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Yum Cha Silks & Spice

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27-28 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8AG Full details & map

Restaurant: Cantonese

Dim sum at Yum Cha

Time Out says 4 Users say 4/5 Rate it

By Time Out Editors Posted: Sep 29 2011

Just across from the melee of Camden's Stables Market, Yum Cha ('drink tea') is named after the Hong Kong institution also known as dim sum. It's decorated with red silks and crafts from across Asia, including a large gold reclining Buddha.

An impressively diverse choice of dim sum is offered day and night (with prices higher in the evening), plus dozens of main-course dishes from South-east Asia and China. A half-price dim sum deal from Monday to Wednesday, along with karaoke rooms for hire, makes this a lively and inexpensive party venue.

Nevertheless, we reckon the kitchen, a culinary jack-of-all-trades, does nothing particularly well, classic Cantonese dim sum aside. True, we enjoyed the Japanese whole baby octopus, nicely balanced by the sharpness of worcestershire sauce, but beef mee goreng (spicy fried noodles) lacked character and was short on beef. Har gao (shrimp dumplings) and lor bak go (turnip paste) are excellent, but siew long bao (steamed pork soup dumplings) was disappointing; the delicate skins burst, spilling out the prized soup before we got a taste.

Sichuan pork dumpling topped with spicy oil and crushed peanuts proved to be bland. Service was ill-informed. Though dishes such as Sichuan spicy duck tongues, and morning glory with balanchan shrimp paste bode well, Yum Cha failed to dazzle. Stick to Cantonese, and there is a better meal to be had.

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Tags: Asian, Chinese, Cantonese, Groups, Late night, North, Chalk Farm, Budget, Teahouse, Restaurant

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Yum Cha Silks & Spice details

Address

Yum Cha Silks & Spice

27-28 Chalk Farm Rd NW1 8AG

Transport Chalk Farm tube

Telephone

020 7482 2228

Yum Cha Silks & Spice website

Meals/dim sum served noon-11pm Mon-Thur; noon-midnight Fri, Sat; noon-10.30pm Sun

Main courses £7.25-£8.50. Dim sum £3.50-£5.20

Credit cards AmEx, MC, V

Facilities

Tables outdoors ( 10, pavement ), Babies and children welcome ( high chairs ), Booking advisable ( weekends ), Separate rooms for parties ( seating 10-60 ), Disabled ( toilet ), Takeaway service; delivery service ( over £15 within 3-mile radius )

Yum Cha Silks & Spice map

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Comments & ratings 4/5 (Average of 4 ratings)

By Christina - Feb 13 2012

5/5

Best Dim Sum in London!

Very traditional Hong Kong style dimmy, fast attentive service, good food. Spaces available downstairs for booking also very good.

Highly recommended, good value for money

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By Ashwin - Sep 20 2011

3/5

Following this review I ordered the dried shrimp and mushroom cheung fun, and a chicken dumpling. The chicken dumpling was good (although a bit dear at £3.50 for 3 dumplings), but the cheung fun - although 8 or 9 long pieces in the serving - was an utter disappointment, containing almost no filling and totally flour-y and glutinous.

I'm not one to judge a restaurant on one visit though, so will definitely go again - but during the half-price evenings mon-wed.

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By mark - Jan 7 2011

one of the best dim sum places in town. the food wouldnt be out of place in royal china. cocktails arent half bad. excellent value for money (even at full price). ive been there twice, and i only have two complaints, the atmosphere is dull and cheap, and the service is shocking, but the food is churned out quickly. definitely reccomended though.

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By William Lim - Sep 28 2010

It was quite decent dim sum, not out of this world but decent. Go for the 50% off evening dim sum on Monday to Wednesday and you'll find it to be great value.

The portions were small-ish so do order slightly more than you would usually do when it comes to dim sum.

Service wasn't very attentive but don't worry because the food comes out pretty fast.

Recommended.

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By Jo W - Jun 30 2010

Four stars? Seriously? It wasn't bad, but it really wasn't great either. I'd probably give it two and a half stars, or three at best. We ordered six plates of dim sum. Two were really very nice, three were decent and one was awful. (The awful one was the chicken shumai - minced chicken in an open wonton case with no discernible seasoning at all). Only the first two were actually better than the standard of the equivalent Waitrose ready meal. It's not that I thought it was awful, but it certainly wasn't good enough to merit a return visit.

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By peter - Mar 31 2010

I always buy time out, I hope this will not disappoint me.

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By IJones - Mar 28 2010

Absolutely brilliant dim sum - the best I've tasted in the UK. This Singaporean restaurant seems a bit shoddy from the outside (and the inside), but don't be fooled. There is nowhere in Chinatown that does dim sum this good. And it's cheap as chips.

I only wish that I wasn't accelerating the day when there are massive queues on weekend lunchtimes to get into this place. Royal China, eat your heart out....