| Where to Get the Best Roast Duck and Other Specialities |
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| Saturday, 08 March 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Each hawker centre of Singapore and Malaysia have specialised stalls selling roti canai, chicken rice, or laksa. The night markets of Taiwan have their specialists in pig blood soup, sticky rice, or stinky tofu. In Asia, many restaurants and street stalls still practice the old fashion way to selling food – specialising in one item or type of food. Such a practice usually yields better quality food than a restaurant that serves a long menu of dishes. The simple reason is because the chef specialises in and focuses his attention to this item – sourcing the ingredients, the techniques and related practice of perfecting the dish, the methods of serving it, and the accompaniment of this dish with the proper side dish, condiments or drinks. If you are Chinese, you probably had many debates with your family and Chinese friends over where to get the best roast duck, dumplings, or bubble tea. This is how I usually choose where to eat, even in the UK. So I have decided it's about time I wrote a piece on where to get my favourite foods. I'm sure my recommendations will garner intense debate as many of my friends have their favourites and will not be happy if I do not include them here. Let's start with the one speciality that must be on the top of many of our minds: Cantonese roast duck
There's something in the way they roast the ducks and the secret sauce that comes with it. The duck is tender and juicy with a crispy skin and the accompanying secret recipe sauce seals the package. Some people have complained about the duck size/portions decreasing and the quality slipping in recent years. Regardless, they have to slip more before losing their top spot. A close second is Green Cottage in Swiss Cottage. Four Seasons 84 Queensway, London W2 3RL. Tel: 020 7229 4320 Green Cottage 9 New College Parade, London NW3 5EP. Tel: 020 7722 5305 Northern Chinese dumplings
You can also step into Jen Café in Chinatown to get your jiaozi fix. They make it fresh and you can see them making it at the front window. The skin is perfect and the pork and vegetable fillings are just right. Delicious! Jen Café Bubble tea
HK Diner 2 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6QJ. Tel: 020 7434 9544 Seafood
Mandarin Kitchen 14-16 Queensway, London W2 3RX. Tel: 020 7727 9012 Pearl Liang (www.pearlliang.co.uk) 8 Sheldon Square, London W2 6EZ. Tel: 020 7289 7000 Curry laksa
However, the arrival of Kiasu in Bayswater has shaken up the stable leadership position of the two incumbents. Now you have a few places to slurp up authentic curry laksa, a bowl of curry soup filled with vermicelli and seafood. If I had to choose the best, I would hand it to Singapore Garden which keeps it real with a nice pungent broth and fresh seafood. C & R 3-4 Rupert Court, London W1D 6DY. Tel: 020 7434 1128 Singapore Garden (www.singaporegarden.co.uk) 83-83a Fairfax Road, London NW6 4DY. Tel: 020 7624 8233 Kiasu (www.kiasu.co.uk) 48 Queensway, London W2 3RY. Tel: 020 7727 8810 Ma Po tofu
We have written a couple of articles on the Sichuan invasion into the UK so the competition is fierce for the best ma po tofu. After frequent visits to all, I have to hand the award to Red 'n' Hot in London Chinatown, the newest and best Sichuan restaurant to hit the UK. Unlike its competitors, who are mostly authentic, but still just mostly, Red 'n' Hot does not compromise. You get 100% fire hot chillies and numbing Sichuan peppercorns infused into the flavourful dishes, including the ma po tofu. Red 'n' Hot59 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0NE. Tel: 020 7734 8796 Disagree with me or want more suggestions? Add your comments/questions below and let's get this discussion going! Photos courtesy: isriya, foodmuse, acme, avlxyz.
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Four Seasons probably sells more roast duck than all Chinatown restaurants combined. This is roast duck heaven and the frustratingly long queues with no place for you to sit (or even stand) do not detract the crowds. 
The skins of these dumplings are hard to master and it seems only the Northern Chinese have really done so.So if you have a Beijing friend, you're in luck! All self-respecting Northerners can make a jiaozi.
The bubble tea obsession has penetrated London now and no one does it better than HK Diner on Wardour Street in Chinatown. The tea used is authentic Hong Kong milk tea (nai cha) and the tapioca balls are chewy but not mushy. Most people order the tea iced and experiment with different flavours. I would recommend the original flavour and ordering it hot.
The winner for many years and still in my opinion the leader is Mandarin Kitchen in Bayswater. However, the former chef has started his own restaurant called Pearl Liang in Paddington so there's competition now. Seafood is spanking fresh and cooked lightly to perfection. The signature dish of both restaurants is the luxurious lobster noodles, which any self-respecting Chinese food enthusiast should be ashamed if they have not tried it.
This dish is more Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese. The long-time winners have always been C&R in Chinatown London (and its new branch in Bayswater) and Singapore Gardens in Swiss Cottage.
The king of Sichuan dishes also appears in pretty much every Chinese restaurant these days. But only the Sichuan restaurants do the real thing – tofu with a spicy, rich, beef/pork chilli sauce sprinkled with grinded Sichuan peppercorn. When done right, it's heaven. 
