Chinatown Foodguide 2018
Chinatown Foodguide 2018
Chinatown Foodguide 2018
FOOD
GUIDE
“There’s been a Chinese community
in London for several centuries, but
it was only after the Second World
War that the community settled in
its current home... Seventy years
later, the area remains as vibrant
and exciting as it always has been.”
“Chinatown London CULTURE TRIP
and Londoners.”
KAI
KS_ATE_HERE
FRITH
21. Little Lamb 37. Er Mei ST
CANTONESE ILLY
72 Shaftesbury Avenue 6 Lisle Street 56. Yi Fang Fruit Tea ROM
2. Café TPT
STRE
104 Shaftesbury Avenue
22. Shuang Shuang 38. JinLi
DEA
21 Wardour Street
64 Shaftesbury Avenue 4 Leicester Street
BARS & PUBS
ET
N ST
3. Dumplings’ Legend
23. Shu Xiangge
CHARIN
15–16 Gerrard Street VIETNAMESE 57. The Blue Posts
REE
10 Gerrard Street
28 Rupert Street
4. Feng Shui Inn 39. Le Hanoi
T
JAPANESE 58. De Hems
GER
5–6 Gerrard Street 4 Macclesfield Street 29
G CROS
11 Macclesfield Street
RAR
24. Ichibuns QUEEN’S 26
5. Four Seasons 40. Pho & Bun UE 56
VEN
GIELGUD THEATRE 1
D PL
22 Wardour Street 59. Experimental 52
11 Gerrard Street 76 Shaftesbury Avenue YA SE &
THEATRE
BUR HOR YARD
ACE
S ROAD
Cocktail Club S
MACC
TE 58 PHIN
6. Golden Phoenix 25. Misato 41. Viet Food
13a Gerrard Street SHAF 28 DOL
63 4
53 18
37–39 Gerrard Street 11 Wardour Street 34–36 Wardour Street
LESF
31
APOLLO 40 8 14
60. Ku Bar
NEW
21
IELD
7. Hong Kong Buffet 26. Shibuya Soho THEATRE 10 45 23
BAKERIES & DESSERTS 28–30 Lisle Street CE 39 5 12
PLA
POR
14 Lisle Street 110 Shaftesbury Avenue 70 SEY
44
STRE
22 DAN 3 64 59
T PL
42. Bake 61. Opium 11
ET
8. Haozhan 27. Tokyo Diner 61
ACE
9 Wardour Street 15–16 Gerrard Street 48
8 Gerrard Street 2 Newport Place 69 16 T
41 9 15 REE
D ST
50
43. Bubblewrap 62. The Light Lounge
49
THE LYRIC AR 32 NEW
46
47
9. Kowloon Restaurant ERR 6 POR
KOREAN 24 Wardour Street 1 Newport Place THEATRE 68 G 36 TC
OU
21–22 Gerrard Street 55 RT
WARD
POR
11. Lotus Garden INDONESIAN, 9 Gerrard Street ES TS
13 Macclesfield Street T 34 37 TRE
MALAYSIAN & T
AF
LEICESTER COURT
15a Gerrard Street
64. Oriental Delight 30 43 REE PRINCE ET
SH
57 COURT E ST
O
SINGAPOREAN 46. Guo C 100 RUPERT 24
LISL
CHARLES
RUPE
19
UR ST
12. New China 14 Gerrard Street PICCADILLY
LEIC
35 Newport Court 33
48 Gerrard Street 29. Nusa Dua CIRCUS 51 VUE THE
65. See Woo EMPIRE
RT S
CINEMA
EST
118–120 Shaftesbury Avenue 47. Kowloon Bakery 2 HIPPODROME LEICESTER
REET
13. Orient London 18–20 Lisle Street CINEMA
21–22 Gerrard Street SQUARE
ER
30. C&R Café
TREE
15 Wardour Street 20
LEIC
4 Rupert Court 48. Chinatown Cafe STREET FOOD
PLA
13 38
14. Oversea Chinese
T
7 Newport Place
ESTE
31. Rasa Sayang 66. Good Friend
CE
Restaurant 25
7 Gerrard Street 5 Macclesfield Street 49. RORO 14 Little Newport Street 42
R ST
34 Newport Court W LONDON
15. Plum Valley 67. Chinese Tapas House
TAIWANESE HOTEL
REET
20 Gerrard Street 50. Tsujiri 15 Little Newport Street
32. Leong’s Legend 33 Newport Court RE
16. Royal Court Restaurant QUA
39 Gerrard Street CAFÉS ST ER S
