Restaurant Review: Yauatcha 丘記茶苑*, London
As we were browsing through the Michelin – London 2007 guide, this caught our eyes, Yauatcha, 丘記茶苑. It is a Chinese restaurant that has been awarded with 1* Michelin. So far, we have tried the Dim Sum at Lotus Floating in the Docklands and I still think it’s good for the price that we pay (it’s cheaper, good value for the money). However, presentation and taste wise, I think Yauatcha has brought these important elements of Dim Sum to another level.
Wikipedia: Dim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It is usually served in the mornings until noon time at Chinese restaurants and at specialty dim sum eateries where typical dishes are available throughout the day. Dishes come in small portions and may include meat, seafood, and vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Yum cha (literally “tea drinking”) is the term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary Cantonese.
Yauatcha is located in the West End, it’s just a few minutes walk from Oxford Circus Underground station. It has blue tinted glass exterior that looks really modern and neat. As we pushed the main entrace door and walked in, we were immediately greated by the staff.
Since I booked a table 2 hours before, we didn’t have to worry that there would be a queue or a long wait which usually happens at most of the Chinese Dim Sum restaurants. In fact, I realise that there’s no such thing as queuing or waiting near to the entrace and paying full attention for the number to be called and yey we got a table now and it’s our turn to eat!!
The deco looks fabulous, very calm and chic. Near to the entrace, there’s where you can pick your dessert. There’s a selection of desserts presented nicely near to the Chocolate counter where can be boxed them away. However, they are not the usual Chinese desserts such as Egg Tarts, Mango pudding, Tao Fu Fa, etc… that you usually find on the standard Dim Sum menu. They are more Western desserts with a bit of Asian touch. Oh yeah, they sell the Macarons too!
There’s a shelf where various types of Chinese Tea are stored. Thus, a long list of tea to be chosen from the menu. From blue tea to green tea! We decided to try blue tea, by the name Tsui Yu. Well, it sounded that the tea was gonna be blue in colour, but, it still had the normal yellowish to greenish colour.
Dim Sum can be steamed, deep fried, grilled, and baked. Of course, there are some stir-fry dishes can also be ordered.
My favourites: Har Gau, Shanghai Siew Long Pau – great sensation of taste when you have the whole in your mouth. Steamed scallops dumplings – served and steamed on top of prawns + fish + curly parsley paste.
Overall, our rating is 8 or 8.5 /10.
