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. 

Blue Swimmer Crab Salad, Winter Tomato, Yuzu Dressing

Blue Swimmer Crab Puff

Supreme Seafood Dumpling Soup

Wild Sea Bass Lardo Roll

Scampi Shumai

I kicked off with a blue swimmer crab salad, I rarely order a salad at a Chinese restaurant but to my surprise, the crab salad at Park Chinois was fantastic. The thinly sliced winter tomato, along with the sourness of the yuzu, really enhanced the freshness of the crab, it was a light dish yet packed with so much fresh umami tastes. The Iberico pork char siu bao was craftsmanship at its best, light and with a pillow soft texture, while the honey pork within had such a comforting sweet sensation too. The sakura shrimp rice roll was a creative take on the classic Cantonese rice roll with dried shrimp, the crispy element of the shrimp, along with some dried scallops, created bags of robust, savory flavours. The rice roll itself was silky smooth, pulled to perfection. 

Wagyu Beef Bamboo Charcoal Bao

Poached Welsh Lamb Dumpling, Cumin & Chilli

Pumpkin, Hazelnut and Chinese Celery Dumpling

Duck de Chine, Pancakes, Baby Cucumber, Leek & Duck Sauce

Sakura Shrimp, Hokkaido Dried Scallop Cheung Fun

Park Chinois delivered a dim sum masterclass, showcasing what is dim sum at fine dining level is all about. The use of top of the range ingredients helped, but the creativity, as well as the craftsmanship, was also second to none. For me, there isn't another Chinese restaurant that can rival its quality of cooking, in both dim sum and wok based dishes. While I have yet to try many Chinese restaurants outside of London, it is fair to say that Park Chinois is the best Chinese restaurant in the UK, simply top class, with a stunning dining room to match.


Food 4.5/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£80

17 Berkeley St, Mayfair, London W1J 8EA

https://parkchinois.com/