Park Chinois

Dim sum heaven

Iberico Pork Char Siu Bao and Black Truffle Bao

Once again, I am back at Park Chinois for the fifth time. Park Chinois is easily the best Chinese restaurant in London, and it is a crime that the Michelin guide ignore it as it warrants at least a star in my view. The cooking is mostly Cantonese based but with plenty of modern touches, using prime ingredients from around the world. For lunch hours, the restaurant offers an exceptionally good lunch deal at £30 for two courses with side dishes of rice and vegetable. It also has an extended selection of dim sum, from classic har gau to innovative items such as the pumpkin and hazelnut dumpling. For my fifth visit, I opted for a combination of dim sum as well as some a la carte dishes. 

Duddell's London

Fashionable Chinese dining den 

Duddell’s supreme lobster noodles

Located in London Bridge, Duddell's is a modern Chinese restaurant in a former site of a church. One of the cool factors about Duddell's is its creative take on branding, inside the restaurant, there is a giant cartoon character model, and the menu is full of playful artwork design. Food wise, the cooking is mostly based around Cantonese style, with a modern makeover, using prime ingredients from around the UK and Europe. The restaurant is renown for its excellent dim sum and is a popular lunch spot for the local Chinese living in London. For my weekend lunch, I opted for a few dim sum as starters, followed by some a la carte dishes as mains.

Nobu London (Old Park Lane)

High-end Japanese in London

O-toro and sea urchin

It has been more than 7 years when I last dined at Nobu, the restaurant was once regarded as the very best Japanese restaurant in the UK, both Nobu sites in London (Park Lane and Mayfair) held a Michelin star and dining at Nobu always relate to luxury and glamour, as it is a popular hangout for celebrities. Fast forward to 2019, Nobu seems to be still going strong, it has since lost its Michelin star, but it has also launched a hotel in East London and the rich and famous are still regulars. The menu has also got a revamp, with both classic and modern dishes on offer. Personally, I enjoy my good old fashioned Japanese dishes and opted for a range of classics.

China Tang London

Timeless classic Cantonese cuisine

Slow cooked wagyu beef cheeks

There are not great numbers of classic Chinese restaurants in the UK and a quality one is close to none-exist. Located inside The Dorchester Hotel, China Tang London is one of the few restaurants in London that champion authentic Chinese cuisines, specializing in the Canton region. I have been to China Tang a good number of times now, as I really enjoy its classic approach, no fancy or modern element, just good old fashioned, authentic cooking, using good quality ingredients. Besides its long a la carte menu, the restaurant also offers a mini chef's special menu, offering new dishes developed by the head chef.

Min Jiang

Chinese hotel dining, posh style

Wood-fired Beijing Duck

Min Jiang is one of the very first Chinese fine dining restaurants in London, located inside the luxury Royal Garden hotel on the top floor, the restaurant has gained a reputation as a top Chinese restaurant. The cooking style, like many other Chinese restaurants across the nation, is mostly Cantonese, with a few other regional styles in the mixed. The menu is large, the a la carte menu alone has over 60 dishes to chose from, along with a dim sum menu and 3 tasting menus. For my lunch occasion, I picked a few dim sum and of course, the iconic dish, the Beijing duck, which is the dish that put Min Jiang on the map.

Hakkasan Hanway Place

Sunday lunch in style

Roasted silver cod with Champagne and honey

When you think of a fine dining Chinese restaurant in London, the chance is Hakkasan would be the very first name that pops up to your mind. The iconic restaurant started life in Hanway Place and has since expanded into a global business, with 5 restaurants in London alone. These days, Hakkasan Hanway Place still has maintained its Michelin star status and is still extremely popular to the locals. On Sunday, it offers a special menu, with dim sum taking the main stage, with champagne and cocktails. it is basically a Chinese version of a lazy brunch menu, but at a premium quality level.

Kai Mayfair

Mayfair's Chinese fine dining joint 

Canapes of Prawns on Toast

This is my second visit to Kai Mayfair, the single Michelin starred Chinese restaurant in London. The fine dining restaurant has been around for some time now, with a strong loyal following. Unlike many other high-end restaurants in London, Kai doesn't offer a tasting menu, it is more traditional with a large la carte menu of around 60 dishes. However, the food offering from Kai is far from traditional, with strong South East Asia influences and some creative European ideas in the mixed, resulting in some of the most contemporary Chinese cuisines you can find in London.