Dim Sum and Then Some..

Yauatcha
15-17 Broadwick Street.
Soho, London, W1F 0DL

To conclude our day of natural hair antics at ‘Women in The Jungle’, we made our way into Soho to a recommended Oriental Restaurant- Yauatcha. 

Yauatcha, is a contemporary dim sum teahouse located in the heart of London.

If you have read our other posts, you know how we feel about customer service, particularly being greeted upon arrival. So to our delight we were greeted at the door and given the option of where we would like to dine, upstairs/downstairs? Opting to sit downstairs, we were escorted into an intimate oriental underground dining space; a low lit, hideaway from the hustling streets of London.

Peach Guava Smoothie

Seated around a table on a comfortable chaise, we were approached by the  pleasant waiter who had greeted us once we arrived downstairs. Jason (yes we now know him on a first name basis) introduced himself, took our names and brought us over our menus.

Dim sum, ‘the oriental tapas’ has a lot to choose from, and from two foodies who are not that crazy about Chinese food, we spent a lot of time deliberating and asking for recommendations.

Drinks

Lime and Passion Iced Tea

Whilst we discussed options amongst ourselves we ordered drinks; Candace opted for a Lime and Passion ice tea and Jamelia had a Peach Guava Smoothie. Candace is an avid fan of ice tea and the two flavours combined were a refreshing start to the evening. 

Very accustomed to blended fruit smoothies, Jamelia’s smoothie was a little disappointing and on the thin side - not as fruit filled and thick as she would have liked.

Venison Puffs

Starters
After much deliberation, and help from James and another friend, our dim sum options included: Venison Puffs, Scallops Shui Mai, Lobster Dumplings and Seasame Prawn toast. The food arrived 15 minutes after we’d ordered and was steaming hot. 

Thankfully there were more than enough pescatarian options to satisfy Jamelias dietary requirements. 

Seasame Prawn Toast

Jamelia had never tasted Seasame prawn toast before (shocking, I know!) -  Chinese is far from her favourite delicacy. The prawn toast however was "to die for", and prompted us to order another serving after just one bite. Crispy without being greasy with generously sized prawns in the inside, the prawn toast was a cheeky savoury treat.

Lobster Dumplings

Candace had a bit of everything and tried venison for the first time. Introduced as being similar to a Caribbean beef pattie, although being dubious - she went in for the kill anyway. The pastry of the puff was full and flaky, and was filled with surprisingly well seasoned and moist venison. Not something Candace would jump at the opportunity to eat again but certainly worth a try.

The Scallops were moist, dense, and quite minimalistic in flavour and the Lobster dumplings likewise. They were however topped in caviar, not the luxurious wine, fish eggs! After our joint first experiences of Vension Puffs and Seasame prawn toasts, we think we’d pushed the boat out far enough.

Kung Pao Chicken

Mains

Keeping mains more traditional, we went for Kung Pao Chicken stir fry with Cashew nuts, Steamed Halibut, Stir-fry Penang Kwetio noodle with prawn, scallops and peanuts, Sweet Chilli Prawn and Egg Fried Rice. Again the food came out quickly, and James, the sweetheart, laid it all out neatly on the table for us; honestly, he was silver service standard.

Stir fry penang kwetio noodles

Cashews naturally have a strong aroma and add a depth of flavour to any dish. As they commonly combined with meat in westernised Chinese dining, this taste was familiar. The Stir-fry Penang Kwetio noodles had a similar aroma filled with sweet and sour flavours. 

Sweet chilli prawn

The Steamed Halibut was the lightest, most delicate, moist, fresh seafood option we have eaten in a long time. So easy to cut and share, with its pure white colour. 

Topped with breadcrumbs and chilli whilst surrounded by a sea of light herbs accompanied by some Egg Fried Rice... which might we add blew us away. Who would have thought that rice could taste sooo good?! The rice was light a fluffy with as standard, sprinkled with small pieces of spring onion.

Steamed Halibut

Dessert

Full to the brim, we passed on dessert (yep, you heard correctly) and had a chat with James instead. He was so pleased that we enjoyed the meal he urged us to come back and visit soon.

Overall Experience

Egg Fried rice

Customer service here was really first class. This is most definitely somewhere we’d return to and recommend. We must warn however that this restaurant is not for the faint hearted with guests typically spending hundreds on their bill (for two people).

If it is a very special occasion, or you are desperately trying to impress the other half (or potential other half), we would recommend Yauatcha. Not the typical spot for a quick bite to eat, be sure to look and dress the part before you make a trip to this tea house!

Price: £35/£45 pp
Tastecard: Denied

WOM Spits and Chews

Chews

• Prawn toast
• Service standards
• Overall vibe and feel or restaurant
• Very clean toilets
• The Halibut

Spits

• Price

Overall WOM Rating: 4.5 kisses out of 5

Verdict? CHEWS :)