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Imperial China in the heart of London’s Chinatown is great for traditional dim sum. I usually go to two other dim sum restaurants, Royal China and Yauatcha, but this one is the most convenient for people to meet up and also the cheapest out of the three, making it particularly good for larger groups! I bring all my friends and family here and they all like it. It’s not easy to find a good dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, so once you find one, it’s advisable to stick to it.
I like the dark wood décor, and the interior comes across as clean and subtly stylish with the white table linen. The staff are welcoming and polite and they always remember that I like jasmine tea with an extra teapot of hot water, and that my husband is vegetarian.
There’s a wide choice of dim sum, and sadly I always order the same things. After having spent a lifetime of trying practically every type of dim sum, I know what I like and don’t like. I like prawn dumplings (as a child, I was called ‘Prawn Dumpling Princess’), prawn and chive dumplings, prawn cheung fun, roast pork cheung fun, egg custard tarts (3 small ones on a plate), steamed spare ribs with black beans, cuttlefish cakes with fresh coriander, seafood with fried ho fun noodles or fried beef ho fun noodles, and sometimes pork and preserved egg congee.
The seafood here is very fresh and the prawns in particular are always firm and crunchy to the bite. In fact the seafood noodles are far better here than at Royal China, where it is more expensive but has occasionally arrived soggy and bland. £25.00 including service charge for two people would leave you more than comfortably full at lunchtime.
A word of warning: I had dinner here once and it was atrocious. As we were entertaining a friend visiting from China, we were really embarrassed and decided never to come here in the evenings again. Dim sum however is different, as it is prepared by specialist chefs who have nothing to do with the evening meals.
Other London dim sum restaurants I like:
10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average
Contact Details:
Imperial China
25a Lisle St
London WC2H 7BA
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7734 3388
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7734 3833
www.imperial-china.co.uk
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
