Phoenix Palace has to be my current favourite place to have lunch and dinner. This restaurant provided a fabulous evening when we organised a 2010 Chinese New Year dinner with friends. The food was wonderful especially the Peking Duck served with pancake. Today I want to share with you having a lunch (yum char) at Phoenix Palace.
When you walk inside, you will feel you have walked into a Chinese Kingdom. Every details of the decoration throughout the restaurant is beautiful which has used a Chinese wood theme. It give he place a grand and warm feel. Even the toilet of this restaurant is just as grand, the wash basin you cannot miss as it has beautiful Chinese art.
The dim sum menu has a large range of selection. This exclude the special dim sums which will occasionally change, that allows people to try dim sums you do not often see in many London Chinese restaurants or new innovation.
From the main dim sum menu we ordered a portion of the Baked Egg Tarts (迷你雞蛋撻) and a portion of the BBQ Pork Puff Pastries (焗叉燒酥角).
Mini Ribs in Black Bean Sauce (鼓汁蒸排骨)
Some Cheung Fun which is a typical dim sum dish that you will find. It is rice pasta, that is rolled and filled with meat or seafood. But it can also just be rolled with no filling and goes well with mix of sauces – the restaurant has a version on their dim sum menu as the Rice Pasta with in Mixed Soya, Peanut & Yellow Bean Sauce (家鄉砵仔腸) that you can try. We instead ordered the Cheung Fun with Dry Shrimp & Spring Onion (蔥花蝦米腸粉). This came with some soya sauce, but I prefer it to mix it with some Ho sin sauce so I usually ask for some and the restaurant is always happy to cater that.
Another cheung fun is the one that is wrapped with Crispy Dough Stick (蔥花炸兩腸粉), which is nice to have on it own dipping it in some soya sauce or even as a compliment with congee. Outside you have the smooth and soft texture of the rice pasta, then you will get a crispy crunchy texture of the Crispy Dough Stick.
As well as the main dim sum we also ordered from the special menu. How could I let go on not ordering any dim sum from this menu!
On the main dim sum menu there are a selection of congee. But we went for the congee that was on the special menu. It was a congee that contained shredded roast duck and shredded chicken. Topped with some shredded egg and chopped spring onions.
Honey comb tripe – which came beautifully presented with some red chillies and spring onions sprinkle on top.
Creamy Liquid Custard Buns (漂香流沙飽) – you do not usually find this bun often in London Chinese restaurant. So when I see it on the menu I have to order this bun. It is similar to having a custard bun. But the different is as the name describe, when you open up the bun you will get a creamy liquid custard buns that when you taste it will have a grainy texture to it. This bun is best eaten while it is still warm. So once it arrived to our table you have to go for the bun.
Usually for a custard bun or roast pork bun you will get 3 buns in a portion. But for the creamy liquid custard buns you only get 2 bun in a portion for £3.20, which I do consider to be expensive. But it makes up for it that it is a special and it is hard to find this bun in London.
At Phoenix Palace, you will find on their a la carte menu a selection of game meat such as Venison, Ostrich etc. I find it rare to find game meat on a London menu so it was interesting to see a section on the a la carte menu at Phoenix Palace. It gives you more variety from chicken and beef.
As for lunch, we usually would not go for the a la carte menu and only order from the dim sum menu so game meat would have to be left for dinner. But in the dim sum menu you have a noodle and rice section, which there is a noodle dish that contains game meat – Peppered Ostrich Fillet on Pull Noodles (黑椒鴕烏炒拉麵).
I have to say this is a favourite noodle dish I like to order to have along with my dim sums. It has a peppery taste that give it a bit of a spicy kick and this dish is not dry as it have a slight saucy touch to it. The dish was brought to our table and placed on a gold metal stand. So, if you have dinner here and order from the a la carte, as like Royal China you will expect to have each dishes placed on top of a gold metal stand.
The dim sum price some people will consider to be more expensive than many average Chinese restaurant. But you get the quality and the service which is better than an average Chinese restaurant. You could say it is probably around about a similar price range to Royal China.
The restaurant is located less than 5 minutes walk from Baker street london tube station. So very convenient to get to by public transport. Also, if you lucky you might get a glimpse of some famous faces dining here!
(Prices and menu correct at the time of dining)
Phoenix Palace Chinese Restaurant
5 Glentworth Street,
London,
NW1 5PG
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