World Foodie Guide

Being Chinese and a fussy eater, I’m highly sceptical of food in London’s Chinatown, and with the exception of dim sum at Imperial China, I tend to avoid the area. Just three days ago though, I visited Haozhan, and today ate at Crispy Duck next door with Hong Kong Chinese friend ‘BT’ who had recommended it. Despite two meals at Haozhan last week, our friend, Indian novelist Jaishree Misra, also couldn’t resist another Chinese meal.

The name of the restaurant is quite deceptive, as one would assume that they specialised in crispy duck and one plate meals. The decor is basic, although it’s perfectly clean, and the lighting Chinatown-bright. It was also reassuringly full of Chinese diners. According to ‘BT’’s sources, this branch is better than the original on Wardour Street.

What we ordered:

The pressure of ordering was thankfully left to our trusted expert. For lunch for three, she chose: classic Chinese lobster fried in ginger and spring onion with noodles (special promotional offer of £15), King Prawn dumpling soup (£4.50), Gai Lan with garlic, Thai Style Baby Octopus (£2.80), Special Scallop Dumpling (£2.30), Shanghai Style Steamed Buns (£2.10) and Spring Onion Deep Fried Donut Cheung Fun (£2.50).

The food typically arrived fast, and almost all at the same time, which meant we had to eat quickly, for fear of the food getting cold. There was far too much, even for me, and I felt full about half way through the meal, but soldiered on nevertheless.

The lobster was good, but I found the sauce a little too gloopy for my liking. The gai lan (Chinese broccoli) was fresh, but could have been chopped more so that we could have eaten it more easily. The Shanghai Style Steamed Buns were cold by the time we got round to eating them, and were disappointing because of the lack of juice inside. It’s not a Shanghai dumpling without the juice! The cheung fun wasn’t bad, but again it was slightly cold because I was eating everything else. On the other hand, the slightly spicy baby octopus, served cold, had plenty of crunch and texture. It was delicious.

My absolute favourite that I would happily eat again and again for the rest of my life was the magnificent King Prawn Dumpling soup – a large bowl of delicately flavoured clear soup with eight gigantic wonton dumplings. It would be perfect for one person, or a good-sized starter to share. I also loved the Special Scallop Dumpling, so large it took about three to four mouthfuls to eat it. Packed full of fresh prawns and topped with a piece of scallop, this was delightful.

The verdict?

Don’t come here for ambience or decor. Do come for the food, particularly my favourites. I’ll never be a food snob again.

Lunch (with ‘BT’’s 15% senior citizen discount!) cost £13 per person, including service.

For other similarly priced Chinese restaurants:

• Baozi Inn (Chinese) – 6.5/10

• Cha Cha Moon (Chinese) – 7/10

• HK Diner (Chinese) – 7/10

• Inn Noodle (Chinese) – 6/10

My post on Where To Eat Dim Sum In London might be useful too.

10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,

8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average

All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide

Contact Details:
Crispy Duck
7 Gerrard Street
London W1D 5PH
Tel: 020 7434 1888

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Tags: Chinese, Crispy Duck, dim sum, dining out, food, London, restaurant review, restaurants, traveleating