New Loon Fung, Golden Dragon and Chuan Royal China

 Dim sum battle royal

Dim sum at Golden Dragon

There are so many restaurants in London Chinatown, but which one is the best when it comes to dim sum? I actually haven't been to that many Chinese restaurants in London Chinatown, as I tend to stick with either Goldmine or Plum Valley for dim sum, as I found them a class above anything else in Chinatown. Having say that, I feel like is time to give other places a try before crowding a dim sum champion. So I went to New Loon Fung, Golden Dragon and Chuan to test out its dim sum offering.

Suckling pig at New Loon Fung

Spiced marinated octopus at New Loon Fung

Branded by chef Andrew Wong as his no1 restaurant in Chinatown, I got to say New Loog Fung was very average. The dim sum craftsmanship was lacking as the pastry of the minced beef dumpling was dried out and hardened which tasted unpleasant. The beef tripes also lacked taste or seasoning, it was pretty underwhelming. The better dim sum was the beef tendon as it had a great melting texture and contained the rich taste of the yellow bean taste. Overall New Loon Fung is decent but for sure I wouldn't go back in a hurry.

Beef dumpling at New Loon Fung

Black xiao long bao at Chuan

Chuan is the most expensive of the 3, but it does have a touch of refinement to its dim sum. The crab soup dumpling was outstanding with a good depth of clean umami taste, along with a very thin wonton pastry that tasted very smooth when eaten with the chicken stock. The prawn har gow had a really thick pastry layer which was strange, I got a feeling it wasn't made fresh on site. The xiao long bao tasted amazing, and the richness of the pork and soup stock was remarkable. What I didn't get is the black outer layer as it add nothing to the dish and it looked odd.

Crab soup dumpling at Chuan

Seafood dim sum platter at Chuan

Golden Dragon is also owned by the same people behind Chuan, but it is far more classic and traditional, toward more rustic in its dim sum offering. The black pepper Ox tripe had a good depth of savory and peppery taste, along with a creamy texture which I enjoyed. The scallop dumpling was excellent, the texture was moist, and had a nice hint of seafood sweet umami taste. Less impressive was the prawn and spinach dumpling, which used far too much sesame oil and overpowered everything else.

Taro puff at Golden Dragon

Doughnut-filled rice roll

My conclusion is that none of the 3 places are as good as Plum Valley while the price is very similar. Apart from Golden Dragon, which contains some very classic dim sum items that you might not find easily elsewhere, I don't think I would bother to go back to New Loon Fung or Chuan. I am open to trying other places in Chinatown as most places are pretty cheap, but I highly doubt anywhere in Chinatown would match Plum Valley's quality, followed closely by Goldmine. 

New Loon Fung

Food 2.5/5

Average cost without drinks and services:
£20

42-44 Gerrard St, London W1D 5QG

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Golden Dragon

Food 3/5

Average cost without drinks and services:
£25

28-29 Gerrard St, London W1D 6JW

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Chuan Royal China

Food 3/5

Average cost without drinks and services:
£30

30 Gerrard St, London W1D 6JS