Restaurants

By Ian Fenn

The owners of this trendy Chinese opposite the new Wembley Stadium must be thrilled by their star signing. Dim sum chef CC Wong was poached from prestigious Yauatcha - the Chinese culinary equivalent of Crystal Palace signing Wayne Rooney. During a recent lunchtime visit we glanced at the menu to find Wong had brought many of our favourite Yauatcha treats with him. The cheung fun were slightly thick, but wonderfully soft, enclosing perfectly cooked king prawns. Scallop shumai also impressed with fresh, moist seafood and flying fish roe. The fried items we tried were all wonderful, but the star player was the fried squid cake accompanied by a potent lemongrass sauce. Only a lacklustre homogenous pork and prawn shumai missed the back of the net.

Returning for dinner, which is outside Wong's domain, we were less impressed. Frankly, a lukewarm steak and kidney pie accompanied by a polystyrene cup of Bovril would have been preferable. Hot and sour soup was overpowered by chilli. Cantonese roast duck was tough, dry and lying in a puddle of oil (we wondered if it had been doused in hot oil and microwaved). Other choices - lamb chop in sha cha sauce, pork with preserved vegetable hot pot, and pan-fried king prawn in rice wine sauce - were overcooked and sweetened to the extent that eating was no longer a pleasure. Our waiter, who'd been attentive throughout, noticed our discomfort and reduced our bill by 15 per cent.

During both visits, the restaurant's light blue and cream dining room was practically empty. Named after a famous Taiwanese mountain, Alisan is worth the climb for high-quality dim sum, but we'd give the à la carte menu a miss.

Time Out London Issue 1904: February 14-20 2007