The prices here are somewhat high for the dim sum, but you get elevated classics like siew mai (shrimp and pork dumplings), lopatkou (fried radish cake), various tools with bean curd skin, chagio (Vietnamese fried spring rolls). The salt fish fried rice is decent but needs more salted fish pieces read more

Dim sum in London? Yes, absolutely! If you know where to go... Just like So Cal, the best Chinese restaurants in London are not located in Chinatown. Royal China is in the Hyde Park area, across from the northwest corner of the park (Princess Diana Memorial Playground). It is literally just steps away from two tube stations -- Queensway on the Central Line or Bayswater on the District or Circle Lines - so you can easily get there from almost anywhere in central London. The dim sum was legit and comparable to some of the top players in the San Gabriel Valley. I was particularly impressed by some of the dishes that are hard to find outside of Hong Kong. FRIED MINCED CUTTLEFISH BALLS: Even some of the best dim sum places in the SGV don't offer this or can't make it right. But this was perfectly 5 stars! The batter was light, and the minced cuttlefish filling had a good consistency and bounciness. The cuttlefish filling was mixed with some chopped water chestnuts which was the authentically correct Cantonese recipe. It was delicious and without even a hint of fishiness (GREAT!) PAPER WRAPPED PRAWNS WITH SESAME SEEDS: This is another bold and hard to find item. The wrapping tasted like bean curb wraps and it was deep fried. The prawn tasted fresh and again, without a hint of fishiness. A generous sprinkle of sesame seeds added the final touch to this delicious and creative dim sum plate. TURNIP CAKE: Pan-fried to a nice golden brown, these slices of turnip cakes were truly my cup of tea! Without the fishy dried shrimps that so many restaurants in the SGV tend to use, this dish was like a breadth of fresh air! Instead of dried shrimps, the cakes were mixed with small pieces of cured meat (Chinese sausage) that gave it a truly Cantonese flavor. The other dishes were good but not as impressive. SIU MAI was good and was comparable to those from an average SGV place. The black bean sauce of the PORK SPARERIBS was yummy but the dish was mostly bones with little meat. We also ordered a CHINESE SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN RICE which was topped with small pieces of thigh meat that were rather bland. The only flavor for the rice came from the Chinese sausage. Overall it was still a delightful and solid 4-star dim sum experience. I will definitely be back the next time I find myself in the streets of London. read more

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The best lobster i have ever tasted! Friendly service makes it suitable for friends dining together read more

Royal China - lobster - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

Had give 5stars to let people know this place permanently closed. It was sad we wanted dim sum that day in London.

I came here for dinner. I was craving for Chinese, so I didn't get a chance to enjoy it but it was fulfilling. We were asked many times to alter our dishes because they didn't have certain ingredients. Complimentary radish and peanuts - the radish was so salty and sour. Viet Spring rolls - 2? Seriously?? Seafood Cripsy Chao Mein - no one can mess this dish up. Vegetables and meat. Lobster - they actually help you pick out the meat from the shell - I was happy about it. At least they acknowledged the empty teapot after I asked 2 waiters. read more

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Well presented Miniture food! Every thing with pork tasted superb! (roast pork dumbling, pork with crispy pastry yum yum) Dersert was glorious (mango heart shaped dersert plus egg custurd tart.) Customer service was indifferent! If you are looking for a serious heavy duty munch, Dim Sum is not the one. If you are looking for a light delicious meal to tantilize your taste buds thats not heavy duty, Dim Sum is the one. read more

Royal China - Mango chilled dersert! - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

Awesome! Greatest Chinese restaurant I have visited so far. Taste was really brilliant and profound I felt. In terms of service, I was forced to rush gradually as overall getting busier. read more

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Review for dim sum only. In 1999, I came to London after spending two months in France. I was craving Chinese food "from back home" (read: dim sum and Cantonese cuisine). I asked to be taken to the best dim sum restaurant in London and I ended up at Royal China on Queensway. I remember the food as being very good and comparable to dim sum in San Francisco. Fast forward ten years. I went to Royal China for lunch today. The dim sum here has held up very well. I've had dim sum in several London Chinatown restaurants in the past ten years, but RC's quality is far superior. Pork dumplings in chili sauce, roast pork cheung fun (BBQ pork rice noodle rolls to San Franciscan dim sum eaters), beef dumplings (steamed beef meatballs to San Franciscans), crispy spring rolls, chicken feet and pork spareribs steamed rice, and a pot of pu-erh tea set me back £20.70 (including VAT and service). Yes, you pay for the quality here. read more

