I got off with all that food psssssssssssh to being a vegetarian anymore!
The Royal China Club (Baker St) - Clam & Mushroom soup, lobster two ways, Peking duck, hot & sour prawns, spiced chicken, braised plaice, duck pancakes, scallops, beef, etc - £ ???
The other night some friends and I braved the completely nutty frosts to check out Annie Morris’ private view at Pertwee Anderson & Gold in Soho. As is usual in these situations, there was a lot of red wine drinking and so eventually our stomachs started growling. The general consensus was a trip to Tokyo Diner, so we broke off from the crowd temporarily to nip around the corner for some refined, healthy food at a standard befitting of its cult status among Japan-o-philes.
However, that’s another story for another time - after that meal, it transpired that the artist contingent of the evening fancied a lavish celebratory meal themselves – so we were whisked off in a taxi for a late night feast at the Royal China Club. This is the bigger sister of The Royal China, and despite not being an actual club, it had the exclusive air of the kind of place Bruce Wayne would get his noodles ‘n’ rice. It’s said to be the only Chinese restaurant in the UK to be awarded a Michelin star.
What ensued was not just a greedy exercise in “second breeeekfast” but nothing less than a wonder-binge of shock and delight. Super-friendly waitresses constantly poured wine, and bowls of the most amazing clam and mushroom soup were served up swiftly to get the appetite going. It was clean, sea-flavoured and deeply satisfying. I’ve never had soup like that in a Chinese restaurant. So good. After that, plates kept arriving and we were feeling slightly out of our depth, as well as decidedly drunk and awestruck by the quality of the food. Little pieces of fried chicken with spices not of this world and tiny, nuclear-hot dried chillies, the most perfect, addictive Peking duck I ever tasted – grease-free, delicate and juicy, without being overwhelmingly gamey. Then came the lobster, plucked fresh from the tanks that surrounded us and served steamed with its shell and also deep-fried (which was essentially a regal version of the spicy squid we at TWE have such a boner for). Things become a bit blurry after that, but I remember the waiter assembling duck pancakes at our table and plonking them on top of our plates as we continued drinking. There were gigantic, tender prawns in a sour chilli sauce, virginal braised plaice (excellent also) and I definitely recall some sort of beef making an appearance.
Not used to such lavish experiences, I was totally overwhelmed, not least because it was quite simply the best Chinese food I’ll probably ever eat. I’m actually still grieving that it’s over now. If you ever get the chance to experience this, jump at it, because it’s SERIOUS.
10/10
Geoff
*cheers helloanika for the pictures!*
