Food Review: Orient London, 15 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6PH

The best Dim Sum in London?

Orient London 15 Wardour St is one of Chinatown’s newest sons. It was opened on 16th June 2015 by hospitality entrepreneur Patrick Cheung after a complete refurbishment of the four storey building.

Our rep in London, Mr Foodie Senior, jumped at the chance for some Dim Sum (also known as Yum Cha).

The first thing you notice when entering is the relaxed ambiance. The background music is as chilled as the air conditioning. Contemporary dark wood and muted tones contrast with flashes of traditional gold.

The Orient London offers a large selection of Dim Sum which they will proudly tell you are all made in house. Priced in the £3 to £4 range, a selection of three or four makes a tasty light meal that is perfect for sharing.

The Orient London offers a great choice of Dim Sum, with unusual offers such as Steamed Silver Cod Dumpling with Miso and Asparagus (£3.80) and Taro Croquette with Black Truffle (£4.00) sitting alongside familiar favourites.
Fortunately, Derrick the restaurant manager was on hand to guide me through the choices. Eventually I settled on a mix of steamed and fried dim sum.

First to arrive were the Crystal Prawn Dumplings (£3.80). Each parcel was a plump pair of whole prawns wrapped in a perfectly steamed gyoza. The chilli and soy dips just added to the occasion. This was a great start.

Prawn Dumpling Orient London Dim Sum — Prawn Dumpling

Next to arrive were the Spicy Steamed Crab Meat Dumplings (£3.80). The fresh taste of green vegetables, like a layer of seaweed, highlighted the spiced crab meat.

The Pan Fried Dumplings with Fois Gras and Preserved Vegetables (£4.50) provided a remarkably tasty mix of flavours. The fois gras had melted in the crisp casing bathing the preserved vegetable pieces with a rich sauce. Well worth coming for on its own.

fois gras Orient London Dim Sum — Fois Gras

Scanning the dinning room it became apparent that apart from Dim Sum, The Orient London also offers a full menu of barbecued meat, rice, noodle, Congee and Cheung Fun dishes. Portion sizes looked generous and even though this was early afternoon there was a steady flow of eager customers.

Desserts do not usually feature strongly on Chinese menus. The Orient however provides a list of tasty desert dishes (all at a reasonable £3.30) including Mango Pudding, Black Sesame Balls and Osmathus Jelly with Wolf Berry. I went for the Green Tea Mochi with Azuki Beans.