Royal China - Pork Dumplings in Chili Sauce and Roast Pork Cheung Fun - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

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Royal China is dim sum central. Craving dim sum, I found my way here, surrounded by bustling chinese waiters and waitresses, a packed dining room, a busy atmosphere and elegant black and gold decor. The prawn dim sum, prawn cheung fun, and fried prawn dumplings with coriander were good. The scallop dim sum was just okay and the vegetarian one was not good. The black mushroom with braised noodles I ordered were pretty terrible and doused in a very unappetising sauce. The menu is very authentic but that meant for me that there were very limited choices of dim sum (I don't eat pork) because there wasn't any chicken or beef dim sum, only prawn or vegetarian. The service here is also very slow, as we asked for soy sauce for our dim sum, but none had arrived. We then tried to catch someone else's eye to ask for it, but that took ages as every waiter/waitress seemed intent on ignoring us. The food did arrive quickly though and piping hot. I had an okay time here, and even though our menu was more miss than hit, I might try coming back for the non-dim sum menu (other than those noodles) sometime. read more

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Came here with relatives last September 2013 during my first visit to London. I must say, what a surprise. Upon arrival, we were seated promptly, and the staff was friendly. There were 4 of us dining together and we ended up ordering a good amount of food. We ordered a variety of dishes...the food came out in a timely manner. I had a taste of the seafood soup, peking duck, pork buns, seafood fried noodles, and a variety of dim sum. It was all delicious! There were only a few other groups dining among us. The atmosphere was very relaxed and enjoyable. This was a great place to go with my family and travel buddy! read more

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Every dim sum portion was perfectly sized for two people, and the textures, flavors, and experience of each dish was more amazing than the last. What a great place, with exceptional service staff. read more

Excellent service, delicious food! Had the most satisfying meal during my London stay at this restaurant. The service was fantastic and the dim sum was very flavorful. We tried a couple different Chinese restaurants in London but this one was by far the most authentic and tasty. read more

It's always good at times to dine at a Chinese restaurant far away from all the relatively homogenised restaurants in China Town. Slap bang in Queensway, this is a really decent place to go for dim sum, especially for a nice sunny Sunday lunch (be sure to pre-book), in which afterwards you can walk it off in the picturesque Hyde Park. Settle down with a pot of Chinese tea (Jasmine is always a good choice), and order a few dim sum dishes such as the prawn and chive dumpling, roast pork buns (always a must), spare ribs in black bean sauce, if your daring the chicken feet in black bean sauce is good, but not for the squeamish. Be sure to order egg tarts as they make them really well here. Peking duck served with pancakes, spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce (oyster sauce) is popular, and made just right, where the meat is tender and the pancakes hot. I almost always order crispy fried noodles with beef and capsicum. There's just something about the deep fried grease of the noodles I just crave. Royal China has a real lively buzz to the place. Like many Chinese restaurants it's loud and there are always waiters rushing around here and there trying to fulfill everyones' needs. read more

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Haven't been here for a while but it has really good authentic dim sum and a great atmosphere. Texture and flavours of their food is great. Lovely decor if dated. The peking duck is very good, as is are the fried tofu skins wraps (amazing). The staff are fine but often busy and stressed. read more

Solid dimsum place in west London. Went for lunch with some friends, and we ordered a combination of har gow, shu mai, chong fen, baos, a rice dish and a noodle dish. Everything was very very good -- for instance, I could tell that the prawns in all the dimsum were really fresh. Service was prompt as well. On average, things took no more than 10-15mins to be served. Ambience was clean and spacious, which I very much appreciated as I don't often like the crowded, less hygienic places in the name of "authenticity." Hence, a good place for any occasion. Would definitely go back! read more

