Restaurants

From the prawn crackers at the start to the fortune cookies finale, this friendly, welcoming noodle bar seems determined to give the public what they want. Certainly, there’s better dim sum to be had in London. And the noodles-by-numbers routine (Step 1: choose your main ingredient; Step 2: the noodle; Step 3: the topping; Step 4: soup or stir-fry) is a bit naff. Yet rarely has good, fresh, pan-Asian cooking and dim sum been so accessible. This branch has a comfortable, easygoing dining room with dark wood tables, cosy chairs and disco pink ball lights, with (wow!) a real dim sum trolley in action. Adventurous dumpling fillings such as lemongrass and prawn, and wasabi chicken, tasted better than they sounded, while the dumplings themselves were well-formed and freshly cooked. Singapore noodles were light and clean-tasting with a nice undercurrent of curry, and Malaysian yellow chicken curry with star anise had an authentic, earthy presence. We’d like to have seen more fresh herbs and fewer sweet sauces, but for the money, you can’t complain too loudly.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008