I’ve heard loads about Yauatcha – the ultimate place to eat dim sum, posh, the cool place to hang out. When Naomi suggested we went there for a dim sum lunch, I happily accepted. It meant going down to London but since it was to replace a trip to Paris I didn’t mind (I had an accident which did not advise leaving on overnight trips).

There was lots of choice but we opted for the menu dimsum for two while we waited for Eleanor – we would add other dishes. We decided on having Chinese tea with the food – there a nice selection of tea.

The dimsum menu

Blue swimmer crab salad
with sesame dressing
Venison puff
Seafood dumpling in supreme stock
— Poached Peking chicken dumpling
Har gau
Pork and prawn shui mai
Three style mushroom cheung fun
— Fried chilli squid
with oatmeal and curry leaf
Crispy aromatic duck ¼
Chinese vegetable

out of these, my favourite was the Fried chilli squid with oatmeal and curry leaf, the venison puff had pastry which melted in the mouth. We enjoyed the crispy aromatic duck which was kindly cut up by our waiter but the seafood dumpling in supreme stock was a disappointment, there was not much taste in the consomme type stock, the dumpling pastry was thick. The har gau was quite prawny as it should be and the siu mai was okay.

Dimsum is meant to be bite sized tapas type tasters so we had Stir-fry Penang kwetio noodle too and Seabass and lotus root congee as well. As a Malaysian I can say that the kway teow, as we would call it in Malaysia is right and not greasy as it could be but it is a street stall food and it is an interesting experience to have it with scallops. As a Cantonese, I can never have enough of congee, rice porridge.  Sea bass and lotus root is a new combination on me. Sad to say it did not impress me but the congee had a nice consistency.

My experience of dim sum is usually of busy crowded Chinese restaurants often filled with families with rowdy kids so it is good to have an upmarket experience, great ambiance and beautifully presented. I ‘m not convinced I would include this as my usual dim sum haunt. I cannot afford it very often anyway.

Yauatcha, Soho.  Level entrance, lift. Accessible toilet downstairs but door opens into the loo so power wheelchair users will not be able to shut the door.