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Chino Latino

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Park Plaza Riverbank, 18 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TJ Full details & map

Hotel restaurant: South-East Asia

Time Out says Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Oct 20 2011

Despite its name, the Latin influences on Chino Latino are hard to detect - perhaps they've all been poured into the super-strength mojitos.

A meal begins with a few showy flourishes: a tablet turns into a hot towel with a splash of water ('ooh!'), and cocktails are garnished with chillies ('ahh!'). Customers are an arbitrary mix of tourists, work colleagues, families and romancing couples, which makes for good people-watching but doesn't bring much atmosphere.

However, the pan-Asian sharing menu is consistently delicious. The likes of soft-shell crab tempura, perfectly light and crisp, are presented imaginatively too. Dumplings were another highlight, stuffed with tender crayfish and Chilean sea bass. Grilled scallops arrived dressed with yuzu aïoli and a dusting of wasabi pea, and popcorn crackling made a great addition to the pork belly. Desserts (passionfruit cheesecake with blow-torched marshmallow, say) were equally good.

Sadly, though, the setting doesn't do the food justice. The clubby decor, with its slick black leather and backlit screen, would have been stylish a decade ago, and it's hard to escape the starchy hotel surroundings. Service on our visit was brisk and formal, at times verging on rude, which made us reluctant to linger over the lovely food.

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Tags: Asian, South-East Asia, Cocktails, Something different, South, Vauxhall, Expensive, Restaurant, Hotel restaurant

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Special offers

40% off food for lunch

...from a la carte menu. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Everyday 12:00-15:00
Offer covers Min 1, Max 10 people
Offer valid until Mar 13 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.

30% off food for dinner

...from a la carte menu (based on a minimum of 2 courses per person). Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Everyday 18:00-21:30
Offer covers Min 1, Max 8 people
Offer valid until Mar 13 2012

Please book this offer through the booking panel below.