Gerrard Street dim sum, dish by dish
Cheung fun at Plum Valley, turnip cake in XO at Golden Phoenix, soup dumplings until 2am. The Chinatown dim sum order, one basket at a time.
By Only Soho Editorial
The best dim sum on Gerrard Street is at Golden Phoenix, at 37-38, where most dishes cost £6 to £9 and the turnip cake comes in XO sauce. But dim sum is a team sport, and the real trick in Chinatown is knowing which kitchen does which basket best. So here is the order, dish by dish, with the door to walk through for each one. Go at lunch, go hungry, and go with at least three people so you can order properly.
The rooms
Golden Phoenix, 37-38 Gerrard Street. Time Out picks it as its Chinatown dim sum spot. It serves from noon until a quarter to midnight from Monday to Saturday, and from eleven until a quarter to ten on Sunday. Sit on the second floor if you want quiet, or near the staircase if you came to people-watch.
Golden Dragon, 28-29 Gerrard Street. The long-runner. Harden's reviewers rate its dim sum a step above its Gerrard Street rivals, and among the best value in London.
Plum Valley, 20 Gerrard Street. The smart one, set back from the street noise, with a more modern take on the classics. The Infatuation sends you to its cheung fun and barbecued pork buns.
Dumplings' Legend, 15-16 Gerrard Street. The late one: open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday.
Leong's Legend, 39 Gerrard Street. Soup dumplings, garlic chilli crab and hot pot, with an evening queue to prove it.
Dish by dish
Cheung fun: Plum Valley
Silky rice noodle rolls, slippery enough to need a spoon. At Plum Valley, order the roasted pork cheung fun, which comes in a sweet soy and barbecue sauce. The king prawn version is milder, so get it as the second plate, not the first. If you are on Lisle Street instead, Tao Tao Ju at number 15 does a deep-fried wonton cheung fun that is all crunch inside silk.
Turnip cake: Golden Phoenix
Turnip cake is the test of a dim sum kitchen: soft in the middle, crisp at the edge. Golden Phoenix serves it in XO sauce, which gives it a deep, savoury edge. Order one plate per two people and fight over the last piece.
Soup dumplings: Dumplings' Legend or Leong's Legend
Xiao long bao are not strictly Cantonese, but no Gerrard Street crawl is complete without them. Dumplings' Legend is known for its soup dumplings, and is the place for them after eleven at night. Leong's Legend at 39 does them too, with green beans and pork on the side. Bite a small hole, drink the soup, then eat the rest. Never the other way round.
Siu mai: Tao Tao Ju
The open-topped dumpling, usually pork and prawn. Tao Tao Ju, just round the corner on Lisle Street, does a pork and crab version that is worth the 30-second walk. It is a good lunch room, with char siu buns and turnip cake that its fans swear by.
Barbecued pork, baked and steamed: Plum Valley
Char siu in a pastry case is the dim sum dish that eats like dessert. At Plum Valley, order the crispy roasted pork puff pastry, golden, dense and sweet, and the glossy barbecued pork buns. One of each per person is not greedy. It is research.
Chicken feet: Golden Phoenix
For the brave, and for anyone who grew up eating dim sum on a Sunday. Golden Phoenix does chicken feet in black bean sauce. Order them for the table and see who blinks first.
Custard lava buns: Golden Phoenix
Salted egg custard lava buns, which ooze when you tear them, so hold them over the plate. Golden Phoenix also does mochi with sesame paste if you want something sweet and soft to finish.
Off Gerrard: Orient, 15 Wardour Street
Orient, on the Chinatown end of Wardour Street, takes walk-ins and does a wide spread of fried and steamed pork and prawn dim sum at lunch. It is the place to try when the Gerrard Street queues get silly.
How to order dim sum like a regular
- Order in rounds. Steamed first, then fried, then sweet. Baskets arrive when they are ready, not in the order you asked.
- Count three or four dishes a person. At £6 to £9 a plate at Golden Phoenix, a proper spread for four will not break anyone.
- Tea is not optional. Leave the pot lid open when you need a refill.
- Go at lunch. Dim sum is a daytime meal in Hong Kong and the rooms are calmer before two.
For the late crowd, Dumplings' Legend keeps its kitchen open until 2am at the end of the week. For everyone else, start at Golden Phoenix at noon, walk the length of Gerrard Street, and save room for a lava bun.
