Hyde Park Corner, Chinese Restaurant Guide

Hong Kong designer David Tang passed away in 2017, but his London restaurant legacy is this “very posh” cellar beneath the Dorchester which he opened in 2005 inspired by 1930s Shanghai. During his lifetime it always struggled to live up to the hype and high prices, but acclaim for it has grown in recent years, with very high ratings achieved across the board this year. More cost conscious types can eat from a dim sum menu at either lunch or dinner. Money to burn? There is a good selection of Chinese classics on the menu, such as Peking Duck (£128 or £258 with 30g of Kristal caviar); Japanese size 18 abalone at £388 or a luxurious seafood hot pot for two (£258). Top Tip – wonderful jewel box of a cocktail bar.

2025 Review: This luxurious international hotel chain (whose 300-room original is the oldest hotel in Hong Kong) opened just south of trafficky Hyde Park Corner in September 2023. Its “extravagantly decorated” ground-floor Cantonese dining room has received a mixed rep in the newspapers (in his January 2024 review, Giles Coren in The Times said it “didn’t pass muster”) but our reports suggest a fair performance by the standards of posh hotel chains. Its advocates say it’s “very expensive but faultless” with “amazing” and “perfectly served” cuisine (particularly classic dishes such as seafood dumplings, char sui and Peking Duck, which all receive a thumbs-up). And service is praised as “really helpful, accommodating and professional”. Those who are less convinced don’t damn it but say “it’s overpriced for food that’s only OK, and served in a windowless room”. (There’s also Brooklands at roof level, see also).

Boasting a magnificent panorama over Hyde Park from the 28th floor site that was for 20 years ‘Galvin at Windows’ (RIP), this July 2025 newcomer marks the arrival in the capital of a UAE-owned concept (part of the Fundamental Hospitality portfolio) proven in Dubai and Doha and soon to open in Monaco. 1930s Shanghai is the inspiration for its design make-over, while, according to the press release, the ‘Pan-Asian cuisine… is not just about eating – it’s about storytelling through flavours, textures, and experiences… spanning from China to Japan to Vietnam, while incorporating premium ingredients’. On the menu this seems to result in a vogueish mix of dishes like Yellowtail Carpaccio with Black Truffle, Cantonese-Style Roast Duck with Foie Gras & Caviar, Spicy Bluefin Tuna Oshizushi, and Braised Beef Short Rib Shanghai- Style. Top Tip – the adjoining cocktail bar, newly rebranded as ‘Bund’, has all the stunning views of the main restaurant; maybe sneak in a trip there first to scope out if this is one for you.

Inspired by pre-revolutionary Shanghai (MiMi is a fictional Chinese empress), this chic four-year-old from Samyukta Nair, queen of the Mayfair restaurant scene, is well-rated by its fans – but feedback is thin this year. It is billed on its website as ‘Mayfair’s best-kept secret’… perhaps too secret for its own good!