18 Gerrard Street 51. Yolkin LEICE
33. Old Tree Daiwan Bee 24 Rupert Street 68. Caffé Concerto
17. Tao Tao Ju 26 Rupert Street 50 Shaftesbury Avenue
15 Lisle Street 52. Doughnut Time
34. XU 96 Shaftesbury Avenue 69. Tuk Shop
18. Wan Chai Corner 30 Rupert Street 62 Shaftesbury Avenue
3 Gerrard Street
BUBBLE & FRUIT TEA
70. Theatre Cafe
19. Hung’s THAI
53. Chatime 66 Shaftesbury Avenue
27 Wardour Street 35. Thai Tho 4 Gerrard Street
42 Rupert Street
餐
What are you after? Where to find it:
Bars 65 67 68 69 71
Bubble tea 23 24 26
Burmese 51
FIND
Cantonese 07 08 10 11 13 14 15
Hot pot 37 40 41 51
YOUR Indonesian
Japanese
47
45 46
TASTE
Korean 43
Malaysian 29 30
Noodles 06 29 31 41 45 51
Sichuanese 18 20
饮
Street food 06 07 18 29 30 31
Supermarket 53
Taiwanese 03 05 06
Vietnamese 31 33
01 02
T
W XU
A
“
Exquisite
E
evening
ADDRESS
”
My partner had wanted to come here for a while but
was put off by the prices. However, one weekend in
30 Rupert Street
Chinatown recently we just decided to treat ourselves.
London
Saturday night, no booking. The whole place was full
W1D 6DL
and we didn’t think we would get a table. However, we
were seated upstairs at the beautiful bar where we
TELEPHONE
drank GORGEOUS martinis (oolong tea infused)
020 3319 8147 before we were given a snug table which was shared
with another couple (sitting in a row).
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk We ordered wine, which was reasonably priced and
/en/restaurant/ delicious. I had the crispy dumplings and my partner,
xu-rupert-street- the clams. Both were great. We both had the spicy
restaurant/ crab main with steamed rice which was divine. The
environment and service really is to die for. It felt like
going back in time and was the most romantic night.
The tab came to £110 which you can’t argue with for
what we got!
florencelalage
TripAdvisor Reviewed 12 December 2017
03 04
T
First stop? Good Friend If you’re a fan of nose-to-tail eating, Old Tree Daiwan
Bee serve up an offally good platter of stewed duck’s
ADDRESS for some of their deep tongue, pig’s ears, stomach and intestines. Essentially
a pig party on a plate.
14 Little Newport Street
London fried Taiwanese chicken. You won’t find alcohol on the menu, but you will find
WC2H 7JJ
TELEPHONE
Lead the way Lizzie!” oodles of traditional bubble tea, Taiwanese herbal jelly
milk tea and summer refreshers like iced plum green tea
or matcha tea freezer.
020 7734 2088
CHINATOWN.CO.UK
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/
good-friend/ CHINATOWNLONDON 339 likes
A
Haozhan A
N N
“
T T
One
O O
N N
E E
E
of our S
regular
Café TPT dim sum
ADDRESS
21 Wardour Street
London
My friends and I recently stumbled across this place
following our cravings for authentic Chinese food.
Located on Wardour Street in the midst of the hustle
and bustle of Chinatown, the staff were really
places
”
W1D 6PN
courteous and attentive. We went for a set menu
option – and had endless amounts of food.
