The Observer
Jay Rayner warmed to the attitude as much as the food at this noisy, red and black-decorated spot from chef owner Rob McIntyre, where the home-made crispy chilli oil – “much more crispy chilli than oil” – is a signature that turns up in one “banging” dish after another, indicating a “commitment to doing things properly”.
“They serve a menu that wanders Asia with the enthusiasm of fans who have bought every album and know every lyric. What they do and what they love is a celebration of inclusiveness; of migration and influences from elsewhere.”
The ever-changing menu of dishes with a top price of £14 ranges from “big fat steamed pork dumplings, full of depth and meatiness” and chicken wings in “thick, crisp, deeply savoury batter” to jackfruit dumplings, mung-bean hummus, deep-fried tofu, mussels in tom yum broth and various boa buns.
There’s also a Scottish theme: steamed haggis dumplings – “which sound like a night out in Glasgow gone very right” – are followed by the only dessert available when Jay visited: a Mars Bar deep-fried “sensitively … if that’s possible…. And then, a genius move this, they sprinkle it with brilliant white flakes of sea salt. It’s a cheffy touch, but a fabulous one.”
Jay Rayner - 2024-09-01