I met up with my best friends from uni for dinner here last night. Royal China is a chain of Chinese restaurants across London. They have a good reputation, especially for dim sum. Arriving at the restaurant, the black decor with gold leaf detail immediately marks it out as a Royal China establishment. it was busy and we were seated towards the rear of the big dining room. One of friends had a train to catch and with a busy dining room, I was little worried as to how fast the food would come out. Well, there was no need - we had ordered quite a variety of dishes and they all arrived within 15 minutes. A whole steamed seabass had sweet flesh enhanced by soy sauce and liberal sprinkling of coriander and ginger over the top. Golden crispy fried chicken had moist tender flesh. Crispy shredded beef produced shards of delightfully crispy beef in a tangy and sweet sauce. My friend Tom ordered the unexpected hit of the evening - aubergine stuffed with pork in black bean sauce. The service was fast, efficient and attentive. Have a deserved 5 stars, Royal China! read more

Royal China @ Queensway (Pics at The London Foodie) I have been coming to Royal China (RC) for the last 12 years, and have nearly always enjoyed my dim sum there. My preferred branch is their flagship restaurant on Queensway, and the only place where I can have one of my most loved dim sum dishes "Baked Seafood Rice in Creamy Portuguese Sauce". Hakkasan is another favourite dim sum joint, however I find myself going less frequently to the West End as the years go by. Dim sum at Hakkasan is a completely different ball game (just as good but in a different way), and about 50% dearer. I went to Royal China last Sunday on 27th December 09 and was a bit surprised to find the place with no queue at 1pm. On the one hand, I was pleased that I would not have to wait for a table (RC does not take bookings for dim sum at weekends), but on the other, I felt that it lacked the crazy and vibrant atmosphere seen at the weekends. Staff were also rather uninterested, looking tired and sometimes being almost brusque. I was surprised to experience this considering RC charges 12.5% for service charges, and the level of service is usually good. Royal China's black and gold décor is surprisingly elegant. Despite the lack of windows, the Queensway branch does not feel oppressive but comfortable and roomy. The most successful dim sum dishes we ordered were: "Prawn & Chive Dumplings" @ £3.15 - these were as good as ever with the rice wrapper being silken and very delicate and the chives filling delicious. "Pork and Radish Dumplings" @ £2.65 - I love white radish (daikon), and the addition of peanuts makes this one of my favourite dumplings. "Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf" @ £3.50 - with a delicious filling of chicken and mushrooms, encased in sticky rice, and wrapped up in lotus leaves, this steamed dim sum is stodgy but well flavoured. "Royal China Cheung Fun" @ £3.60 - I normally order the prawn version but as a friend wanted to try the beef cheung fun, we opted for this dish which contains one of each, prawn, beef and char siu pork. As usual, the cheung fun wrapper was delicate, silken and contrasted beautifully with the meaty fillings. "Ho Fun Noodles with Pork and Enoki Mushrooms" @ £8 - I hardly ever have noodles with my dim sum, however I was glad that we order it. It was an excellent dish and accompanied our other dim sum choices well. "Baked Seafood Rice with Creamy Portuguese Sauce" @ £9.60 - I haven't yet discovered what this yellow creamy sauce is made from but it is utterly scrumptious, to the point that I dream about it. Meaty scallops, prawns, squid and fish are mixed with egg fried rice and topped with the creamy Portuguese sauce. A "must" on any visits to RC Queensway. The less successful dim sum dishes we ordered were: "Prawn & Coriander Dumpling" @ £2.65 - the rice wrapper was unusually thick on this occasion and I struggled to taste any coriander in the dumpling. "Roast Pork Bun" @ £2.65 - I love this and, as with Cheung Fun and Seafood Rice, order them on every visit. This time, the dumplings had considerably shrunk in size and the char siu pork filling was rather ungenerous. "Yam Paste & Pork Dumplings" @ £2.65 - I ordered this in error (I had meant to order the pan fried turnip paste with dried meats which is sensational) and unluckily they were rather greasy and nothing special. "Fried Mixed Meat Dumpling" @ £2.65 - again this was slightly greasy and lacking in filling. I struggle to find anything positive to comment on this one. "Roast Pork Puff" @ £2.65 - I normally enjoy these triangular beauties similar to Brazilian & Portuguese snacks, but unfortunately this was another disappointing choice as the puffs were served stone cold and tasted a bit tired. I normally come out of RC feeling really pleased with the food and overall experience. I have to admit that on this occasion, I was disappointed as some of the dishes were not as good as previously and the staff had a tired and unfriendly look about them. I still enjoyed the Baked Seafood Rice, the Cheung Fun and a couple of other steamed dumplings though so I hope that coming 2010, RC will pick up again and standards will go back to where they were. The total bill came to £74.40 including service and Chinese tea for 4 people @ £1.20 per person. At £18.60 per person I believe this is still a good value meal in London. Verdict - Variable quality dim sum and unfriendly staff made my latest visit to Royal China a disappointing one. Some star dishes and very reasonable prices warrant a "revisit" which I will report in the very near future. read more

DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARD HERE! Or if you do, do not let your card out of your sight. After our meal, my husband took our toddler back to the hotel while I stayed behind to pay the bill. It was the only time I used my credit card the entire trip. When I paid, the server took my credit card away from the table, and I remember thinking, "Hmm, they don't do that in Canada any more." But then I put it out of my mind. Until today, two weeks later, when I went to pay my credit card bill online and saw several fraudulent charges. A quick phone call to my bank confirmed that they had put a hold on my account because of multiple strange purchases or attempted ones. I know that it had to have been the server at Royal China who took my credit card information since it was the only time in the past six months when the card was out of my sight. The food was excellent. And the service was fine (except for the whole theft and fraud thing). So go for a nice meal. But don't pay with a credit card. Or if you must, go with the server to the credit card machine. read more

I have been craving dim sum since I moved to London. In California, the dim sum places are usually a little shady when it comes to the cleanliness and service. But I was really surprised how nice this place was. Royal China doesn't have the traditional dim sum cart service, but the servers are pretty attentive when you want to order more. I was really surprised about how good this place was, it tasted just like the Chinese dim sum places in California! I suggest the morning glory dish (sautéed veggies in garlic), roast pork buns, and the spare ribs in black bean sauce. For two people, the bill came out to 40 quid. I guess it's pretty high, but that's probably because we're both pigs. Will come back again. read more

Decent dim sum at reasonable prices. My schoolmates and I went here on occasion to satisfy our Cantonese food cravings. Nice little dumplings and much more choices than I thought there would be...they even have chicken feet. read more

A Macanese friend once tried to educate me about what makes great dim sum after i complained that people always complain about it not being good enough. According to her the entire restaurant/experience can be judged on the Xia Jiao (steamed shrimp dumplings) 1) The skin of the dumpling must be thin enough that one can observe the little red veins of the shrimp through it. 2) The skin must be thick enough that it does not break when lifted by chop sticks. 3) The skin can not stick to your teeth Royal China passed on all three counts, and the other dishes were pretty good too read more

Great place for dim sum in London near Baker Street. I am not a dim sum expert but I certainly dined with quite a few who are. We all agreed that the selection and quality is outstanding. Service here is above average as well. This is a fun place to go with family and friends to share and try different food together. It's a popular place so I suggest getting there when it opens (especially on weekends). read more

Order the Honey Roast Pork puffs. They will change your life. Service was great food was amazing and prices weren't bad. 10/10 would do again. read more

I've wanted to come here for ages, but it took me a long time to get around to it! They say the best Chinese cuisine in London is to be found outside of Chinatown, and Royal China is one of the biggest names in town. We arrived around 11:30 AM on a Sunday and found ourselves in a short queue, but the time estimate was 15-20 minutes and they were pretty accurate with that. We were seated at a round table in the middle of the enormous banquet style hall, and ordered of a menu with pictures (I suppose London real estate is too expensive to have the walkways needed to have dim sum on trolleys). We put in an order for 6 dishes, with all of my favorites, and they came out rather quickly. The food was very authentic and well executed. We ran into problems when we tried to add another dish, for which we followed up with the staff 4 separate times and it took over half an hour to come out. The operation seems pretty smooth, with lots of staff walking around with earpieces, though there never seemed to be a single person assigned to serve our table. I'd like to come back for dinner and try their other offerings, as I am sure they would also be very good. read more

