Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine London

Chinese New Year special

Soy braised pork belly stew with abalone and fat choy

Chinese New Year is when many Chinese restaurants would come up with a special menu, dishes associated with blessing and wisdom that would give diners a feel-good factor. Imperial Treasure's Chinese New Year has gone big, with 14 new dishes making up its Chinese New Year special, as well as a tasting menu that contains most of the new dishes. I always enjoy Imperial Treasure dim sum and its traditional approach to Cantonese cuisine, so I was really excited to try out its selection of new dishes to embrace the Chinese New Year vibe.

Yauatcha City

 Dim sum feasting

Yauctcha is part of the Hakkasan empire, perhaps the most successful high-end Chinese restaurant group outside of Asia. The last time I visited was more than 5 years ago, and since then many things have changed, with the group has been sold to an American hospitality group, and it now has a new group executive chef Andrew Yeo. The menu has also changed a bit so I was interested if Yauatcha (the casual fine dining concept of the group that focuses on dim sum) has benefited from the change of ownership. 

New Fortune Cookie

Old-school Chinese dining den 

Stir fry lobster and noodles in ginger and spring onions

New Fortune Cookie, the old-school Cantonese restaurant in Queensway has to be the best value-for-money Chinese restaurant in the whole of London. I have eaten there a few times over the year and I can say the quality of the cooking is well above many other Chinese restaurants in London, and the price of this place is insane, with most dishes costing around the £12 mark. The menu is large, so you won't be bored with it as I still have so many dishes I really would love to try. For my 4th visit, I rounded up a group of friends for a traditional Chinese feast to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Mandarin Kitchen

Chinese seafood feasting overdrive

Steamed brown crab

Mandarin Kitchen, the infamous Chinese restaurant in Queensway is best known for its seafood dishes, especially its lobster noodles, which now has a cult status, with people traveling from far, especially for that dish. I personally have eaten there about 5 times now and not once I could avoid not ordering the lobster noodles. Besides seafood, the restaurant served a range of dishes that you would find in a typical Chinese restaurant, from egg fried rice, and crispy duck to black bean chicken. But I would suggest coming here for seafood as it is what makes this place special.

Noble Palace

 Chinese private menu dining den

Steamed king crab legs with udon and chicken oil

Noble Palace, the under-the-radar fine-dining Chinese restaurant in St James is doing something rather unique. While on the front of the website is all about tasting menus from 6, 8 to 10 courses. It has a hidden offering 'no menu concept which allows diners to pre-order what they like in advance, meaning you can request a Chinese bespoke menu as you wish and the restaurant would offer you a quote to cater to your request. This means you can always try something new whenever you visit. below is captured a recent visit to a specially created 8-course tasting menu. Interestingly enough it was my 8th visit too.

Sketch Lecture Room

A funky french tasting journey 

Pumpkin, gnocchi, white truffle, squid

Sketch is one of the handfuls of 3 Michelin-starred restaurants in London. The modern French restaurant is always more than just a restaurant. From the funky staircase leading to the dining room to the Pop-Art like grand dining room itself, dining at Sketch is always going to be a special experience, not to mention the super slick service. This is my 3rd visit to Sketch, I have experienced its set lunch menu as well as the a la carte menu, so it was only fitting for me to go for the tasting menu for a full-on Sketch experience. 

Angler

Classy British seafood done right

Roast turbot, pumpkin, chestnut cream

Angler, The British seafood restaurant on the top floor of the South Place Hotel in the City, is the only Michelin-starred restaurant within the D&D group. I have been to a good number of D&D-owned venues over the year, from Skylon to Avenue. They are usually overpriced for what they are. Apart from Launceston Place and Angler. In fact, Angler's quality of the cooking is easily Michelin star level for me, and the price seems to be fair considering it us using fresh premium British seafood ingredients, such as hand-dived Scottish scallops and Cornish lobster. The below captured my 3rd visit, tasting menu style.

Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal

Star in the making

 

Roasted chicken stuffed with foie and mushrooms

Launched back in September 2022, Alex Dilling was already outstanding when I visited when it just opened. Of course, it is easier when he already operated at such a high level back in the Greenhouse days with 2 Michelin stars under his belt. His first solo project inside Cafe Royal hotel is for sure a big deal for any serious foodies. What really makes Alex cooking stands out is his highly technical skills and imagination, when combined with the finest ingredients, you will get something really special.