In the middle of Chinatown there is this green painted café, with BBQ meats, and roast duck hanging from the metal stands. in the Nothing much has change over the years, the same wooden 4-5 tables the curved bar area. In the shop window you see a lady rolling out dumpling pastries and making Beijing dumplings that can be cooked either fried or steamed or boiled.
That very dumpling is one of the reasons you must go in to try, I’ve been to this café for many years mainly for Hong Kong style tea that’s hard to find anywhere else. The do a cracking selection of bubble teas blended with real fruits.
Depending on my mood I have the Beijing dumplings either steamed or fried. I gravitated towards fried most of the time and this particular visit. I’ve noticed the pastry seems to have changed it’s a lot thinner than usual making the skin that’s fried is very crispy the filling didn’t seem as flavorsome as previous visits. Beijing dumplings are filled with pork meat, cabbage and chives. What you must do is drenched the dumplings in this black Chinkiang vinegar. It’s the perfect marriage with the dumplings.
Service wise, like with most Chinese places in Chinatown. They want you out the door quickly, service will feel rushed and the hover around waiting for you to order by your neck. If you do visit, and need a quick cheap and cheerful cheap bites try out the dumplings, BBQ pork and omelet sandwich and Hong Kong style tea.
4-8 Newport Place, Chinatown, London WC2H 7JP