TELEPHONE
020 7734 7980 We started with a crab and sweetcorn soup and
ADDRESS After finding this place through TripAdvisor it had
some additional prawn crackers on the side. We then
WEBSITE become one of our favorites. The dim sum is hot
got aromatic crispy duck with pancakes. Mains were 8 Gerrard Street
and tasty and their barbecue meats are great too.
www.chinatown.co.uk all amazing: tofu, chicken, beef, prawns, pak choi London
Their seafood crispy noodles is my son’s favourite.
/en/restaurant/cafe-tpt/ and lots of egg-fried rice. We were so full we couldn’t W1D 5PJ
move and the prices were really reasonable for all Fd3typer2
of the food. It was a clean and hygienic environment TELEPHONE TripAdvisor
and we would definitely all return! 020 7434 3838
SARAH J WEBSITE
Time Out Tastemaker
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant
/haozhan/ Reviewed 7 January 2018
T
Dumplings’ Legend O
N
ADDRESS Owned by restaurateur Geoffrey Leong, whose family
have founded many Chinese restaurants since the
15–16 Gerrard Street E
1980s, Dumplings’ Legend’s charm lies within the food
London
served. Here, the service isn’t exactly unfriendly, nor S
W1D 6JE
is it particularly warm. Moreover, the dining room’s
fluorescent lighting is also self-consciously discomforting. E
TELEPHONE
The food, though, is the restaurant’s redemption.
020 7494 1200
Dumplings’ Legend’s menu is almost as long as the
WEBSITE Great Wall. The diverse selection, however, invites
www.chinatown.co.uk us to explore China’s various regions. From Shanghai,
/en/restaurant/ classic xiao long bao resemble Pac-Man ghosts, filled
dumplings-legend/ with unctuous pork mince encased in hot soup that’s
rife with ginger.
JOHN HATCHMAN
www.thelondoneconomic.com
A
Hung’s
N
“
T
You simply
O
cannot miss
E
this incredible
E
eat in
Chinatown
”
ADDRESS Congee is a very typically Chinese breakfast dish. It’s
a steaming bowl of rice porridge with toppings of your
27 Wardour Street
choice and Hung’s may well do the best in Chinatown.
London
Possibly even the best congee in London!
W1D 6PR
I ordered mine with shredded pork and preserved egg
TELEPHONE
and while it might not look like much, it was absolutely
020 7287 6578 glorious. Full of flavour from the stock the rice is cooked
in, with little pockets of saltiness dotted throughout, soft
WEBSITE meat and pungent boiled egg.
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/hungs/ Leyla Kazim
@thecutlerychronicles
www.thecutlerychronicles.com
11 12
C C
A
Wan Chai Corner A
N N
“
T T
Authentic
O O
N N
E E
Hong
S S
E E
”
smart wooden, slate and stone interior.
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A A
N N
T T
O O
N N
E Orient London E
S S
ADDRESS Finding a good ‘go-to’ Chinese restaurant is a little
E difficult in London. There are always differences in E
15 Wardour Street
freshness, price point, location and comfort. I’ve
London
always gone to Royal China in Canary Wharf, as it’s
W1D 6PH
been endorsed by so many ‘aunties’ but I’m rather
TELEPHONE glad that I no longer have to make the trek there for
my authentic yum cha fix.
020 7989 8880
What we had:
WEBSITE steamed beef cheung fun/steamed pork cheung fun/
www.chinatown.co.uk steamed prawn dumplings har gau/beef tripe in black
/en/restaurant/ pepper sauce/chicken feet in black bean sauce/xiao
orient-london/ long bao/pork and prawn siu mai/steamed scallop
dumplings/spare ribs in black bean sauce/char siu bun/
roast pork buns/prawn and chives dumplings/savoury
meat croquette/ roast pork puffs/monk’s vegetarian
tofu rolls/egg tarts/pan fried turnip cake/glutinous
rice with meat and shrimp
RENEE S
Time Out Tastemaker
E
Baozi Inn
S
E
“Giant. Bouncy. Buns.
Stuffed with melt-in-your
mouth meat. (Tender pork,
in this case.) Enjoy them
under the watchful eye of
the Chairman #Mao portrait
at #BaoziInn on Newport
Court. Mmmmmmmm….get
a bun load of that.”
