![]() Din Tai Fung is still the best bet to avoid the saddest sight in all dining: an arid, desiccated xiao long bao. XLB may be the tonkotsu of dumplings but they can still be glorious in the right hands, so it’s unfortunate that those nerds are right and almost no one does them well. Din Tai Fung announced two restaurants and opened one restaurant, there were queues for a bit, and everyone went home, having moved on to whatever the new thing is. Let people burn their mouths if they want to.įor years and years everyone was told there aren’t any great XLB in London, that Din Tai Fung need to come over. Xiao long bao emit an incredible amount of chaotic energy, attracting the worst kind of dumpling nerds who want skins the translucency of an amniotic sac and have strong opinions on how and whether to pierce the skin. Dim Sum and Duck | 124 King’s Cross Road, King’s Cross WC1X 9DS.The king prawn cheung fun here are paragons of the genre. Therefore, cheung fun is indeed a dumpling and some of the best are available at Orient in Chinatown - one of the few places that doesn’t get its dim sum in from the same wholesaler and instead makes them from scratch. This guide takes a dim view on non-carb based wrappers and non-Euclidian dumplings. Is cheung fun a dumpling? Here’s its possible to justify its inclusion using a structure neutral policy which states that dumplings in Euclidian space do not necessarily have to be totally closed carb surfaces encasing a filling, and may in fact be semi enclosed. Wong | 70 Wilton Road, Pimlico SW1V 1DEĬheung fun at Orient. Royal China Club | 40 - 42 Baker Street, Marylebone W1U 7AJ. ![]() Shikumen | Various locations: Shepherd’s Bush Aldgate Finchley Road.Phoenix Palace | 5 Glentworth Street, Marylebone NW1 5PG.Orient | 15 Wardour Street, Soho W1D 6PH.Wong at the high end, where the siu mai come with pork crackling (yes) and the har gow come with a rice vinegar. Therefore the recommendations for these go to the best dim sum places in London at every price point: Orient, Phoenix Palace and Yi-Ban for expansive venues on the cheap - the latter’s views of London City Airport are particularly stunning - Shikumen and Royal China at the mid-range and Michelin-starred A. These two dumplings exist in tandem with each other, the first true tests of any dim sum parlour. Ola Smit/Eater London Siu Mai/Har Gow 燒賣/蝦餃Īnt and Dec, Morecambe and Wise, a chance to offer a contrarian take no-one asked for and Brendan O’Neill: where there is siu mai, there will always be har gow. Wong Kei | 41 - 43 Wardour Street, Soho W1D 6PY.Reindeer Cafe | Wing Yip Business Centre, 395 Edgware Road, Cricklewood NW2 6LN.Cafe TPT | 21 Wardour Street, Soho W1D 6PN.Questionable dumplings, a broth that fizzes with MSG, piping hot, filled with chilli oil and less than £5, it’s the only truly irreplaceable wonton soup in London. At Reindeer Cafe in Cricklewood, the wonton soup is precise and clear, bobbing with fat prawn-sweet dumplings, but there’s something about the version at Wong Kei that defies explanation. There are many places to get decent versions: at Cafe TPT it’s possible to have them drenched in chilli oil as a starter, where their long elephant ear flaps soak it up marvellously. In the alignment chart of dumplings this is the true neutral, at home in soups or in chilli oil, filled with a Schrödinger meat that resembles pork but has been skilfully engineered to have the sweetness of prawn. London has absorbed several waves of Cantonese immigration, as well as more recent arrivals from other Chinese areas, making it well placed to be the dumpling capital of Europe. Other cultures soon cottoned on to the trick, but there is still nowhere else in the world that comes close in terms of variety: from steamed to fried, boiled to souped, crimped, folded, spherical, oblong and moon shaped - every Chinese dumpling is a little ode to the joy of the small, to the joy of one perfect bite. First inventing them, turning what would otherwise be a boring dinner into a lavish treat by the simple act of wrapping a filling in dough, and then formalising the rules of the game with dim sum. And why not? Is there a better, more auspicious way to start a new year than eating dumplings?Ĭeremonial import aside, dumplings are perhaps China’s most profound mark on the history of food. The reasons for this may seem unclear, until realising that pretty much all Chinese food traditions were invented for ulterior motives - in this case, by greedy people who wanted an excuse to eat their whole weight in dumplings and didn’t have to concern themselves with the process of making them themselves. The more someone eats, the richer they will be, or so it goes. As Chinese New Year approaches every twelve months, dozens of food guides will advise eating dumplings as a sign of prosperity for the coming new lunar year.
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