I have eaten at Royal China Restaurant twice now and I have to say that's it's some of the best Chinese food I've had anywhere. The first time I dined there was in Oct 2013. The most recent time was October 1, 2014. Three things strike you when you enter the restaurant. The first is the size. It's large by almost any standard, but particularly by London restaurant standards. The second thing is that the menu is large and diverse. Plenty to choose from no matter your dietary restrictions. The final thing is that the restaurant is full of Asian people eating there. That's got to be a good sign right? (That's not racist for me to say, is it? I would say the same thing about any sort of ethnic food where lots of people from that ethnicity were eating. Gosh, maybe that's racist too? It's too bad that people are so reserved on the Internet that I'll probably never know!) Anyway, back to the food. My most recent meal (shared with a co-worker) consisted of the following: Special Hor D'oeuvres Plate - Ordered by my dinner partner, we were both stunned by the side of this dish. It was huge. Definitely enough for 2-3 people. Most of the offerings were items that I don't or can't eat, but the reports I got was that everything was very good. Crispy Beef in Taro Nest - Absolutely delicious. I'm so happy when something is advertised as crispy and it actually is crispy. This beef dish tasted delicious and was fantastically crispy. Sweet and Sour Chicken - Very good. Perhaps not so different from Sweet and Sour Chicken I've had at other top-not restaurants. Like the Crispy Beef, the entire serving was demolished. Vegetables in Crispy Noodles - If I'm eating at a Chinese restaurant, guaranteed I'm eating this dish along with the others. The noodles were unique to me. Thin, short and crispy. I liked them. Fried Toffee Bananas - Let's see, bananas deep friend in batter and then drenched in a sweet toffee sauce? Um, yes please. In addition to these items I had two glasses of wine, and my co-worker had a diet coke and ice cream. The total bill came to (L)87.12 or about $144, including a 13% gratuity which was automatically added to the bill. Service was attentive and polite. The restaurant is attractive and clean. We both walked out full and happy. The same experience I had on my last trip to London a year ago. It's a bit of a conundrum, isn't it? I mean, London has tens of thousands of restaurants to explore. I'm there once or twice a year. It feels a bit like I should never eat at the same restaurant twice. But then again, when you're hungry and want a reliable meal that you know is also going to be delicious, why risk going somewhere new? At least that's the argument that won out this time. Ultimately, our experience did nothing to dissuade me from a three-peat visit on a future trip. read more

Dim Sum has always kind of scared me, because you never know what anything is, and there's always the possibility of accidentally eating something horrible. At Royal China, that's not the case. The dishes are printed on easily understood menus (with pictures! yay!) and contain something for everyone, even the very tentative. I always see Chinese families dining here when I come, which I take as a reliable indicator of Royal China's quality. read more

My first real dim sum in London and this place was A O K. I mean I didn't DIE but it wasn't anything spectacular. When it comes to dim sum, I don't really care about the service or the presentation or the decor or the ambiance. I guess it was a plus that we got our own table and didn't have to share but I am just here for the food and the food here was meh compared to most banquet-hall-pushcart-factory establishments in NYC or LA or SF. Ha gow needs more shrimp differentiation and glutinous wrapping. Cheung feng needs more feng. I will say that the chicken feet were maarrrrvelous. There is also no gai lan on the menu but it exists if you ask for it. Everything was missing its usual dipping sauce but maybe this is just a different choice in presentation? There are no reservations for weekend dim sum but the turn over is pretty quick so you will likely not have to wait more than 30 min. I guess I would return but wait are you serious, this is the most highly rated dim sum place in London? read more

I don't know, this place was kind of "meh" for me. It's known as a dim sum place and the pork dumplings I had were really good but they really feel down on the black bean beef. It was barely passable, at least with the expectations I had. It didn't help that the hostess was kind of a B. Just the must dismissive welcome, it really put me off. read more

I wasn't expecting much because I hadn't heard of this restaurant before and my mom randomly pointed at it off of the street. The queue wasn't too bad for 1 pm, and the service was pretty fast. Pretty good jasmine tea because I drank at least 3 cups. I ordered some shumai and a shrimp rice noodle roll. They were awesome and so so so tasty. I ate a plate and a half of the noodle roll and most of the 2 bins of shumai. Some of the best dim sum I've ever had. Definitely would come back. read more

