Mayfair, Chinese Restaurant Guide

“Best Asian restaurant I’ve eaten in!” – these “beautiful” nightclubby haunts (“quite why they keep them so dark is beyond me”) have maintained an impressive standard for over 20 years, and the Tottenham Court original has since been replicated not just in Mayfair but in numerous cities around the globe. Their ratings have fluctuated over many years, always around the same concerns – “success has got the better of them…”; “chaotic” and/or “attitude-y” service; punishing prices. The believers still carry the day, though, saying they are “always a special experience” with a “delectable” mix of dim sum, Peking duck (with or without caviar) and other classic Chinese dishes – “definitely take a big wallet, but I love it!”

An “extravagant setting” is central to the approach of this showy Chinese venue in Mayfair, whose website promises ‘the ultimate Asian restaurant’ and a ‘world of hedonism’ including ‘devilishly curious entertainment’ (such as burlesque). Its “excruciating prices” have always been an issue, but the view that the food (from a very wide-ranging menu, including dim sum, caviar, steak, noodles…) is “nothing special” gained ground this year, as did the concern that “I just didn’t enjoy the experience” – “the shows are at least a distraction from what is a pretty lacklustre meal...”

“Gorgeous” decor taking inspiration from 1930s Shanghai (particularly in the marvellous, small cocktail bar) has always won admiration for this deluxe basement (originally created by the late Sir David Tang). When it opened in 2005, it was a pioneer of serving dim sum at any time of day, but there’s also a full menu offering blow-out dishes to share for £200-£300 including Peking duck with caviar, suckling pig, abalone and seafood hotpot. Complaints about pricing were absent this year, and praise for the cuisine and “romantic” atmosphere on the up.

“We went there a mite apprehensive that we would be overwhelmed by pretension… but the dining rooms are beautiful!” – Samyukta Nair’s Shanghai-inspired two-year-old occupies a three-story Mayfair townhouse decorated in an elegant, classic style based on a fictional ‘Empress Mimi’. The chicness of the surroundings helps compensate for some “slightly overpriced” dishes, as does the generally excellent level of service. Top Menu Tip – “the fabled Peking duck is one of the best in town”.