Harden's survey result
Summary
“Consistently excellent dim sum” – “very good for the price” as well – is the menu highlight at this “go-to” Cantonese destination in Paddington Basin. Despite its smart modern fit-out, however, the basement location can appear “noisy” and “soulless”.
Summary
An “uninspiring location” – a Paddington Basin basement – has not held back this large and attractively decorated Cantonese: nowadays very well-established and “always very crowded”, especially at weekends, for its “amazing dim sum”, of a quality “really quite different to the majority of Chinese restaurants”. Top Tip: “lobster noodles also brilliant”.
Summary
“Fabulous dim sum” has helped earn this big basement in Paddington Basin a reputation as one of London’s top Cantonese spots. But marks have slipped this year across the board, perhaps because “the location has transformed from a wasteland to a happening destination, so service has suffered under the pressure”.
Summary
“Always excellent dim sum” tops the list of “genuine Cantonese food” at this big basement, tucked-away in Paddington Basin. Service is “brisk but attentive”, while “the room is loud enough to drown out any noise from the kids”.
Restaurant details
Pearl Liang Restaurant Diner Reviews
"The Dim Sum lunch is great value and good quality"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £17.50 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.00 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
Harden's says...
Pearl Liang W2
Paddington Basin. The Final Frontier. Well, perhaps not quite. But you do feel as though you are boldly going where no one has been before, when you enter central(ish) London's last major bit of in-fill development. It's hard to find: the easiest way is to start at Paddington station's Heathrow platform, and to follow the signs to 'Marks & Spencer' (whose new HQ is the development's anchor tenant).
Once you're there, this canalside development is, in an Americanised kind of way, surprisingly attractive ' given that it's dominated by a flyover (the Westway). It helps that the landlords - no doubt with lavish incentives - have attracted a critical mass of restaurants, including an already-popular Japanese (Yakitoria), an airy gastropub (The Union), a soon-to-open fish specialist, and the Chinese restaurant we review today.
The rambling dining room occupies a lower level of the development. It's short on natural light, and the designers have run with a sort of opium-den chic. The overall effect is comfortable, even if the chair/table heights/depths don't quite work, and the acoustics are tricky. While we're on negatives, the service does not make up in efficiency what it lacks in charm.
The food, though, is a redeeming feature. Dim sum are a speciality (served lunch and dinner), and come at a prices reminiscent of Chinatown, and up to the same standards as the best operators there. Larger dishes - such as Peking Duck and steamed sea bass - were also realised to a superior standard. Puddings included an oddly satisfying, blue blancmange-y number. In fact, everything was consistently above par.
So, when you're next passing (just kidding) give the place a try. Or, if you're a real fan of Chinese cooking, you might even find it positively worth seeking out.
8 Sheldon Square, London, W2 6EZ
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm-11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm-11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm-11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm-11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm-11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm-11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm-11 pm |
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