UK’s top 20 Chinese restaurants

Read Giles Coren’s review of Haozhan

CHINA GARDEN ££

88-91 Preston Street, Brighton, East Sussex (01273 325124), open Mon-Sun noon-11.30pm

A veritable Brightonian institution, this vast seafront restaurant manages the impressive trick of pleasing two completely different palates. By day it is filled with Chinese families lunching at length on its excellent dim sum, with desserts to match, while by night businessmen and couples dine on well-made and expensive classics such as squid with garlic and chilli and chicken in black bean sauce.

BAR SHU ££

28 Frith Street, W1 (020-7287 6688), open Mon-Sun noon-11.30pm

Just a few steps from Chinatown but a million miles away in spirit, Bar Shu offers Londoners a rare, full-bodied, no-holds-barred taste of Szechuan cooking. The hot and spicy cuisine includes gung bao chicken (a homely dish of stir-fried chicken, peanuts and dried chillis), dry-braised sea bass or a ferociously fiery hotpot. The setting is appropriately dramatic, adorned with huge opera masks and intricately carved screens.

HAKKASAN £££

8 Hanway Place W1 (020-7927 7000), open Mon-Sun noon-3pm (Sat & Sun -5pm); Mon-Sat 6pm-midnight (Sun -11pm)

The Michelin-starred locale retains its title as London’s most chic Chinese restaurant by some distance. The sultry basement, lit in shades of purple and filled with beautiful fretwork, oozes sex appeal and attracts a good-looking crowd. But it’s not a case of style over substance. Perfectly formed dim sum compete with salt and pepper squid or stir-fried rib-eye beef with Merlot sauce.

HUNAN £££

51 Pimlico Road, SW1 (020-7730 5712), open Mon-Sat 12.302.30pm, 6.3011.30pm

Genteel Pimlico is not where you might expect to find one of London’s best Chinese restaurants, but the appearance of the owner, Mr Peng, to take your order makes clear that this is more than just a local stalwart. He urges diners to opt for the feast menu, ten courses of small plates chosen following a quick consultation of your preferences. Meals progress from vividly flavoured broths to fresh seafood dishes and succulent slow-cooked meats.

JOY KING LAU £

3 Leicester Street, WC2 (020-7437 1133), open Mon-Sat noon-11.30pm; Sun 11am-10.30pm

Tucked away down a narrow Soho side street, this Chinatown veteran serves up all the Cantonese classics, from tasty roast pork to gai lan and dim sum – don’t miss the lotus leaf-wrapped glutinous rice with its filling of Chinese sausage, mushrooms and meat, delicate steamed har gau (prawn dumplings) and slippery cheung fun (rice pasta filled with meat, seafood or veg). Weekend lunches see Joy King Lau buzzing, with would-be diners sent in search of a table through its three floors. Prices are low and service brisk and efficient.

MANDARIN KITCHEN ££

14-16 Queensway W2 (020-7727 9012), open Mon-Sun noon-11.30pm

Still going strong, the Mandarin reportedly sells more lobster than any other restaurant in London, a fact reflected in the number of ways in which you can order it, from lobster sashimi to the best option, steamed and served with garlic and spring onion sauce, and served on a bed of the softest noodles you are ever likely to taste. Roasted baby squid with chilli and garlic is another favourite, while elsewhere the long menu yields endless variations on sea bass and turbot, Dover sole and red snapper, prawns, oysters and eel.

PHOENIX PALACE ££

3-5 Glentworth Street, NW1 (020-7486 3515), open Mon-Sat noon-11.30pm; Sun 11.30am-10.30pm

“Reassuringly traditional” might best describe Phoenix Palace, a bustling restaurant near Baker Street Tube which serves classic Cantonese cooking, both of the Western-friendly variety and the authentic article. Fish tanks, intricate wooden panels and enormous porcelain vases conform to most people’s expectations of how a Chinese restaurant should look. The menu offers capital spare ribs and crispy chilli beef beside more unusual options such as frogs’ legs with logan fruit and gingko, should you wish to order outside your comfort zone.

PRINCESS GARDEN ££

8-10 North Audley Street, W1 (020-7493 3223), open Mon-Sun noon-4pm, 6pm-midnight (Sun -11pm)

There are few smarter places in which to indulge in a cheap-eat dumpling feast than this glossy Chinese, bounded on two sides by plate-glass windows, decorated with objets d’art, and where the well-spaced tables are dressed with elegant tableware. Hits include fresh and flavourful shrimp and sesame dumplings, and steamed dumplings with chilli sitting in a livid-red broth that numbs the lips. Tea, served in pretty china cups, is topped up constantly by thoughtful and deferential staff.

SHANGHAI BLUES £££

193-197 High Holborn, WC1 (020-7404 1668), open Mon-Sun noon-11.30pm

Housed in a Grade II-listed former library, this opulent restaurant and bar is a serious player in the haute Chinese, dim sum and fancy cocktail game (à la Hakkasan). It’s an alluring space, with dark furniture, rich silk and fancy lanterns. On the food front, the à la carte menu includes noodles with lobster, ginger and spring onion and diced fillet steak with Shanghai herbs and peppercorn. It doesn’t come cheap, but the notable-turning policy and jazz on Friday and Saturday evenings are an added draw.

THE PHOENIX ££

The Green, Histon, Cambs (01223 233766), open Mon- Sat noon-2pm, 6-10.30pm

It’s a slightly bizarre experience to sit in the window of a Chinese restaurant and find yourself admiring the view outside of a picturesque village green and pond, complete with village pump. A former pub and eatery, the Phoenix retains a dash of its original pubby atmosphere while serving some of the region’s best Peking and Szechuan cuisine. It’s a favourite for business dining. Service is friendly and attentive and there’s a takeaway service, too.