As a Chinese-American expat that recently moved to the UK, I was pleased that Royal China Queensway had most of the Dim Sum staples that I was accustomed to from the US west coast, but also that their service was very fast/efficient, and the food came out fresh from the kitchen (it didn't seem like it was sitting under a warming lamp). I agree with some of the reviewers that the prices were a little more expensive than what I'm used to in the US, but most of the Chinese food in central London / Zone 1 has also been this way. Royal China is probably on my short list of Chinese restaurants in Zone 1. They exemplify the Chinese efficiency, and I find their attempt at being "upscale" charming - similar to other Asian restaurants that use decorations that Western places would consider probably slightly tacky :) read more

I am not amazed by this place. Food is rather expensive for what it is. Small portions and expensive mediocre Chinese food. I would not visit this place again. read more

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This place has been here for years. The food is more or less exactly what you would expect from China Town. Again, nothing spectacular but also nothing disappointing. Recommended if you're nearby and looking for something Cantonese. read more

went here with some Chinese colleagues so I trust that this place is good! we had pork soup, Peking duck, eggplant, fried tofu and prawns, sticky rice and a very nice tea. It was more than enough for the four of us (and we were really hungry too!) Loved it! read more

Royal China - dinner - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

This place is a wonderfully greasy Chinese joint that has the menu of your hangover dreams and crispy duck for daaaaaays. I found the choices absolutely wonderful in that there were many, and we were able to sample some wonderful crab, melba tofu, three types of noodles and all sorts of ducks with pancakes, which we all know I love more than my family. Overall quite wonderful, though large, sterile looking and not very cozy. read more

This is the family go to place for dim sum. It's wonderful. Beef balls - great. Cheung fun - great. Congee - great. char siu sow - great. I think you get the idea. It's all good here, not had anything bad. It's fast and service is good (for a Chinese establishment). read more

Excellent Chinese food and superb hospitality at a very reasonable price! The menu has great variety, with lots of pescatarian/vegetarian/vegan options. I ordered the Singapore rice noodles without pork, and it was excellent. No over-powering spices, and a nice texture and curry flavor. The rest of my party ordered the lemon chicken, crispy noodles with beef in black bean sauce, all of which were excellent. I would love to dine here again! read more

Overrated, but I can see how Europeans or Chinese students (with low expectations of Asian food in the West) away from home could like it. To the Chinese students, I say, if you want to leave home, move to the West Coast of the States instead. Short dim sum menu, and the actual things on the dim sum menu are very very standard Cantonese stuff. The most mediocre "Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf" I've had in my life. Egg tarts slightly too sweet. Red oil dumplings (which are technically from Sichuan) had thick dumpling wrappings--were more like dumplings from Northern China rather from Sichuan (they're supposed to be thin and smooth, not thick and lumpy). For London, this place is probably good. read more

Turns out London DOES have credible dim sum after all; you just have to stay the hell away from Chinatown to get it. The dim sum at Royal China was better than at most places I've been to in New York, surprisingly enough. The dishes were not very greasy, and were very well presented - much prettier than I'm used to for dim sum. The one big flaw is that you have to order off the menu - no pushcarts. That makes it not really dim sum in my mind. But, then again, maybe that's why everything tasted a little fresher. read more

This is a difficult review to write... You see, the dim sum at Royal China is excellent. You can go there and for a very reasonable price, come away feeling full of delicious food. The chefs are obviously good at what they do. The problem is the people who serve the food to you. If you hold a teapot in the air for 5 minutes (we timed it) you expect someone to at least acknowledge you in that time even on a busy Saturday. If you then turn on a strobe light on your mobile phone and wave it around for 2 minutes to attract attention while people at the surrounding tables all laugh, you expect some kind of acknowledgement. And when someone finally arrives, and you tell them you were waiting for so long, you don't expect them to say "well, we are busy!" in an angry tone of voice. You also then don't expect the manager to back them up without even so much as an apology for it. So to summarise, go here if you want tasty dim sum and have lots of time to kill waiting around for useless service. But if you have that much time to kill, get the tube to their Canary Wharf branch instead! read more

I was skeptical when looking at the reviews about this place. I'm glad I did not listen to them and followed my instincts. We ordered the Peking duck,sweet and sour pork and a prawn dish. All thr dishes were amazing. Definitely will be coming back before flying out. read more