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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.