Dim Sum in London
 

Greetings! I will be in London from 9/15/03-9/19/03. Wondering if anyone might have a suggestion for a good dim sum (or Chinese) nothing too touristy, something reasonably priced? Thanks in advance.

We like dim sum at the New World Restaurant (1 Gerrrad Place).

Suggest you take a bus/tube to Chinatown and just pick a place. Then take a stroll through Soho. (right next to Chinatown)

http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/soho/grd_south.htm

Any of the ones pictured above will likely be good. I prefer Harbor City, but there is a good one arond the corner as well called London Jade. Very busy, but the Dim Sum is excellent.

Kavey took me to her favorite Dim Sum place for lunch last February. It's called "Gerrards" and it's on the corner of Gerrard and something (sorry) in Chinatown. Can't miss it. White facade with big gold letters, large windows, EXCELLENT service. Yum! Maybe she'll see this and tell you exactly what we had--I'm not sure. I do know that they included a dipping sauce for one dish that I slathered all over everything :)

Chuen Cheng Ku isn't the best. But it has, IMHO, the homeliest feel. The waitresses with the trolleys are reasonably fluent in English, and don't do that authentic Hong Kong customer bullying. It's sort of like a Cotswold tea shop would be if a tea shop served dim sum and the waitresses wore cheong sams.

My current favourite is the Queensway Royal Garden. Though part of a chain, the "today's specials" on the first page of the dim sum menu last Sunday were realy innovative, and everything dim sum should be. They also have exceptionally pretty waitresses, who give the air of being HK MBA students on a working holiday, rather than the downtrodden sullenness that, understandably, typifies many dim sum waiters.
Back in core Chinatown, the Golden Dragon in Gerrard St tends to serve the most reliably crafted classic dim sums. But its system of ordering is a mite soulless.

Your question is one of the most important asked on this board. There simply isn't enough feedback about London's major cuisine. For everyone's sake, try several and report back.

One obvious reminder. "Touristy" is exactly what you want in a dim sum place. The simplest way to judge is to look at the number of affluent Chinese tourists there. The more, the better the restaurant is going to be. Lots of London-based Chinese families is also a good sign, but big families inevitably mean long queues.

Haven't been in ages, but New World mentioned by "obxgirl" was great - although service is definitely Hong Kong style surly, as "Flanneruk" puts it.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Hi

If you get a chance for a reccy .............stroll around Gerrard St 11.30 - 13.00 on a Sunday.

The out of town chinese residents meet for Dim Sum.

Choose the one that seems most popular, and eat there during the week.

Peter
http://tlp.netfirms.com

I'm getting hungry just thinking about all of your posts! Thanks to everyone!

Flanner, thanks for the tips.
Gerrard's Corner became a favourite a year or two back, I was meeting some Fodorites, one of whom had worked in London for years and suggested meeting outside his old favourite. When I arrived to meet them he said it must have changed hands but just didn't look so good. He had asked a few Chinese businessmen who were getting lunch that day to recommend their current favourites and Gerrard's Corner was the one most often recommended and which had a happy looking clientele.

Since then I've enjoyed a few meals there.

But I will definitely try out Golden Dragon next time I'm in the area. When you say the ordering system is soulless are you referring to ordering being from a menu rather than from a trolley? I'm happier with that - I'm fairly adventurous but often go with someone who doesn't or can't eat certain things so would prefer to order from a menu!

If I get to them, I'll report back.

For Japanese I've got a few places I like, if you're interested Sandy.

For expensive I like Matsuri in St James area near Picadilly. For quick but good food I like O Satsuma. Very similar to Wagamamas but menu is more extensive and I think quality of ingredients is better. For inexpensive quick stop I quite like the one starting with Z on the edge of China Town, I think on Newport?