Where to find the best dim sum in London
An afternoon tradition with roots in southern China, dim sum is now as popular in London as it is in the Far East. The staples are har gau, a dainty prawn dumpling with near-translucent skin, and siu mai, a bite-sized, open-top pork dumpling, but many restaurants have expanded their repertoire to include light bites from other parts of the country. Among those vying for your attention are xiao long bao (Shanghainese soup dumplings best eaten with a spoon), cha siu bao (fluffy steamed buns filled with barbecued pork) and cheung fun (slippery rice noodle rolls with or without filling). Not sure where to order what? Here are some of the best dim sum restaurants in London and the dishes to order.
1. Yauatcha, Soho
Dish to order: Spicy pork Szechuan wonton
All dark wood with electric blue panels, Yauatcha defined sleek and sexy when it opened its doors in 2004, serving dim sum day and night. It’s hard to imagine that this young upstart of the Hakkasan group is now almost 20 years old, with a string of global outposts. But having been to a handful of those, the Soho branch remains the best. It’s somehow more intimate, and the food more real – albeit prices, too, have swollen in size in recent years. The spicy pork Szechuan wonton – dollops of meaty filling encased in a slippery sheet of pastry, doused in a peanut and sesame-laced chilli sauce – is still a firm favourite.
Address: Yauatcha, 15-17 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 0DL
Website: yauatcha.com2. Orient London, Soho
Dish to order: Seafood dumpling in supreme stock
The dim sum at family-run Orient London is seriously refined – think dainty scallop dumplings and bite-sized har gau, each with a carefully considered ratio of pastry to filling. The dim sum menu (daily until 4.45pm) is enormous but given seafood is its speciality, you can’t go wrong by starting there. The signature seafood dumpling in supreme stock – a pair of crab and scallop-filled parcels in a light broth, made fragrant with freshly chopped spring onion – is not to be missed. Those in the know savour one of the dumplings on its own, and then break open the other in the stock for extra oomph.
Address: Orient London, 15 Wardour Street, London W1D 6PH
Website: orientlondon.com
PETER KOCIHA Photography3. Park Chinois, Mayfair
Dish to order: Blue swimmer crab puff
The scent of truffle permeates Park Chinois, where it seemingly appears on every other dish. But while luxury is the name of the game here, it’s certainly not style over substance. Upstairs, live jazz warms up the crowd at Salon de Chine, while downstairs at Club Chinois, it’s all about cabaret. Go between 12pm and 4pm for the largest selection of dim sum. Iberico pork xiao long bao, sakura shrimp, Hokkaido scallop Cheung fun (rice noodle roll), and venison honey puffs are all a delight. But the surprise winner is the crisp and delicate blue swimmer crab puff.
Address: Park Chinois, 17 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EA
Website: parkchinois.com
4. Royal China Baker Street
Dish to order: Sweet lotus seed buns
A firm favourite for weekend brunch – queues snake out of the entrance from about noon until 5pm, when the dim sum service ends. In those short few hours, baskets upon steaming baskets of siu mai – a pastry bouquet filled with pork and prawns – and neatly folded har gau are whisked around the spacious dining room. Their black lava buns, with egg yolk custard ready to ooze, are always popular but for an underrated alternative, try the lotus seed buns, each filled with sweet, gooey lotus seed paste.
Address: Royal China Baker Street, 24-26 Baker Street, London W1U 3BZ
Website: royalchinagroup.co.uk5. Plum Valley, Chinatown
Dish to order: Crispy bean curd and prawn Cheung fun
Family-owned Plum Valley is trying its hand at a more contemporary style of dim sum, and with delicious results. The rainbow dim sum selection and charcoal-coloured egg yolk bun make a great show for Instagram but it’s the more understated options that win on flavour. Their crispy bean curd Cheung fun, for example, offers a wonderful contrast of textures while the deep-fried milk fritter – a light sweet custard in batter – is quite simply a joy. For lunch, ask for a table upstairs where it’s more airy and spacious.
