"You might think that Yauatcha’s millennium cool, blue-lit aquarium wall is a design feature, but it’s actually a metaphor. During a meal here, we felt a certain camaraderie with those bright, sparkling fishies as they floated around looking glamorous but rather bored. Once the see-and-be-seen Soho spot for birthday cocktail toasts and dainty roe dim sum admiration during the Noughties, Cantonese restaurant Yauatcha has now entered adulthood and is more suited to discussing mortgage interest rates over a single glass of Riesling before calling it a night. Without the buzz of a stiletto-trotting crowd, the vast grey space can feel a touch clinical, so if you’re looking to impress or party Soho-style, head to one of its lively, stylish neighbours. For dim sum that would look at home in a Selfridges window display, thanks to all the dainty roe gems and expert folds, it still hits. So stop by for a one-hour lunch when you can watch the sweet honey-roasted char siu cheung fun glisten in the daylight and eat a luxe, picture-perfect lobster dumpling safe in the knowledge that you don’t need to get involved in an entirely bizarre deconstructed take on peking duck. video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Food Rundown photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Lobster Dumpling One to order if you’re looking to add a little soft, near-meaty luxury to a bad day. Between the almost translucent wrapper and luminous caviar, this lobster number is a textbook example of what Yauatcha does best—eye-catching dim sum primed for a dip in the complimentary chilli oil. video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Char Siu Cheung Fun The subtle sweetness of this tender pork is like kissing someone you fancy right after they’ve eaten a bon bon. The fact that it comes wrapped in a chewy, slick noodle shell is just a bonus. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Peking Duck - Half Deny us a bamboo steamer of pancakes at your own peril. This is a sad fate for whatever quack has now become messy finger food. The crispy skin is excellent and the hoisin sauce sings with sweetness, but the lettuce cups are far too reminiscent of that one time we tried to avoid gluten for five consecutive minutes and the stir-fried duck is a chunky bean stew we’d happily not meet again." - Heidi Lauth Beasley