TELEPHONE
020 7287 6877
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/baozi-inn/
17 18
S
ADDRESS A
4 Leicester Street N
London
WC2H 7BL E
TELEPHONE S
020 7437 1528
E
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/jinli/
JinLi
BUBBLE
TEA
珍珠奶茶
Bubble tea is very much rooted in traditional Chinese culture and their
love of, you guessed it, tea. Invented in the eighties, the original recipe
called for black tea, condensed milk and chewy tapioca balls.
The concept bubbled up from the Taiwanese Chun Shui Tang Teahouse.
On a trip to Japan, its owner noted how the Japanese loved cold coffee
and upon returning applied the concept to tea. It was their product
development manager who had the tapioca ball brainwave and slipped
in the tiny globes of yumminess. The rest is bubble tea history.
These days you can get pretty much any variety of tea, with a wealth
of zany-yet-delicious hybrid versions available from global bubble tea
mixologists. Black tea, green tea, tapioca pearls, any kind of fruit juice,
aloe jelly, normal jelly, coconut, banana, chocolate, ice cream, milk,
cookies…if you can dream it, you can drink it. Served hot or iced
to perfection, sweet or not so sweet, the beauty of bubble tea
is its infinite customisability.
B
Cuppacha
ADDRESS There’s no denying Brits have been well and truly
conquered by bubble tea. We’ve fallen hard for it.
23 Newport Court
London
The sweet and silky taste, with chewy tapioca balls, Chatime UK
makes it an awesome drink for hot summer days.
WC2H 7JS
Newport Court’s Cuppacha serves slurpingly authentic
TELEPHONE
Taiwanese bubble tea. Apart from traditional tea made
020 7998 0313 with a black tea base, one of Cuppacha‘s house blends “When in Chinatown I do love to
is their Matcha Red Bean Bubble Tea. Matcha and red
WEBSITE beans are widely used in Asian cuisines. A refreshing
indulge in a bit of @chatimeUK
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/bar-cafe/cuppacha/
matcha base with melt-in-the-mouth red adzuki beans
takes taste buds on an Asian journey.
– the well-known Taiwanese
All Cuppacha’s drinks are fully customisable – from
teahouse specialising in bubble
ADDRESS
your funky topping right down to your sugar and ice
levels, so you’ll always get a bespoke experience. 4 Gerrard Street
and milk teas. The choices here
London are enticingly unusual, running
Cuppacha only freshly brew their bubble tea W1D 5AP
with the finest Taiwanese tea leaves. Tea-rrific! from honeydew milk tea to
TELEPHONE
CHINATOWN.CO.UK
020 3643 1026 fruit-based black teas.”
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/bar-cafe/chatime/ CHINATOWNLONDON 419 likes
23 BEST FOR: Bubble Tea/Tea/Coffee
B
B
Happy Lemon L
E
ADDRESS Rock salted cheese may sound like something you’d
find on an after-dinner fromage plate, though it’s
24A Newport Court /
actually Happy Lemon’s signature tea topping –
London
a sweet, creamy tart treat, lightly whipped and T
WC2H 7JS
floating on top of your brew of choice. Unique to
TELEPHONE them, its velvety, enriched cheese is mixed with E
their own rock salt.
020 7734 1966 A
A recent addition to Newport Court, Taiwan’s popular
WEBSITE Happy Lemon is fast becoming one of Chinatown’s
www.chinatown.co.uk go-to spots for a uniquely refreshing tea blend, given
/en/bar-cafe/ the never-ending queues snaking out of their bright
happy-lemon/ and sunny shop.
CHINATOWN.CO.UK
BOK
CHOY
Cultivated in China for centuries, bok choy (or pak choi as it’s also known)
has played a large part not only in the country’s cuisine, but also in traditional
Chinese medicine. Today, it’s a staple in both Asian and American recipes,
with its fresh, grassy flavour. Fantastic in stir-fries and sautés.
27 28
M M
A
Rasa Sayang A
L L
C&R Café
dinner but good value for money in the centre of
Chinatown with delightful and attentive staff.
DIANNE H
ADDRESS Cheap, tucked away location, no need to book and Time Out Tastemaker
hearty Malaysian food. What else can you ask for?
