London, UK
Yauatcha is a Chinese dim sum restaurant in Soho from the owner of Hakkasan. The colourful and elegant display of macaroons and desserts in the window was what drew me to it the first time, but this restaurant has so much more to offer than just pretty sweets. The interior is sleek, and dining downstairs is almost like a nightclub experience. Yauatcha always seems to have a table free, and I often use it as a backup if the queues are too long in other Soho places. It works for any occasion; I’ve celebrated New Years Eve there, but also dropped by for a small meal after coming straight from the workshop with paint all over my clothes. Every time I go I order the Prawn and Beancurd Cheung Fun, which is prawn in deep fried beancurd and an amazing white, squishy, gooey rice noodle wrap. The mushroom version is equally tasty, and both portions are very generous. You can’t go to Yauatcha without ordering one of these two. Other of my regular orders include the Blue Swimmer Crab Shu Mai and the Har Gau. These are light and delectable, but not as satisfying Cheung Fun, as the portions are a lot smaller. Some of their cocktails are quite generic and sweet considering how elaborately and tastily they are described in the menu, but a couple that are worth trying is the Lalu and the Chilli Martini with Aperol and Champagne. The service has never been good, but the last time I went it was disastrous. When we were still on starters, my friend had to grab onto her plate in order to stop the waitress from taking her last Chive dumpling. Even after telling the waitress that she was still eating, she took her chilli dipping sauce. They really rush their customers in order to stay within their 90-minute time limit, even when there is no one waiting for the table. Despite this, I’ve been there more times than I can count, sometimes twice in one day, so I think this means Yauatcha qualifies as one of my favourite restaurants in London.
