Gouqi

The hot new Chinese opening 

Prawn tartar and octopus in rice wine

Goqui, a newly launched Chinese fine dining concept is located in Charing Cross just off the National Gallery. In the world of the Chinese restaurant trade, Gouqi is a big deal as it is by chef Tong Chee Hwee, the former group executive chef of the Hakhassan group, his contribution has launched the group's restaurants to become some of the most popular and fashionable venues and it landed a few Michelin stars along the way. His influence and status in Chinese cuisine in the UK are unquestionable. For my visit, I went for the advance-ordered tasting menu.

Salted egg yolk char siu and roasted duck with truffle

Double-boiled duck soup

Passion fruit black cod with yellow bean sauce

The double-boiled duck soup was simply stunning, it was rich and creamy, and it benefits from the slow-cooked duck bones which released some amazing savory flavours that made me want more. It was the star dish of the night. I was also a fan of the grilled black cod in passion fruit sauce, it is the chef's take on a sweet and sour dish, but the passion fruit gave the dish a fresh taste and it worked so well with the creamy texture of the cod. My key negative finding is that the garnishes let some of the dishes down, as they were chewy or not fresh such as the rice cracker that came with the mushroom dish, which was soggy. 

Black pepper beef

Stir fry mushrooms and asparagus

Egg-fried rice in abalone and shrimp

This is still very early days for Gouqi, so for sure it wasn't perfect. Given the experienced team in the kitchen, those issues I have picked up are tiny and can be adjusted easily. Gouqi could well be another powerhouse Chinese restaurant in the future, and a Michelin star won't be a long shot with chef Tong overseeing things. This stage for them is all about refining the menu offering and training up their front-of-house staff, an interesting time ahead.

Food 3.5/5

Average cost without drinks and services:
£100 (dinner)

25 Cockspur Ct, St. James's, London SW1A 2TS

https://gouqi-restaurants.co.uk/