UKC

Any recommendations for the best places to eat in China town, london please?

In reply to blurty:

Sorry, can't give you specific recommendations, but for genuine chinese food the general rule is anywhere that is packed with chinese people. They are usually not in obvious places, so ask a local where they would eat.

In reply to blurty:

Most of the places in Chinatown are full of chinese people - no indication that it is any good - the more authentic the food the more minging in my experience. Go Vietnamese.

D

In reply to blurty:

can't remember the name, but the place on the corner by the arch/gate was good a couple of years ago.
And the institution that is Won Keys - the big place at the opposite end if the street from the arch. Rude staff, big queues, fast service. And the only place I've had nice salt&pepper squid.

note:a lot of places only take cash.

In reply to blurty:

The Wong Kei, with it's famously rude staff.

In reply to blurty:

Get BBQ at the 4 Seasons. Nom Nom

In reply to blurty:

My last walk through China Town in London was somewhat fraught. I had earlier caught some teen-aged girls trying to "pickpocket" my then girlfriend's rucksack - and decided that I was going to get my head kicked in by whatever gang they were working the crowd with if I shopped them - and by the time I got to China Town I was in a very paranoid mood, and being very agoraphobic of crowds and people getting close to me.

Plus restaurant with lots of skinned greasy ducks hanging on display was not all that good for someone who was vegetarian.


Since then I've found out a bit about a "chinese" attitude to not being bothered in the least about killing animals in explicitly painful ways in order to improve the flavour.

See Timmd's thread about that.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=570930

In reply to blurty:
If you want a Michelin Star experience Hakkasan in Hanway Place is your best bet which is 5 mins walk away from Chinatown - you would have to book in advance though. If you want cheap all of Gerrard Street / Wardour Street is.
As has been mentioned Wong Ki's is noted for it's extremely rude staff which adds for a unique dining experience........

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

I used to eat there pretty much every lunchtime 20 odd years ago. I occasionally went with a guy who spoke a bit of Mandarin. He said the open and loud swearing about the customers was epic, impressive given that the vast bulk of their daytime customers were Chinese. I loved that place.

In reply to I like climbing: i used to take journalists out for lunch now and again and Hakkasan was often one they'd choose - isn't there a starter that's about a hundred and thirty quid?

In reply to Removed User:


I would agree. However, I have found there is quite an arrogance towards the west by the Chinese and I have generally received crap service compared to my Chinese dinners whenever eating in places like this. I could just be unlucky though.

In reply to Removed User:


I've never found that principle to be too reliable with chinese places. My guess is that it's because a lot of them pack out with students who aren't that bothered about the quality of the food provided it's vaguely familiar - sort of like British or American students studying abroad might go to McDonalds when they get together...

A bit further North, Chilli Cool near Euston is good for Sichuan stuff.

In reply to blurty:

Some of the best and worst meals I've had have been in China Town. The worst was 'authentic' chinese - essentially peasant food. Grim.

My tip, avoid the simple looking restaurants unless you know what you're doing - ie avoid the ones with bits of animal on hooks, domestic cookers as part of the 'ambience' and waitresses who look as though one of their additional duties is strangling dogs for the pot. A simplistic test perhaps, but....

In reply to blurty:

Ba Shan
24 Romilly St London W1D 5AH
020 7287 3266
bashanlondon.com

its awesome, the food is delicious and based on fuchsia dunlop time in Chengdu, but in soho a little way away from china town.

In reply to blurty:

p.s. the food can be a bit on the spicy side!

In reply to blurty:

I've always found, much like Brick Lane and curries - the best Chinese food isn't in China Town.
It's cheap, sometimes cheerful and aimed mostly at the tourists...