Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Yauatcha 15 Broadwick St, W1 T 020 7494 8888,
W yauatcha.com; ! Piccadilly Circus; map p.100.
Popular, minimalist Chinese teahouse-restaurant serving up
really good, contemporary dim sum (from £4) and nice cakes.
Come outside peak times to ensure a table and avoid the
rush. Mon-Sat noon-11.30pm, Sun noon-10.30pm.
CHINATOWN
RESTAURANTS
Four Seasons 12 Gerrard St, W1 T 020 7494 0870,
W fs-restaurants.co.uk; ! Leicester Square; map
p.100. There's just one dish you need to order here - the
roast duck, which even has the likes of Heston Blumenthal
raving. All the barbecued and roast meats are good, as are
the hotpots, but they're merely supporting players. The
original Four Seasons is in Bayswater, and there's another
on Wardour St, but this place has the edge. Dishes from £4,
duck from £8. Mon-Sat noon-1am, Sun 11am-1am.
Leong's Legend 4 Macclesfield St, W1 T 020 7287
0288; ! Leicester Square; map p.100. Attractive
multistorey teahouse-style restaurant serving Taiwanese
cuisine - try the spicy noodle and dumpling soups - along
with Cantonese, Szechuan and good daytime dim sum.
Dishes £3-11. Sun-Thurs noon-11pm, Fri & Sat
noon-11.30pm.
Misato 11 Wardour St, W1 T 020 7734 0808;
! Leicester Square; map p.100. Basic, canteen-style
Japanese place serving filling rice and noodle dishes, plus
hearty bento boxes and sushi, at rock-bottom prices. Mains
£4-8. Daily noon-midnight.
Ì Mr Kong 21 Lisle St, WC2 T 020 7437 7341,
W mrkongrestaurant.com; ! Leicester Square; map
p.100. Late-opening Chinatown stalwart, with a long
menu of Cantonese food - don't miss the mussels in black
bean sauce - and a good range of veggie dishes. Dishes
£3-25. Mon-Sat noon-2.45am, Sun noon-1.45am.
New World 1 Gerrard Place, W1 T 020 7434 2508;
! Leicester Square; map p.100. Fantastic dim sum
(served till 6pm, from £4) is the main attraction in this
large old dining hall, with steaming, laden trolleys
rumbling by at a rapid rate. Mon-Fri noon-11.45pm, Sat
11am-midnight, Sun 11am-11pm.
24
FITZROVIA
CAFÉS
Ì Honey and Co 25a Warren St, W1 T 020 7388
6175, W honeyandco.co.uk; ! Warren Street; map
p.97. They'll charm the socks off you at this sweet, simple
café run by a husband-and-wife team, both of them
Ottolenghi (see p.383) alumni. It's a nice spot to enjoy
fantastic, flavour-packed Middle Eastern food, created from
the very best ingredients - the menu changes, but you'll
find delicately spiced meze, rainbow-coloured salads,
comforting couscous and delicious lemonade made with
foraged elderflower and rose petals. Dishes from £5;
lunchtime
RESTAURANTS
Barrica 62 Goodge St, W1 T 020 7436 9448,
W barrica.co.uk; ! Goodge Street or Tottenham
Court Road; map p.97. Be transported to Spain in
this cosy tapas restaurant complete with hanging hams,
dark wood furnishings, terracotta dishes and sunny
yellow walls. Food is hearty and honest, with nuanced
flavours, and drinks range through all the Iberian
favourites from Asturian cider and sherries to oaky
Riojas. Tapas £4-15 (for the finest lomo iberico ham).
Mon-Fri noon-11.30pm, Sat 1-11.30pm.
Dabbous 39 Whitfield St, W1 T 020 7323 1544,
W dabbous.co.uk; ! Goodge Street; map p.97. One of
London's hottest restaurants, serving light modern cuisine
in a warmly distressed space. Every dish, while practically
bite-sized, is exquisitely presented, scattered with sprigs
and tiny blossoms or presented with wit (coddled egg with
mushrooms comes in a fragile eggshell, balanced on a nest,
for example), but it's the fresh, clean flavours that really
amaze. It's pricey, for sure, but a four-course lunch menu
for £28 will allow you to taste the best creations. Just don't
turn up with a rumbling tum - that's missing the point
entirely. Tues-Fri noon-3pm & 5.30-11.30pm, Sat
noon-3pm & 6.30-11.30pm.
Hakkasan 8 Hanway Place, W1 T 020 7927 7000,
W hakkasan.com; ! Tottenham Court Road; map
p.97. Very swanky, atmospheric designer restaurant with a
long, fashionably crammed cocktail bar attached. The
exquisite and novel Chinese dishes are expensive, but you
can cut costs by sticking with the dim sum. Mains from £14.
gets
busy.
Mon
8am-6pm,
Tues-Fri
8am-10.30pm, Sat 9.30am-10.30pm.
Indian YMCA 41 Fitzroy Square, W1 T 020 7387 0411;
! Warren Street; map p.97. Ignore the signs saying the
canteen is only for students - this basic place, which has a
cultish following, is open to all; just press the bell and pile
in. The food (non-veg and veg) is filling, and prices
unbelievably low; simply collect what you want from the
counter and pay at the till. Dishes from £3. Mon-Fri
noon-2pm & 7-8pm, Sat & Sun 7-8pm.
Riding House Café 43-51 Great Titchfield St, W1 T 020
7927 0840, W ridinghousecafe.co.uk; ! Oxford Circus;
map p.97. Funky brasserie (look out for the light sconces)
offering comforting, interesting food. Whatever your
appetite - whether you fancy an eggy brunch, a simple dish
of goat's curd with pear and honey, a half-dozen oysters or a
plate of Moorish lamb with smoked aubergine - something
will fit the bill. Small plates from £5, mains from £11. Mon-
Fri 7.30am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm.
 
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