Address: Plum Valley, 20 Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JQ
Website: plumvalley.co.uk
Nic Crilly-Hargrave6. Dumplings’ Legend, Leicester Square
Dish to order: crystal prawn dumplings
Dumplings’ Legend has a prime Chinatown location with an enormous show kitchen revealing how quickly its dim sum chefs expertly fold dumplings and baos. Just as well, given its banquet-style tables are packed with steamers full of the stuff day and night. The pork xiao long bao is particularly good, and you can’t go wrong if you order any of the dumplings – it’s in the name after all. But those crystal prawn dumplings, plump prawns visible beneath the near-translucent pastry, are what show off the skill of the chefs.
Address: Dumplings' Legend, 15-16 Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JE
Website: instagram.com/dumplingslegend
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7. Din Tai Fung, Covent Garden
Dish to order: Pork xiao long bao
Din Tai Fung has struck gold with its xiao long bao formula – 16g of filling, 5g of pastry and 18 even pleats to bring it all together. Freshly steamed, each bite-sized dim sum wobbles in the basket as you try to pick it up. The pastry is so delicate it’s a wonder they arrive in one piece. It’s no mean feat to replicate that thousands of times a day – and perhaps that’s why despite having over 100 branches around the world, including three in London, Din Tai Fung still manages to have queues out of the door all day long for its signature dish. In Covent Garden, at least, there’s a bar serving up a mean selection of cocktails while you wait.
Address: Din Tai Fung, 5 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS
Other locations: Selfridges and Centre Point
Website: dintaifung-uk.com
8. Red Farm, Covent Garden
Dish to order: Black truffle and chicken soup dumpling
Red Farm’s all-day dim sums are exactly what the traditionalists love to hate. After all, its signature dish is the Pac Man dim sum: a line up of colourful har gau ghosts and a wedge of tempura sweet potato for Pac Man. Adding to the novelty are the cheeseburger spring rolls and the porcupine dumpling (prawn mousseline spiked with flakes of toasted almonds). But just when you think it’s all fun and games, out comes the black truffle and chicken soup dumpling, its red and white paper straw helping you to suck up the last drop of those delicious juices, and you realise that yes, this is a serious contender.
Address: Red Farm, 9 Russell Street, London, England WC2B 5HZ
Website: redfarmldn.com9. Tofu Vegan, Islington
Dish to order: Wontons in the house special sauce
At Tofu Vegan’s three neighbourhood restaurants – in Islington, Spitalfields and Golders Green – chefs have given popular dishes such as Peking duck a plant-based makeover with the help of tofu, mushrooms and other meat substitutes. The menu is fairly compact compared to your average Chinese restaurant, but on the dim sim front, the respectable lineup includes the likes of tofu and mushroom xiao long bao, spicy edamame dumplings and garlicky Chinese chive dumplings. By far the best, though, are the wontons in the house special sauce – fragrant and chilli-laced morsels that will satisfy even the pickiest of meat-eaters.
Address: 105 Upper Street, London N1 1QN
Website: tofuvegan.com
10. Canton Blue
Dish to order: Barbecue pork buns
Canton Blue is gorgeously decadent; we’re not talking about the food here – though that is lavish too – but rather the whole experience. It’s one of three restaurants at the no-expenses-spared new opening, The Peninsula London, with colourful porcelain plates decorating the walls, staff busying in Jenny Packham-designed outfits, and champagne made for it by Deutz. The dim sum menu is short but considered, with favourites like dinky prawn and bamboo shoot-filled har gau, and xiao long bao served with wisps of ginger in vinegar for dipping. But the crowning glory is surely the barbecue pork buns, which have a craquelin top offering a lovely contrast to the fluffy bun and unctuous filling.
Address: The Peninsula, 1 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7HJ
Website: peninsula.com
11. Chop Chop
Dish to order: Minced pork and prawn siu mai
Many Chinese restaurants stop serving dim sum by 5pm, but at Chop Chop, you can order it right up to closing at 4am, making it perfect for those late-night cravings. This is thanks to the fact that it’s one of the dining options in the Hippodrome casino, itself a 24/7 outfit. The trade-off is that the menu isn’t as extensive as elsewhere. The most popular options are all there though, from the minced pork and prawn siu mai and har gau to barbecue pork buns and custard buns. The restaurant is a collaboration with Chinatown stalwarts Four Seasons, who are known for their roast meats, so naturally, these are essential additions to your order. Note that you’ll need to be over 18 to eat here and you may need ID.
Address: Hippodrome, Cranbourn Street, London WC2H 7JH
Website: hippodromecasino.com