Harden's says
The long-awaited Centre Point branch has now been surpassed by two new openings from this Taiwanese import famed for its immaculate xiao long bao soup dumplings; this one is on the re-vamped fourth floor of Selfridges.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Soup dumpling heaven!” – say fans, who experience “the joy of dim sum in all its brilliance” at these London outlets of a Taiwan-based international chain that arrived here to great fanfare in 2018 – branch number four opened in Canary Wharf last year. Perhaps inevitably, well-travelled sceptics say they’re relatively “expensive for what they are” (“foodwise they’re the same as Asia”, but “I was shocked by the pricing of here vs Singapore”).
Summary
“You can’t go past the xiao long bao” – “soup-filled dumplings hand-made onsite and steamed to order” – say fans of this Taiwanese-based global chain with three London outlets (in Covent Garden, CentrePoint and Selfridges). “All the other dishes are a bit hit and miss”, though, while a well-travelled minority reckon they’re “nothing like the original restaurants in Asia”, with prices – by comparison to e.g. Singapore – that are “off the scale”. But you must go: “cute robots help clear the plates!”
Summary
An international Taiwanese-based chain with a trio of UK outlets in Covent Garden, Selfridges and most recently Centre Point (“with a great view”). To well-travelled connoisseurs of the original, they are “more upmarket here and more expensive too” (“I lived in Asia for several years and ate at a DTF at least weekly, but here they’ve jacked the prices up to a level that is taking the p***”). But to the uninitiated, they can seem like “the best ever dumplings”, and – Top Menu Tip – even their sternest critics say “don’t ignore the Xian Long Bao” (soup dumplings).
Summary
The London offshoots of a famous Taiwanese dumpling brand (in Covent Garden, Selfridges and, scheduled for late 2022 opening, a big 13,500 sq ft debut in Centre Point) are by most accounts “great fun”, although “it’s quite a different proposition to the Asian formula” – “more upmarket”. There’s plenty of enthusiasm for the “soup dumpling heaven” provided by the signature pleated dumplings (xiao long bao) – although be warned: they are “more expensive” than in Asia and “the bill can add up pretty fast”.
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