In Paddington, a part of town that isn't exactly known for its culinary delights, a very good Cantonese restaurant can be found. Whilst its location in some kind of amphitheatre is unusual as such, its food is unusually good. Even by London standards. In fact, the dim sum can compare to some of the best in Guangdong and Hong Kong. There are delicious prawn dumplings, with crunchy prawns that are juicy and tasty. The xiao long bao are not the best in town, but not far from it. They have plenty of soup with loads of flavour and a very thin dough. From this selection, you can order pretty much anything and enjoy it. A sign that you're not the only one liking the place is the large amount of Chinese people coming down here on weekends for yam cha. So it is strongly recommended to call ahead for a table.
The Chinese can turn the most basic vegetable into a feast fit for a king
Just don't reduce Pearl Liang to the dim sum. Because, at night they can deliver a Peking duck that is better than Min Jiang's and that of many other restaurants in town. In fact, it might well be the best. First of all, because it has a beautiful lackered skin; lean, meltingly tender and crispy at the same time. Luckily enough they serve it properly, meaning that you get the skin first and can dip it into some sugar. Then you get served the meat of the bird. Here again, it is leaner than say at Min Jiang (which claims to be the best in town). At the same time it is also juicier and is incredibly tender. This duck, is about as good a duck as you can find in European Chinese restaurants.
But, there's more here. A soft shell crab for instance. Deep-fried with chili and garlic it is tasty and has the great contrast between crunchy and creamy of this crustacean. The only problem is that the oil can taste a little old at times, which slightly dampens the pleasures of this dish.
One thing, which some Western chefs could learn is treating vegetables in such fascinating ways. No matter if you order choi sum, morning glory or what have you, the greens will be perfectly cooked and served with such tasty seasoning that you don't miss anything. That is one of the fascinating qualities of Chinese cooking: It can turn even the most basic vegetable into a feast fit for a king.
However, given the prices charged here (the duck is half that of Min Jiang, and not much more than those in Beijing), you can't really complain. Min Jiang is a very convincing restaurant, not without its faults but with a lot speaking for it. In terms of value for money, the dim sum lunch is arguably one of the best deals in London.