4 Rupert Court
I have been to Malaysia a few times in my life and I
London
think C&R is the most authentic out of the restaurants
W1D 6DZ
I’ve tried in the UK :) I love the char kway teow (sorry
I don’t know the spelling) and it’s so tasty and not as
TELEPHONE
oily as some places are.
020 7434 1128
The staff are very practical so don’t expect silver
WEBSITE service but all in all it’s a great place for a quick plate
www.chinatown.co.uk of rice or noodle. My only complaint is I took AGES
/en/restaurant/cr-cafe/ trying to work out what C&R stood for… café and
restaurant. You cannot make it up! Still 5 stars
though, reminds me of my auntie’s cooking.
STEPHANIE C
Time Out Tastemaker
I
Viet Food
E Reviewed 14 February 2018
“
T
Hands down
N
the best
M
Vietnamese
food
ADDRESS
” My girls and I went there for very
late lunch/early dinner on Saturday.
34-36 Wardour Street
We ordered five starters: chix wings,
London
calamari, crispy seafood ball, fresh
W1D 6QT
Vietnamese prawn roll and betel leaf
stuffed with mince meat. All are
TELEPHONE
SOOOOO GOOOOODDD!! We
020 7494 4555 demolished all in less than five minutes!!
So tasty but so light and love the green
WEBSITE and red chillies they provide on the table.
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/viet-food/ For mains we all ordered the same: spicy
Pho. I would definitely recommend you
to try it if you’re in Chinatown and am
so looking forward to be back and taste
everything else!!!!!!
Cindy Y
TripAdvisor
31 32
V
I ADDRESS
76 Shaftesbury Avenue
E
London
W1D 6ND
T
TELEPHONE
N
020 7287 3528
A
WEBSITE
M
www.chinatown.co.uk
E /en/restaurant/pho-bun/
33 34
DO YOU
KNOW
ABOUT
HOT
POT
火锅
Hot pot is a communal simmering pot of soup stock to which you add your
own ingredients to cook. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat,
leaf vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood
eaten with a variety of dipping sauces.
TO REALLY ENJOY:
T
We chose a drunken chicken and a sweet coconut palm sugar pandan
collagen broth and the waiter brought us pancakes with coconut ice cream.
a selection of vegetables, including pak The pancakes were bright green in
choi, cabbage, various mushrooms, colour and were served warm and
sweetcorn and carrots and noodles were packed full of sticky coconut and
alongside seafood and meat platters. sugar, Theo described it as ‘asian
The seafood platter included tiger baklava!’. The coconut ice cream was
prawns, squid, razor clams, scallops and delicately flavoured and cut through the
mussels and the meat choice was cubed sweetness of the pancakes perfectly.
angus beef, kurobuta pork and sliced
Shu Xiangge O
T
ADDRESS When it comes to DIY dining, few are as traditional, /
delightfully messy or delicious as the hot pot. No, not
10 Gerrard Street
Lancashire’s finest: it’s the Chinese art of dunking P
London
assorted raw foodstuffs into a cauldron of bubbling
W1D 6JE
stock. The stock cooks the raw ingredients, the raw O
ingredients flavour the stock. It’s a great communal
TELEPHONE
experience. And the more people involved, the more T
020 7494 1200 flavoursome the result.
WEBSITE In most cases, you can split the cauldron into two,
www.chinatown.co.uk allowing for a spicy side and a more sedate option.
/en/restaurant/shu- You order your chosen morsels – sliced meats, raw
xiangge/ prawns, bits of squid, mushrooms, noodles, vegetables
– drop them in, let them simmer, fish them out and
revel in the spicy steaminess of it all.
NEIL DAVEY
www.economia.icaew.com
Shuang Shuang
ADDRESS Chinese hot pot specialist Shuang Shuang really know Almost like a thinner (and hotter) version of
BEST FOR:
how to make a girl feel hot and bothered...quite literally. pork scratchings. Much recommended, if you Noodles/Hot pot
64 Shaftesbury Avenue
can put aside any reservations.
