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Where to eat Asian food
By Fay Maschler, Evening Standard 26.01.07
Yauatcha serves superb little dumplings all day long
Look here too
From delicious dim sum in sophisticated surroundings to fiery Sichuan in Soho, Fay Maschler reveals where to sample the real deal...
YAUATCHA
15-17 Broadwick Street, W1 (020 7494 8888) £50
Alan Yau's dim sum emporium serves superb examples of the little dumplings all day long, even after their usual witching hour of 5pm. Management likes you to be in and out spit-spot.
ROYAL CHINA CLUB
40-42 Baker Street, W1 (020 7486 3898) £60
Currently this is the Chinese restaurant I return to most often. Sophisticated, quiet, adventurous; it is possible to book at weekend lunchtimes for exemplary and sometimes slightly mad dim sum.
BAR SHU
28 Frith Street, W1 (020 7287 6688) £45
Sichuan pepper makes food so fiery it's hallucinogenic. Five chefs from Sichuan province are in the kitchen of this uncompromisingly authentic and elegant Soho Chinese.
SINGAPORE GARDEN
83a Fairfax Road, NW6 (020 7624 8233) £40
A family-run restaurant much loved by north London has passed into the hands of the youngsters, hence the recent snazzy makeover, but excellent Singaporean and Malaysian specialities are still a strong suit.
DRAGON CASTLE
114 Walworth Road, SE17 (020 7277 3388) £35
Brutalist paradise is a phrase that has been used about the housing estates in the area and a Cantonese restaurant decorated like the people's banqueting hall fits in well. The cooking is sound and the dim sum well worth seeking out.
TONG KA NOM THAI
833 Harrow Road, NW10 (020 8964 5373) £20 (BYO)
Chef and food writer Bill Knott, with whom I dined at Benja, said that this little unlicensed gem also claims a chef with royal Thai connections, but here prices are streetwise and there is vivacity in the cooking. Don't miss "boneless fish fillet".
NAHM
Halkin Hotel, 5 Halkin Street, SW1 (020 7333 1234) £50
Rumour has it that Aussie chef David Thompson will open his own Thai restaurant in London. Meanwhile, lunch is the bestvalue meal for experiencing his singular, thrilling empathy with the cuisine.
ESARN KHEAW
314 Uxbridge Road, W12 (020 8743 8930) £28
Proprietor Mr M Puntar came to England from north-east Thailand in 1974 and worked for Trust House Forte at The Imperial Hotel, Torquay. At his own establishment (est. 1993) he is proud to offer the specialities of the his region. A significant Thai clientele attests to the rigour of the cooking.
MANTANAH
2 Orton Buildings, Portland Road, SE25 (020 8771 1148) £32
Why wouldn't South Norwood have a great Thai restaurant? Much thought, inventiveness and some bizarre titles have gone into producing beguiling food - and vegetarians are welcomed to the party.
SUKHO
855 Fulham Road, SW6 (020 7371 7600) £38
The chef at this attractive restaurant apparently cooked at The Oriental hotel in Bangkok. An enthusiastic local following makes booking advisable, as is straying away from familiar dishes into pastures new.
Prices above estimate a meal with wine for one
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