Tag Archives: Chinese

Chinese New Year 2017 at Royal China

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28th January 2017 marks the start of the Year of the Rooster. To celebrate the occasion, Royal China Restaurants across London will give each table a special red envelope, with some of the envelopes within each restaurant revealing a special gift.

Chinese New year 2015 at Royal China (1)

Each “lei see”, as they are pronounced in Cantonese, will offer a fortune message; with some of the red envelopes containing a prize. The special prizes include a voucher for a complimentary meal up to the value of £100, a bottle of Champagne, and a complimentary glass of wine.

Red envelopes are usually presented at social events such as weddings and the Lunar New Year. The red colour of the envelope symbolises good luck and is said to ward off evil spirits.

Royal China Fulham - Mural

The restaurants will also be offering a special Chinese New Year menu and will host Lion Dance performances to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Rooster.

The Royal China Group consists of six of London’s most authentic and prestigious Chinese restaurants, including the luxurious and critically-acclaimed Royal China Club. Based in prime areas of London, the restaurants are centrally located on Baker Street, as well as in Bayswater, Fulham, Harrow-on-the-Hill and Canary Wharf.

Chicken and chive dumplings - Copy

The Royal China restaurants offer traditional Hong Kong Chinese dishes, while the Royal China Club provides and exclusive experience combining European ingredients within the authentic Chinese cuisine.

The group is renowned for its Dim Sum, which is served daily from Noon until 5pm and includes favourites such as Steamed Seafood Dumplings with Spicy Sauce; and Pan-fried Fillet of Duck Breast Rolls.

More information here: www.royalchinagroup.co.uk

Duck & Champagne, HKK

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When I am craving Chinese food in London there is one place I want to go… HKK is a sophisticated restaurant in Moorgate which offers faultless Chinese cuisine and lovely service. I’ve visited with my dad twice now and both times we have both left in awe of the fine food. The eatery is currently offering a four course Duck & Champagne Saturday lunch menu for £49 per person, showcasing chef Tong’s signature Cherry wood roasted Peking duck.

HKK

During the week this Michelin starred restaurant is popular with businesses nearby, but on Saturdays there is a much quieter, civilised atmosphere in the dining room. A chilled bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Premier champagne arrived at our table. This fresh and elegant champagne pairs perfectly with Chinese cuisine, cutting through the rich ingredients and complementing the food.

HKK

To start, a blue crab salad, was a delicate and light starter. The creamy seafood was served with a salad of micro herbs with a striking goji berry dressing and little pieces of sweet exotic fruits. It was a clever combination of flavours and textures. The dish was presented in a dramatic waft of dry ice, which also kept the salad cold.

HKK

“From farm to plate, each Peking duck at HKK takes two days and multiple different cooking techniques and skills to create.” The duck was served to us in two courses. First in a bao bun topped with Imperial caviar with slices of crispy skin on the side, sweet sauce and sugar for dipping. It was an amazingly rich and decadent dish, showcasing how regal duck can be.

HKKHKK

Next we had a fine dining version of duck and pancakes. Ultra thin pancakes with a thin spread of hoisin sauce, slithers of cucumber and onion and fleshy pieces of duck. The duck at HKK comes from Silver Hill Farm in Ireland and is marinated in a glaze of five spice, lemongrass, sugar, vinegar and garlic before being hung for 24 hours. Then it is cooked for 90 minutes in a firestone oven over cherry wood. The flavour is incredible, tender succulent meat with a glossy thick crispy skin. Egg fried rice with duck and abalone supreme stock is served with the duck pancakes and it a lovely comforting accompaniment.

HKK

Nashi pear and champagne mousse with cotton candy was the ideal palate cleansing dessert. It was not as exciting compared to the earlier courses, but the flavours worked well as part of this special lunch menu.

As soon as I left HKK I wanted to find another date in my diary to return. I would highly recommend the Duck & Champagne menu… it is an extravagant (but reasonably priced) taster of what this fantastic restaurant has to offer.

More information and book a table for HKK’s Duck & Champagne lunch here.

Yauatcha Signature Dim Sum Menu, Soho

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Yauatcha is a restaurant which suits every occasion. Stylish but fun, with reasonably priced Chinese cuisine of the highest standard. I recently went along to the original Soho branch to try the Signature Dim Sum menu, a feast of some of the most popular Yauatcha recipes.

Yauatcha Soho

As I now know, the Yauatcha menu makes it difficult to resist ordering one of everything. To avoid the lengthy process of choosing from the list of irresistable items, opt for the Signature dim sum menu, which has a nicely balanced selection pre-picked, to share as a table.

It includes:

Blue swimmer crab salad

Venison puff

Seafood dumpling soup

Poached Peking chicken dumpling

Har gau

Pork and prawn shui mai

Three style mushroom cheung fun

Fried chilli squid

Crispy aromatic duck 1/4

Chinese vegetables

Dessert

Yauatcha Soho

The joy of dim sum is that every mouthful is different, but when you find a dumpling that you really love, you just want to eat it again and again. From the signature menu my favourites were the rich and luxurious venison puff… velvety meat encased in a buttery pastry parcel and the slimy but moreish mushroom cheung fun which Yauatcha coat in the most delicious marinade.

Yauatcha SohoYauatcha Soho

Crispy duck is a classic Chinese dish which Yauatcha excel at. Their version has plenty of crispy skin and the pancakes are extra thin, avoiding a floury aftertaste in the mouth. At every Yauatcha restaurant they will provide you with three circular dishes of sauces, I like to keep the sweet chilli sauce for adding to my duck, for an extra spicy kick.

Yauatcha Soho

Vegetables feel very much like an afterthought, brought along to the table after a decadent feast of far more interesting dishes! I found the baby bak choi a little bland, though the fresh vegetables did give a palate cleansing effect after the rich meal.

Yauatcha SohoYauatcha SohoYauatcha Soho

The desserts are displayed immaculately in a beautiful cabinet which I always ogle at on the way in. It is worth saving space for these sugary works of art, or ask for a box of the colourful macarons to eat on the journey home.

More information and book a table at Yauatcha Soho here.