MUST ££

11 Newhall Street, Birmingham (0121-212 2266), open Mon-Wed noon-10pm; Thur-Sat noon-10.30pm

A thoroughly modern and buzzy venue with stylishly chic decor and a bar that’s a destination in its own right. The food is creative and very fresh, with as much care given to presentation as to cooking. There’s a lengthy dim sum menu; main course selections include plentiful vegetarian options as well as paprika- dusted tofu and crispy squid, Dover sole with celery, and onoki beef.

WING WAH £

Nechells Park Road, Birmingham (0121 327 7879) Opening Hours Mon-Sun 11am-11pm

The industrial neighbourhood might not look promising, but Wing Wah draws plenty of pilgrims to pay homage at its tables. Serious fans of the food & seemingly every local Chinese family make the ten-minute journey from the city centre, often after shopping at the fab Wing Yip superstore next door. Done up as a spacious, open-plan executive-style canteen, the food is exemplary, especially the a la carte.

WONGS ££

Unit 1-5, Fleet Street, Birmingham (0121-212 1888), open Mon-Sat noon-2pm, 6-11pm (Fri-Sat -11.30)

From the street it looks closed up, but slip through the red Chinese arch and you’ll find a striking megabuck conversion of this former warehouse. It’s a slick operation, with elegant courtyard seating and a spacious, light dining room. The top choice here is always seafood — try the exemplary steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onions — though other favourites include steamed scallops in garlic sauce, stir-fried mussels in black bean sauce, as well as sliced lamb with cracked pepper, and crispy duck in plum sauce. It can be quiet at lunchtime, but in the evening, with the piano tinkling away, it’s just the spot for a relaxed meal. For excellent renditions of classic recipes, look no farther.

HAPPY GATHERING £

233 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff (029-2039 7531), open Mon-Thur noon-11pm; Fri-Sat noon-11.45pm; Sun noon-9pm

Considered by many to be the best Chinese restaurant in Cardiff, Happy Gathering is a longstanding fixture on the Cardiff dining scene. Regulars (often travelling from as far away as Bristol) pack the place for lunchtime dim sum (expect to queue on Sundays), although the rest of the Cantonese cooking gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up as well, especially honey- glazed prawns, steamed fish (the restaurant is known for its fresh seafood), aromatic duck and spare ribs. Prices, service and atmosphere tick all the right boxes, too.

RED CHILLI ££

6 Great George Street, Leeds (0113-242 9688), open Sun-Thur noon-11pm; Fri-Sat noon-midnight

Another lively cosmopolitan addition to the fast-evolving Civic Quarter, which now offers just about every type of cuisine. Descend the stairs of the restored Victorian chambers to a contemporary basement themed in gleaming black and red. Beijing and Szechuan dishes feature on a rewarding menu of dim sum, clay pot dishes, sizzling plates and familiar Cantonese classics, which are far from run-of-the-mill. Coyly named set menus — First Date, Courtship and True Love — steer the timid away from chicken satay and aromatic crispy duck and towards Painter Daqian spring chicken and stir-fried Shanghai bacai (Chinese cabbage). True adventurers should try home- style dishes such as Mrs Spotty’s bean curd, Big Grandma’s stir-fried whelk, and for pudding, donkey rolled in mud.

TAI PAN £

W. H. Lung Building, Great Howard Street, Liverpool (0151-207 3888), open Mon-Sat noon-11.30pm; Sun noon-10.30pm

Don’t be put off by the unprepossessing warehouse setting (above a Chinese supermarket and overlooking Liverpool docks) as Tai Pan serves some of the best, most authentic Chinese food in the North. Seafood is a particular strength, and the dim sum is first-rate. This is especially popular on Sundays when you can expect to queue. There are Anglicised set menus offering skewered lamb with satay sauce, chicken with cashew nuts, and sizzling fillet steak Cantonese-style. The more adventurous should try the Chinese-only menu.

YANG SING ££

34 Princess Street, Manchester (0161-236 2200), open Mon-Sun noon-11pm

The heart of the kitchen may beat to a Cantonese rhythm but there are more than a few Western counterpoints in the mix. The cooking has a flair and imagination rarely seen in Chinese food. Staff make the myriad options accessible to the average customer and the bustling atmosphere makes for a real sense of occasion.

KING NEPTUNE ££

34-36 Stowell Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (0191-261 6657), open Mon-Sun noon-1.45pm; Mon-Fri 6-10.45pm; Sat 5.30-11pm; Sun 6-10.30pm

The mainly seafood dishes, which feature some interesting specials, are expertly prepared and may be eaten in the contemporary lavender room upstairs or the traditional burgundy and gold dining room.

DRAGON-I £££

311-313 Hope Street, Glasgow (0141-332 7728), open Mon-Sat noon-2pm, 5-11pm; Sun 5-10pm

This sophisticated restaurant offers unusual Chinese-style cooking with Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese influences. Grilled tiger prawns, scallops, fish and crab claws tossed in a sweet chilli and ginger sauce topped with fresh coriander and served with garlic fried rice is a great example from the short, imaginative menu. Dragon-i makes good desserts: try lychee crème brûl?e or koko chan — chocolate truffle and fresh orange.

£££ above £45
££ £30-£45
£ under £30

Price ranges are indicative of one two-course a la carte meal, plus half a bottle of house wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT. These restaurant reviews are compiled especially for The Times by Square Meal.

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