Elstree, Chinese Restaurant Guide

“It might not be for a true aficionado of Asian food, but the welcome is genuine, the food is always meticulously cooked and presented, service standards are high, and it has pleased us for many years” – one report neatly encapsulates the strong virtues of this rather “glamorous”, “good-but-pricey” Chinese group: a family-owned chain with branches in Knightsbridge, Mill Hill, Wandsworth Common and Esher. “Why not save yourself the trip to Chinatown and enjoy a meal without the crowds, bad service, and soulless dining rooms!”

“Very large Chinese restaurant” on the ground floor of Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall (with a sister venue in Chinatown) that has an “extensive menu” focused mainly on Cantonese cuisine. It’s “frequented by lots of Chinese diners” (always a good sign). Top Tip – it’s an easy visit as the site has a “large underground free car park”.

“If you’re talking street food, then just go along and take it all in!” – this vast Oriental food court in Colindale offers “20+ options, huge flavours and huge portions”. It’s “so much fun” but can be “hit and miss between the different units” – and watch the prices as “certain dishes are more expensive than in the Golden Dragon restaurant downstairs”. Top Tip – “bring Tupperware to take any left-over food home”.

This “always reliable” and “slightly upmarket” Cantonese group “remains the standard that all other dim sum places should be judged against – exemplary is an overused term here but is very much justified”. But a somewhat dark cloud has hung over the operation since its prominent Baker Street branch was stripped of its licence to sell alcohol and fined £360,000 after a series of Home Office raids over six years discovered multiple cases of illegal immigrants working, in one case for 66 hours a week at almost half the minimum wage. As of August 2024, the Fulham Road branch is ‘Temporarily Closed’.

“Well-supported and popular for its high quality” – this offbeat kosher Chinese has long been Hendon’s main contribution to London gastronomy. It’s always had a reputation for pushing the envelope pricewise, which it justifies with its consistent standards and relatively plush interior (panelled, paintings, table cloths).