Restaurants

By Antonia Bruce

The chocolate-box high street of Hampstead seems an unlikely location for this adventurous Asian fusion restaurant with its signage that is reminiscent of a nightclub. The interior looks thrown-together, a mildly overwhelming combination of low ceilings and a hotchpotch of Anglo-Chinese decorative features, ranging from a slate-tiled waterfall and hanging abacus 'screens' to a neon-blue frieze dotted with bright orange goldfish. All this in a room that can accommodate a maximum of about 30 diners.

Goldfish describes its offerings as 'Modern Chinese', but the menu borrows from many other Asian cuisines. There are a startling number of signature dishes and we felt obliged to sample a few. Wasabi prawns and mocha spare ribs were duly ordered. Other possibilities ranged from traditional (a dim sum platter) to intriguing (pan-fry roasted duck with special curry sauce and apple salsa) and 'interesting' (strawberry chilli chicken).

The dim sum platter arrived first, a dozen steamed dumplings in different colours and shapes but with the same seafood filling; therefore tasty but slightly monotonous. Wasabi prawns were battered, deep-fried and cloaked in a sauce that was a mix of puréed avocado and spicy wasabi. These were moreish but too heavy; eat two and your arteries protest. We least liked our mocha ribs that were more espresso syrup than chocolate and tasted bitter, despite the meat being tender and soft. The duck arrived without its apple accompaniment, demoting the dish to lacklustre slices of duck with curry sauce. Our favourite dish was the simplest: 'green fry rice' or fried rice spiked with ginger, green chilli and coriander, lifted with a dressing of yuzu sauce.

It's good to see an Asian restaurant breaking the mould, but in Goldfish's case, perhaps a more conservative, trial-and-error approach would be more successful at helping this restaurant reach the heights it aspires to.

Time Out London Issue 1891: November 15-22 2006