Well, it ain't no Chinatown NYC. Given the relatively large Chinese community in London, I was expecting something big when it came to its Chinatown. I figured it would rival the Chinatown of New York City. Or at least be close. I was sorely dissapointed. While NYC's Chinatown has recently tried to become more tourist-friendly by creating tourist kiosks and cleaning up, it seems to me that London's Chinatown is a bit too tourist friendly, along with the Chinese gates and all. The food at many of the restaurants is rather dissapointing. Or at least so I thought upon my first visits. But, it turns out that there are gems, you just have to know where to go. Top picks include Four Seasons (along the main street) - best for family style dinners / late lunches with a group of friends (amazing duck and pork), HK Diner - similarly good for family style but more in a pseudo - modern diner type setting and open later. Other favories include the Golden Gate Cafe / Pastry shop on Shaftsbury itself. Skip the ornate cakes and go for one of the Chinese deserts. The tapioca / yam pudding or the sweet dumplings (with ginger) are amazing especially during the cold months. As are the various hot teas (although most can get very sweet very quickly). What is sad is that I haven't been able to find any reliably good bubble / pearl tea place. Lots of places offer the stuff, but most are quite questionable. Either the tapioca bubbles / pearls are disgusting, or the "tea" itself is powdery. The best version I've tried is at Cafe De Hong Kong (47 Charing Cross), although even that's nothing compared to Ten Ren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_ren) or even Saint's Alp in NYC(http://www.teamap.com/tearooms/saints_alp_teahouse_413.html). Best dumplings (but in a super casual, share tables with others setting) is at the Jen Cafe - brightly green on the corner at Newport Place. Great place to go if you're by ourself or looking for a very quick bite. Do yourself a favor, skip Baozi Inn. For dim sum (not the cart style but still very good) is Golden Pagoda on the corner of the main street and Gerrard Street. What you should also avoid is the only Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown proper (it's all in red and usually has a person outside talking to passerbys).
The best Vietnamese in London is concentrated in Northeast London, but if you are too far away, read the Vietnamese food post for a decent Vietnamese option. Good Korean food is also difficult to find in London. More on this at the Korean food post. What I am still looking for (please oh please let me know if you find it first) is: (1) soup dumplings of the Shanghai variety (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup_dumplings); the type with soup actually inside the dumpling; (2) good bubble / pearl tea.
No comments:
Post a Comment