Authentic SE Asian Restaurants

mid_gen · 19 Jun 2020 at 09:20

Inspired by all the Korean food pics, how's about sharing some restaurant tips (for when they reopen!).

I lived in HK which had obviously fantastic Cantonese food, but also great Japanese, Sichuan, Pekingese etc. Then lived in Dússeldorf which has a huge Japanese and Korean expat community so had endless options there. Now I've moved back the UK and am sat in Ashby surrounded by greasy sloppy Anglo-chinese takeaways, pizza and kebab joints. Sad panda.

Looking for tips on genuine SE Asian eateries. The kind of dim sum places with big round tables with white cloths that'll serve up tripe and chicken feet. Peking duck that's got a thin crispy skin and nice fatty slices rather than the obliterated Anglo style crispy duck.
Sichuan that'll numb your face. Giant bowls of Korean fried chicken.

Currently on my list is this dim sum place in Leicester, looks legit :

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...ationId=101&albumid=101&filter=7&ff=130629431

mid_gen · 8 Aug 2020 at 15:03

So, finally got out to try and find something....hit on a winner!

Mandarin restaurant in Nottingham.

Proper authentic dim sum experience, order off a paper menu all in Chinese, several varieties of chicken feet, only non-Chinese people in there, always a good sign to start with.

Cha Siu Bau ( my favourite ) was v good. Xiao Long Bao was really good taste wise but I prefer a thinner and more delicate dumpling. Siu Mai was pretty decent. Cha Siu rice rolls were good. Will definitely be back.

mid_gen · 8 Aug 2020 at 16:17

Raymond Lin said:
That looks authentic, you didn’t get the prawn dumpling though! Some say the test of a good dim sum restaurant is how good their prawn dumplings are. It has a semi translucent skin with a prawn and sometimes a tiny bit of chicken inside.

The prawn dumplings didn't quite make the cut, as there were just two of us, and we were pretty stuffed (had custard tarts and some rice rolls that weren't in the picture too). Next time....

mid_gen · 10 Aug 2020 at 21:59

tom_nieto said:
Absolutely! I can still remember the pork and prawn dumplings at Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong. Absolutely unreal and have been the benchmark since I went in 2017. Not found anything even remotely close since.

I love the xiao long bao at Dumplings Legend on Gerard Street in London. Service is authentically brisk to the point of rudeness, but food is great. No trolleys sadly.

Tim Ho Wan is a little overrated imo. It's good dim sum for sure and cheap, but gets a bit too much attention just for being the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world (used to be anyway). It's always really rushed and crammed because it's so popular.

I preferred some of the more comfortable places like Din Tai Fung, which are a chain but their bigger outlets are Michelin starred as well. There was a dim sum place in one of the malls in TST I used to go to regularly that did the best Xiao Long Bao...I think the restaurant was called King's Dumpling or something actually. Really delicate thin skin, almost transparent, beautifully seasoned broth.

Favourite Hong Kong restaurant is either Chilli Fagara in Soho, or Nanhai Number 1 in TST. Messina is absolutely epic but picking an Italian restaurant in Asia just seems wrong

mid_gen · 10 Aug 2020 at 22:00

Lopéz said:
Ashby? Get yourself down Johnny Wongs mate

Wong Kwei? It's a pretty damn good English Chinese here but authentic it ain't !

mid_gen · 11 Aug 2020 at 09:43

tom_nieto said:
We were of course attracted by the fact that it was the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant, but for the price and the quality I was pretty impressed (as an English bloke anyway!). Definitely proves the point that the Michelin assessors are only interested in the quality of the food rather than the service! Hong Kong is awesome for food, we ate really well when we were there and can't wait to go back. One of my favourite meals was in a shopping mall food court which was totally rammed with locals and the proprietor was totally nuts and basically put on a show all evening, assisted by his beer girls!

Michelin Stars aren't purely for the food, it is supposed to reflect the dining experience as a whole. Tim Ho Wan scores because it's genuine

As you say, it's an incredible foodie destination. Even the run of the mill places like Wooloomooloo are very good food-wise, and perched atop skyscrapers with views out over Victoria Harbour. The free-flow brunches at places like the Excelsior are ace. Going out to the small villages and islands and sharing massive plates of seafood, or even getting the fish yourself straight off the boats and taking them to the restaurant for them to cook it.

Shame the country is basically done already, I thought it would last a bit longer...glad I lived there when I did.