Shikumen Aldgate

Modern Cantonese in East London

Roasted Chilean Sea Bass Fillet in Black Truffle Sauce

Shikumen has always been one of the better Chinese restaurants in London. Sadly, it has closed down its Earling and Finchley sites with now only Algate and its original Shepherd's Bush sites remaining. Shikumen Algate is located inside the Dorsett City Hotel, the menu is mostly Cantonese with a few regional Chinese dishes in the mixed. You can find many classic dishes such as sweet and sour and dim sum, but also some modern and premium offering that you would not be able to see in most Chinese restaurants in China Town, such as roasted sea bass in black truffle and smoked black Angus beef, which reflects its position as a hotel restaurant.

Steamed Seafood Dim Sum Platter

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Thai Style Deep Fried Chicken with Mango

Sanpei Chicken Claypot

We had a selection of dishes from its a la carte menu, the steamed seafood dim sum platter is an instant upgrade to most of your average Chinese restaurants, the crab meat and prawn dumpling was steamed perfectly, the natural sweetness of the seafood, along with the hint of sesame oil, offered a wonderfully refreshing and light taste to the dumpling. The Sanpei chicken in clay pot was comfort Chinese dish at its best, rich in taste with a lovely wine and soy aroma, the chicken was tender and the pot was an umami sensation. However, the pan-fried lobster with noodles was the weak link of the meal, I found the lobster was a touch overcooked and the abalone broth lacked the richness and didn't add much to the crispy noodles.

Braised Pork Belly

Braised Homemade Tofu with Morel and Wild Mushroom

Pan Fried Lobster Meat Ball with Abalone broth on Noodle

Penang Fried Ho Fun with Beef Fillet

My meal at Shikumen was enjoyable, while not all the dishes were executed to the perfect level I was hoping for, generally, the quality was great and plenty of fine ingredients were used. While not truly authentic, Shikumen offered me a fantastic Cantonese meal and I would be more than happy to return. As far as the London standard, it is definitely one of the better Chinese restaurants out there. The decor and setting are also comfortable and classy, without the usual stuffy hotel feel to it. 


Food 3/5

What I paid: 
£40

Average cost without drinks and services:
£35

1st Floor, Dorsett City Hotel, 9-13 Aldgate High St, London EC3N 1AH

https://www.shikumen.co.uk/