Orient

Good old fashioned Cantonese charm

Steamed Queen scallops with soy

China Town is packed with Chinese restaurants, from classic HK-style cafes, large Cantonese restaurants to dumpling joints. So many choices, so many styles of Chinese food, is not easy to make the right choice. There are a few standout restaurants in my eye, and if you are seeking traditional Cantonese food cooked in a more refined manner, Orient is my go-to place, the Chinese name of the Orient label itself as a seafood specialist, offering a range of classic seafood dishes such as steam fish, stir fry lobster to black pepper crab. 

Stir fry lobster with ginger and spring onions

Steamed crab with rice wine and egg white

For my recent visit, I kicked off with a steamed giant scallop, cooked in soy sauce and garlic. The natural sweetness of the scallop was further uplifted from the well-seasoned soy sauce, but perhaps the scallop was a touch overcooked. The Stir fry lobster with ginger and spring onion is an al time Cantonese classic, and Orient's version was outstanding. The wok aroma injected a lovely firey and umami taste to the lobster, the meat was tender and nicely seasoned, very enjoyable. The steamed brown crab in egg white and rice wine is somewhat a special at Orient and it had a stunning wine and seafood aroma, the crab roe was rich and the white crab meat was so fresh and sweet, this is not an easy dish to get it right so massive credit to the chef team at Orient.

Steamed hen egg, duck egg and century egg

Steamed pork with salted fish

Orient proved to be a solid choice in great quality Chinese cooking, I would rate it as the best restaurant in Chinatown for Cantonese cuisine. The standard is a notch above its neighbors, while is also a touch more expensive (around £1 - £2 more per dish) than most, it is worth it. If seafood is not your thing, it also has a large range of classic Chinese dishes such as roasted duck and steam chicken, and they are not bad either. 

Food 3.5/5

What I paid:

£45 dinner

Average cost without drinks and services:
£25

15 Wardour St, West End, London W1D 6PH

https://www.orientlondon.com/