Chinse standard-wise. The only thing that is holding back is its service, I have been many times now and I just found it lacks warmth or attention to detail considering you can be paying as much as over 100 pounds a head, it could be better for sure.

Food 4.5/5

What I paid: 
£70 with a cocktail

Average cost without drinks and services:
£50 (lunch)

17 Berkeley St, Mayfair, London W1J 8EA

https://parkchinois.com/