London
I mean, maybe a humid, hot and rainy day, sitting and
W1D 6LU
cooking over a steaming pot of soup may not be the We had the Tom yum and chicken broth with
best plan – but we embraced it. My hair may have left a steak, prawns and chicken as well as lots
TELEPHONE
lot larger than when I went in, but it was deffo worth it! of veg. All together £45. Go hot or go home!
020 7734 5416
It’s odd how cooking your own food in a restaurant ANNA E
WEBSITE seems like such fun – I just can’t get enough! So excited Time Out Tastemaker
www.chinatown.co.uk at the prospect of rustling up my own hot pot and getting
/en/restaurant/ carried away with the occasion I even went crazy and
shuang-shuang/ ordered crispy pigs’ ears! I instantly regretted it and was
so very scared about what would arrive but we were
pleasantly surprised. “It’s odd how cooking your own food
in a restaurant seems like such fun –
I just can’t get enough!”
41 42
K
Olle
ADDRESS Not – as its name would suggest – a Spanish tapas
joint, Olle on Shaftesbury Avenue is in fact a Korean
86–88 Shaftesbury
BBQ eatery with attitude. Star of the show is, of course,
Avenue
their magnificent meats. From Wagyu beef and Iberico
London
pork, to globally sourced seafood you’ll find premium
W1D 5AY
cuts only here, sizzled to perfection on your own
TELEPHONE tabletop stove. Aside from the aforementioned on-trend
dishes, Olle specialise in traditional, hearty Korean
020 7287 1979 stew, cooked in clay pots.
CHINATOWN.CO.UK
Ichibuns
Shibuya Soho
“The awesome sushi ADDRESS Shibuya is a café/bakery/bar/sushi joint. Breathe.
Decor-wise it’s all clean lines, pale wood and calm
110 Shaftesbury Avenue
platter from @ichibuns. London
Japanese feels. You might want to go for warming
curries like their tonkatsu with a deep fried pork cutlet
W1D 5EJ
Very cool spot with TELEPHONE
or the black cod marinated in miso paste. There’s also
a pretty good sake selection to be drunk neat or mixed
into the likes of a sparkling sake cocktail.
some interesting dishes 020 7439 8393
When we’re about, we only have eyes for the desserts
– freshly prepared sushi, WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
though – we’re partial to a matcha roll cake or the
impressive looking bingsu. It’s basically a huge tower
steamed bao buns, /en/restaurant/
shibuya-soho/
of shaved ice (made of condensed milk) covered in
more goodies - like Oreos, strawberries and mango.
ADDRESS Korean-style burgers We like ours topped with sweet red beans and matcha
which adds a little tang. They even give you an extra
22 Wardour Street little pot of condensed milk, in case you’re not sweet
London and some nice wagyu enough. Happy days.
W1D 6QQ
TELEPHONE
surprises too” DOJOAPP.CO
Nusa Dua
“There’s nothing
better than having a
ADDRESS
118–120 Shaftesbury Avenue
little bit of everything
London
W1D 5EP
which is why we love
TELEPHONE the Mixed Platter from
020 7494 9666
@nusadualondon.”
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/nusa-dua/ CHINATOWNLONDON 203 likes
47
生姜
Chinatown London Essentials
FRESH
GINGER
Part of the holy trinity of Chinese cooking, ginger adds a kick of heat
while also tenderising meat (not to mention neutralising fish odours
and gamey tastes). It should be thin-skinned, heavy, and smooth
to the touch.
49
B
NATASHA TOORAY
Time Out Tastemaker
51 52
S
SeeWoo
T
ADDRESS
18–20 Lisle Street
London
100+
Different fresh vegetables and
WC2H 7BA
fruits from Asia and Europe
TELEPHONE
020 7439 8325
WEBSITE 150+
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/shop/
seewoo-supermarket/
Types of noodle available
200+ 4,000+
Bags of dumplings Packs of pak choi sold
Types of fresh
seafood available
400+ 10,000+
80+ Packs of tofu
sold every day
Packs of chinese mushrooms
sold every month
Different cuts
of meat
53 54
D
Tsujiri
Golden Gate
ADDRESS There are a few Asian bakeries in this part of London,
but one of the best in Chinatown is Golden Gate “Enter new eatery #Tsujiri
13 Macclesfield Street
London
Cake Shop.
