Pearl Liang (Chinese) – Dim Sum – London, England (8.5/10)
Apr 18th, 2008 by admin
[UPDATED AUGUST 2009 - I returned to Pearl Liang for dim sum. The review can be read here]
Since Chinese restaurant Pearl Liang opened last year, many people have been singing its praises. However, its Paddington location has meant that it has been languishing on my wishlist, until now. I finally decided to make a concerted effort to go with husband and friends one Sunday, as part of my ongoing research into Where To Eat Dim Sum In London.
If you’re visiting for the first time, an essential instructions page on how to find the restaurant can be downloaded from its website. Without this, it would be hard to find, as it’s situated in a new development. The interior is elegant, modern and spacious, with chairs and deep, comfortable banquettes upholstered in striking fuschia. Brazilian elevator music was set at background level, which was a relief from Yauatcha-level noise. As we had booked in advance, we were shown to one of the nicest tables with banquette seating (no 10, if you must know!).
We were shown the dim sum menu and the main menu. Ordering dim sum is done by marking quantities on a pre-printed order form with all the dim sum choices listed in English. Incidentally, I hate to point this out, but there were rather too many typos for a restaurant of this quality – ox tribe, bean curb and fried doug, to name but a few.
What I ordered:
- prawn dumpling (har gau) (£2.80)
- spicy prawn ravioli in soup (£3.00)
- Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao) (£2.50)
- pork rib with pumpkin in black bean sauce (£2.50)
- crispy aromatic duck roll (£2.50)
- fried watercress meat dumpling (£2.50)
- grilled Peking pancake with pork and spring onion (£2.50)
- pan-fried turnip cake (£2.50)
- barbecue roast pork (char siu) cheung fun (£2.80)
- seafood crispy noodles (£8.20) – ordered separately after the dim sum
Given the low prices, the quality of dim sum was all the more remarkable. And there were some unusual items on the menu, which were still charged at standard prices – the spicy prawn ravioli in soup was spectacular, although I wouldn’t drink the chilli-flavoured ‘soup’. The Shanghai dumplings were also great, but the skins were particularly delicate and I managed to tear mine (even with so much practice!). One dumpling (they comes in threes) is never enough… And I loved the crispy aromatic duck roll, packed with tender, flavoursome meat.
From the main menu, vegetarian husband ordered sauteed bean curd with assorted mushrooms in black bean sauce (£7.80) and assorted vegetable fried crispy noodle (£6.80). He also chose the fried spring onion pancake (£2.50) from the dim sum menu, which was confirmed as being definitely being vegetarian. The first two dishes kept him very satisfied (he’s had enough of these dishes in various Chinese establishments to be the acknowledged expert), but he thought the fried spring onion pancake tasted too much of pork lard (the essential ingredient for all delicious dim sum!).
Service was overall polite and unobtrusive, with staff speaking Cantonese and Mandarin. My only gripe is that the staff didn’t know what they were bringing to the table. As I wasn’t able to identify the more unusual items, it was only natural to ask (as I didn’t want the vegetarian husband biting into any meat or seafood items), but it was strange that they also didn’t know…
The bill came to a grand total of £59.50, including service, for four people. If it hadn’t been for the vegetarian dishes, it would have been even cheaper. Iron Goddess tea was charged at £1 per head, which was an absolute bargain (with limitless top-ups for free).
The verdict?
Pearl Liang is one of the best dim sum restaurants I’ve been to in London, where I haven’t had to pay a small fortune (admittedly it might not attract so many customers if they charged Yauatcha or Shanghai Blues prices). I can’t recommend it highly enough. It also seems to be very popular with Chinese diners. If only it were slightly more accessible. But it’s well worth the trip, and if you live nearby, then you should count yourself incredibly lucky. Dinner will have to be investigated on the next occasion…(click here for dinner review)
(A dim sum lunch set (with 10 items) is available for £9.60, but this might be during weekdays only.)
Read about dinner at Pearl Liang, which is also excellent.
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:
Pearl Liang
8 Sheldon Square
Paddington Central
London W2 6EZ
Tel: 020 7289 7000
www.pearlliang.co.uk
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
Thanks for your advice on Pearl Liang. We had lunch there on Easter Saturday, with a pre-booking that turned out not to be necessary since we arrived very early. We must have been the only non-asian people in the restaurant, which is a really good sign in my book
Everything was delicious, including the soft-shell crab that my husband loves but which is rather difficult to find. The bill was very reasonable, except next time I’ll order tea instead of the expensive bottled water..
Oh, I didn’t see soft shelled crab on the menu….I need that next time!