Restaurants

By Ian Fenn

Eating in Chinatown can be a frustrating experience: cramped tables, smoky surroundings, abrupt service, hackneyed menus and rushed cooking. Proprietors argue that high rents, adjacent competition and a perception that Chinese food is cheap leaves them no choice but to cut corners. But surely there's still scope to provide exciting food with smart service at a reasonable price? Sadly Golden Pagoda's owners don't appear to share this view. Already established in Chinatown with two restaurants named 'Crispy Duck', they've chosen again to beat a well-worn path.

We didn't try the ubiquitous duck, but perhaps we should have done as our à la carte selection proved disappointing. Pork and vegetable soup brought gristly meat and tired pieces of Chinese leaf in salted water. A serving of crisp roast pork from the in-house barbecue shop was generous but not crisp. Stuffed aubergine, pepper and tofu was accompanied by black bean sauce which seemed watered-down and tasteless. The final insult was a plate of dao miu (pea shoots), which arrived topped with a slightly-firm mélange of preserved and salted egg instead of the deliciously eggy broth expected.

If the restaurant has one saving grace, it's the daytime dim sum. Wai Sui Yu, who moved here from the acclaimed Dragon Castle (near the Elephant & Castle), is a talented chef, especially when it comes to steamed dumplings. Highlights included crunchy Chiu Chow fun gor (sticky rice flour dumplings) packed with diced pork and peanut, and gorgeous scallop dumplings topped with spicy XO chilli sauce. Pan-fried pork dumplings also impressed - each tiny crescent was filled with moist meat and tasty soup stock.

Despite amateurish service, we were cheerfully considering a dessert when the bill was dumped, unannounced, on the table. We got the message and beat a well-worn path ourselves - out the door.

Time Out London Issue 1915: May 2-8 2007