– where American soft
W1D 5BR
Focusing on Cantonese baked goods, this is the place
to visit for a mid-morning treat. You could go savoury
serve meets Asian matcha.
TELEPHONE
020 7287 9862
with a big and fluffy char siu (Cantonese BBQ pork)
bun. Or you could keep it sweet with a custard bun,
And, according to
WEBSITE
custard tart, or anything else that might take your fancy.
There’s a lot to choose from and it’s all really good.
@nomnom_london the ADDRESS
55 56
D
E Bake ADDRESS
9 Wardour Street
S
London
W1D 6PF
S
E
“Oh yes! TELEPHONE
EMSLIVINGFORTHEWEEKEND 63 likes
Bubblewrap
“Waffles
ADDRESS
24 Wardour Street
London
anyone?”
W1D 6QJ
TELEPHONE
020 7734 4535
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/
bubblewrap-2/ THEBLONDEHILLS 2,283 likes
57 58
D
Doughnut Time E
“
S
Time for a
E
doughnut
T
ADDRESS
”
We were walking around the area and
spotted this place. We love a good
96 Shaftesbury Avenue
doughnut and when we travel we like
London
to see what we can find...we were
W1D 5ED
not disappointed!
TELEPHONE
The shop is a little place in the wall, with
020 3940 0594 a counter that you order and pick up at.
The store front may be small, but the
WEBSITE doughnuts were big in size and flavour!!
www.chinatown.co.uk
/en/restaurant/ We got the Creme de la Creme, the Han
doughnut-time/ Rolo, and It’s Always a Gaytime...love the
names. I’m so glad we happened upon
this shop!
Kelly V
TripAdvisor
“Giant
macaron
ice cream
sandwiches
only at
@yolkinmacice”
NOTORIOUS_FOODIE 241 likes
ADDRESS
24 Rupert Street
London
W1D 6DQ
WEBSITE
www.chinatown.co.uk
restaurant/yolkin
61 62
酱油
Chinatown London Essentials
SOY
SAUCE
There are three types of Chinese soy sauce. Light soy sauce is light
coloured with a delicate but salty flavour. Dark soy sauce has been
left to mature longer and has had caramel added to it. It is sweeter
and darker than the light variety with a knock-out aroma. Regular soy
sauce is a mix of light and dark and a good everyday condiment.
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“The best
cocktails in
Chinatown.”
Opium
ADDRESS It’s easy to miss the subtly-marked entrance to the Upstairs in the attic, portraits of the owner’s
BEST FOR: Beer/Cocktails
best cocktail bar in Chinatown, as it’s just a black ancestors watch over as you snuggle into
15–16 Gerrard Street
door between two restaurants on busy Gerrard Street. comfy mismatched chairs. There’s a little area
London
Venture up the narrow stairway, however, and the (and yet another bar) tucked away around
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space opens out into a warren of cocktail dens the corner decked out like an old Chinese
spread over two floors. train carriage, complete with suitcases and
TELEPHONE
wooden-clad ceilings. The menu up here reflects
020 7734 7276 The first floor is the apothecary, where Chinese the surroundings – salted caramel sazeracs
medicine bottles sit behind the red and green twisted with coffee liqueur, and apricot and
WEBSITE wooden bar, each filled with a decanted spirit for cardamom old fashioneds with chocolate bitters.
www.chinatown.co.uk signature cocktails. Try the bitter sweet boulevardier;
/en/bar-cafe/opium/ a concoction of Michter’s bourbon, bitter Cocchi Wherever you choose to park, order a round
Americano and vanilla Campari that gives the drink its of dim sum to accompany your cocktails.
name. The separate zodiac cocktail menu showcases Go for seabass and fennel dim sum for something
cocktails in elaborate vessels. The rat is a ceramic a bit different, or taste all the classics (siu mai,
vase-like pot that overflows with smoke on arrival, har gau, fluffy char siu bao) on a platter.
filled with a punchy combination of vodka and smoky
mezcal with spiced apple, ginger and lemon tea. ALEX CROSSLEY
www.olivemagazine.com
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Ku Bar A
R R
ADDRESS After a spell in Ibiza during the 80s, Ku Bar’s owner,
Gary Henshaw, was inspired by the now defunct
30 Lisle Street
Ku Club. Taking the name from the iconic Balearic
London
nightspot (infamous for hosting Bacchanalian parties),
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he hoped to sprinkle some of the same Ibiza fairy dust
on London.
