Chinese Cricket Club

Neo Oriental flair

Located in the City inside the Crowne Plaza hotel, Chinese Cricket Club is somewhat a unique Chinese restaurant in London. It is not your typical Cantonese style restaurant you would find in China Town, and from a price point of view, it is more premium but far from to the level of fine dining. Foodwise it offers a range of regional Chinese cuisines, from Huaiyang, Sichuan to Cantonese, at the same time the menu is clearly also influenced by British Chinese with the like of crispy duck appearing. Showing the restaurant needs to also tailor for diners that are used to the classic UK Chinese offering. 

Vegetarian spring rolls, sesame prawn toast, chicken dumplings,
prawn dumplings, spinach dumpings

Salt & Sichuan Pepper Squid

Honey Soya King Prawns

Braised Pork Ribs: served in a preserved plum and vinegar sauce

We opted for a selection of dishes from the a la carte menu, the house special "The Emperor's Crispy Duck" was pretty special indeed and is a dish I have yet to see anywhere else in the UK. The duck, along with some peeled king prawns were rolled together in a thin batter, it was well seasoned with a mixture of tender and smooth texture. The good old slow-braised pork belly was really moist and the gluten rice at the bottom absorbed all the richness of the gravy, this is such a comforting Chinese winter dish. The real winner for me was the monkfish served in a hot stone bowl, the meaty taste of the fish worked well with the robust profile of the black bean, it was a punchy and flavoursome dish that you would want a bowl of steam rice to go with it.

Monkfish in a spicy black bean sauce

Sauteed King Prawn and Scallops

The Emperor's Crispy Duck

Dry sauteed beef in a spicy orange sauce

The dinner at Chinese Cricket Club was a very enjoyable experience. While the quality of the cooking is still a notch below if compare to the like of Hakkasan and Park Chinois, you are paying for very good quality Chinese cooking at a far more affordable price. The service was also very good on the day, just you would expect from a hotel restaurant. To sum it up, a quality, good value for money Chinese restaurant in the City, you can't go wrong with it.



Food 3/5

Average cost without drinks and services:
£35

19 New Bridge St, London EC4V 6DB

https://www.chinesecricketclub.com/