Orient

 King of China Town

Steam crab with rice wine and egg white

Small businesses in China Town are suffering, the damage from COVID 19 was heartbreaking and who knows when China Town can get back to where it was. For many restaurants in China Town, forget about making a profit, surviving is a massive challenge in itself. So I feel to support it, why not go there and enjoy a few meals. I went to the Orient on 2 occasions, one for dim sum, one for a proper dinner treat. I have eaten at Orient a few times before and I found it is the best Cantonese restaurant in China Town, and my latest 2 visits proven to me why once again.

Rice roll with fry donut

Scallop dumpling

Clay pot rice with ribs and chicken feets

Seafood dumpling in soup

For dim sum, all the steam dumpling based dim sum was done particularly well. The scallop dumpling was steamed just to the right level, good ratio of filling, and the skin. The rice pot of pork ribs and chicken feet was also very comforting, the ribs were moist and had a good depth of black bean taste without overpowering. For my dinner visit, I went all out and had a whole crab and a lobster. The crab was steamed in egg white and rice wine, it created such an inviting floral aroma. Cracking the crab was a mission but the outcome was so rewarding, the meat was so sweet and the rice wine really uplifted the umami note. Mixing the rich creamy brown crab meat with the egg white created a fine harmony of flavour too. The pork belly cooked with preserved vegetables in a clay pot was another winner, the port had a melting texture cover with sweet vegetable stock, this is classic Cantonese at its best.

Wok fry soy beef noodles

Empire poached chicken

Clay pot pork belly with preserved vegetables

Stir fry lobster with ginger and spring onions

Both my lunch and dinner visit was fabulous, but I do think the food offering at dinner edge out the dim sum. The classic Cantonese dishes had a touch of refinement and all done head and shoulder above its peer in China Town. The service, strangely is also very good, very friendly which the same cant be said for many other restaurants in the area. For great quality upmarket classic Cantonese cooking, Orient is the one in China Town. For budget and quick eat, go to Cafe TPT. Head to Four Seasons for roasted meat and Joy King Lau for comforting Cantonese cooking.

Food 3.5/5

What I paid:
£30 (lunch)

£44 (dinner)

Average cost without drinks and services:
£25

15 Wardour St, West End, London W1D 6PH

https://www.orientlondon.com/