Chuen Cheng Ku
17 Wardour Street, W1 (020 7734 3281, www.chuenchengku.co.uk)
A long dining area with a host of tables but busy at lunchtime, which is a good sign. Chuen serves dim sum from trolleys and a fast turnover helps ensure the food stays fresh. This place used to be famous for taciturn waiters but the rudeness has abated — which may not please the regulars, who relished the Victor Meldrew factor.

Dragon Castle
100 Walworth Road, SE17 (020 7277 3388, www.dragoncastle.eu) 
A large, glossy and busy Chinese restaurant-palace somewhat improbably located near
Elephant and Castle.

Royal China
13 Queensway, W2 (020 7221 2535, www.royalchinagroup.co.uk)
One of the oldest established dim sum restaurants, the Queensway branch started a chain that now spreads from Putney to Baker Street and Canary Wharf. The “signature dumpling” is the roast pork puff — a baked dumpling with extraordinarily flaky pastry outside and rich char sui mix within.

Yauatcha
15 Broadwick Street, W1 (020 7494 8888 www.yauatcha.com)
Set up by Alan Yau, Yauatcha is a modern, slick restaurant in the basement with a sophisticated tea room upstairs. The venison puff (a back-handed homage to the porky version at Royal China?) is a must.

Peninsular
Holiday Inn Express, Bugsby's Way,
SE10 (020 8858 2028, www.mychinesefood.co.uk)
Something of a wild card but a boon to anyone needing lunch when in the Greenwich area. You'll find this large and unfussy Chinese restaurant on the ground floor of a utilitarian hotel. All the traditional dumplings plus more interesting specials such as duck tongue in garlic sauce, and turnip paste with Chinese sausage.
Charles Campion