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The best Chinese restaurants in London
Evening Standard 18.06.08
Chefs hard at work in the kitchen at Yauatcha
Top-notch cooking, beautiful surroundings and big prices are among the salient features of the splendid Hakkasan
The elegant, spacious noodle eatery that is Cha Cha Moon
Not so long ago, eating in a Chinese restaurant meant choosing from a short menu of familiar dishes – sweet and sour pork balls, egg fried rice and crispy duck with pancakes. But in response to demands from a dining public that knows its Sichuan from its Hunanese, London's restaurants now style themselves according to the regional and cultural origins of their cuisine.
Gone too is the idea that Chinese dining means cheap and filling – London's Chinese restaurants rank among some of the smartest and priciest in town.
At the Taste of London festival (Regent's Park, 19-22 June) the China Now exhibition justifiably has its own section where four famous Chinese restaurants will be showcasing their dishes – Snazz Sichuan, China Tang, Kai Mayfair and South Beauty.
The latter is based in Beijing and the chefs have been flown into London specially for the event. All will be serving up food that is sophisticated, delicious and a million miles from the tired spring rolls of yesteryear.
And if you prefer unpretentious Chinese street food, there is a wide variety of good-value restaurants making their mark in London.
HOT FOOD FROM SICHUAN
Snazz Sichuan 37 Chalton Street, NW1 (020 7388 0808) With a menu littered with deadly-hot dishes from Sichuan and Chong Quin. Try the “strange flavour rabbit” – strange but delicious.
Bar Shu 28 Frith Street, W1 (020 7287 8822) Ornate yet comfortable restaurant. Try the fire-exploded kidney flowers, the bean curd and the dry-fried green beans.
Red N' Hot 59 Charing Cross Road, WC2 (020 7734 8796) The house speciality is the “Red 'N' Hot special fish” served in a bowl of boiling oil. Part the 2cm floating carpet of red chillies and you'll find dollops of perfectly cooked white fish.
CHIC AND SLICK
Hakkasan 8 Hanway Place, W1 (020 7927 7000) The cooking is top notch, the cocktail bar always heaving and the prices indicate they are not afraid of luxury ingredients.
China Tang The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, W1 (020 7629 9988) David Tang's interpretation of classy Cantonese dishes – the seafood is particularly good.
Kai 65 South Audley Street, W1 (020 7493 8988) Try chef Alex Chow's excellent tempura prawns with wasabi mayonnaise or the deep-fried, soft-shell crabs with fried garlic and chilli.
DIM SUM
Yauatcha 15 Broadwick Street, W1 (020 7494 8888) The seemingly unstoppable Alan Yau's stylish dim sum restaurant – and while you're at it try the venison puffs, the five-spice roll and the divine teas.
Goldfish 82 Hampstead High Street, NW3 (020 7794 6666) Hampstead folk swear by the large dim sum platters. In the evenings the menu offers interesting fusion-inspired dishes.
Yi-Ban London Regatta Centre, Royal Albert Dock, E16 (020 7473 6699) This large and surprisingly busy (given its location) Chinese restaurant serves good crystal prawn dumplings and prawn fun guo.
CANTONESE COOKING
Fung Shing 15 Lisle Street, WC2 (020 7437 1539) This restaurant was in at the start of the Chinese restaurant revolution and flies the flag for Cantonese cooking.
China Boulevard 1 the Boulevard, Riverside West, off Smugglers Way, SW18 (020 8874 9878) An enormous place with a view of the river and reputation for coping with up to 400 wedding guests at a time. Good fish – turbot from a tank – and barbecued meats.
Phoenix Palace 5 Glentworth Street, NW1 (020 7486 3515) Try the fried minced pork patties with salted fish, baked crab and salty yolk served with steamed buns, or eel with pickled mustard greens.
PITSTOPS AND NOODLES
Cha Cha Moon 15 Ganton Street, W1 (020 7297 9800) The latest venture from wünderkind Alan Yau, an elegant, spacious, noodle shop with an interesting menu and – as yet – basement pricing.
Café de Hong Kong 47-49 Charing Cross Road, WC2 (020 7534 9898) A vibrant café full of young Chinese eating strange dishes – spaghetti bolognese, pork and egg sandwich, smoked pigs' trotters in five-spice sauce and some good meals-in-a-bowl.
Hung Tao 51 Queensway, W2 (020 7727 5753) Much loved by students and recently reopened after a bit of an update. Filling without frills.
*Taste of London is in Regent's Park from Thursday until Sunday (0870 264 3333, www.seetickets.com). Tickets from £21
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