Dumplings Legend (小籠皇)
BEST FOR DUMPLINGS IN LONDON
Go to Chinese restaurants with an open mind, says Hong Kong-born Geoff Leong, the owner of this Gerrard Street granddaddy. Leong’s family have opened more than 50 Chinese restaurants in London since the 1970s, and at Dumplings Legend, folk can enjoy dishes from both southern and northern China around banquet tables. The restaurant’s signature is its siu loung bao, a type of steamed dumpling from Shanghai. Each is expertly folded with exact 18 pleats and contains a spoonful of broth (make sure you sip the soup first). The pork as well as the pork and crab fillings are the best. The Peking duck is also excellent – served the usual way with pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce – and other highlights include the steamed prawn dumplings, a Cantonese classic, aubergine with mashed garlic in Tao Pan sauce (a popular Sichuan dish) and Taiwanese ‘three-cup’ chicken – named for its three main liquid ingredients of sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce.
Address: Dumplings Legend, 15-16 Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JE
Telephone: +44 20 7494 1200
Website: dumplingslegend.com