TELEPHONE
020 7437 4303 Ku Bar has now worked its magic on Soho for over
twenty years and it’s still going strong. One of the
WEBSITE first gay bars in the area, it was a beacon for the
www.chinatown.co.uk LGBT community.
/en/bar-cafe/ku-bar/
After moving from Charing Cross Road to its current
Lisle Street locale in 2007, it still retains its blissfully
attitude-free, inclusive and welcoming spirit. One of
Pride in London’s sponsors, each year Ku Bar pump
up the action and celebrate in style, with the party
spilling out onto Chinatown’s streets. The Light Lounge
Open seven days a week from midday to midnight,
ADDRESS Sandwiched between Leicester Square and
Ku Bar is a destination hotspot for fun-seeking
Chinatown’s stretch of Asian eateries, reflective
regulars, locals and tourists looking to throw 1 Newport Place
cocktail bar The Light Lounge occupies its own
some crazy shapes to the latest pop smashes. London
glamorous stratosphere. With its twinkly chandeliers,
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elegant grey banquettes and perfumed lilies scenting
CHINATOWN.CO.UK
TELEPHONE the air, it’s an upscale escape from the chaotic
streets outside.
020 7734 8329
The swish ‘n’ sexy sanctuary is from the same team
WEBSITE as downstairs Ku Bar, so rest assured this crew know
www.chinatown.co.uk how to get the party started. If cocktails are your
/en/bar-cafe/ poison, quality mixology is what these guys do best.
the-light-lounge With a rotating, refined menu of seasonal house
specials, they harmonise the finest of spring/summer
and autumn/winter spices, spirits and juices into the
most quaffable of creations, polished off with an
elegant signature flourish.
CHINATOWN.CO.UK
020 7434 3559 Small but with carefully managed numbers of people
allowed in at a time which is refreshing compared
WEBSITE to other bars where you feel like one of a million
www.chinatown.co.uk lemmings all jostling for space at the bar, ECC has
/en/bar-cafe/ a regularly changing bar menu unlike most I’ve seen
experimental- before. Inventive, creative and designed to tempt you
cocktail-club/ into trying something new, it’s not cheap at around
£12 per drink but the quality is undeniable – there’s
none of the harsh abrasiveness that comes with
cheap liquor, each drink is smooth, surprising and
exciting and staff are lovely an welcoming.
ALEXANDRA L
Time Out Tastemaker
The pub’s upper floor has been transformed Back downstairs, in the pub’s former R
into a stylish cocktail snug with a wonderfully beer cellar, there’s a third venue – an itsy
clandestine feel, complete with walls lined 11-seater restaurant, led by The Barbary’s
with library-style drinks cabinets, a marble- head chef Nacho Pinilla. With a black
clad bar and comfy velvet seats. and white tiled floor and chrome counter,
it looks the business but won’t be open
The cocktails lean mainly towards the until the new year. There’s good news for
classics-with-a-twist genre, including smoky those fed up of queuing, though: it will be
honey and ginger-laced mezcal number a reservations-only kind of place.
Forget It Jake that takes on a margarita.
The bar menu is also available here – though The Blue Posts is one of the most exciting
it feels more at home downstairs – as are things to land in Soho for a while. Get in
wines and beers. there fast and enjoy not having to queue,
because that probably won’t last long.
BEN NORUM
www.standard.co.uk
The Blue First up, on the ground floor, is the pubby part. It retains
the original name and much of the character, but has
been given a spruce up, had its bar transformed into a
Posts dining counter, and craft beer installed on the taps.
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