A Wong

This is what A Wong looks like from the outside. A curtained cuboid with nary a branding in sight, A Wong's appearance serves to actively dissuade walk-ins or gawkers. Being the only two Michelin-star Chinese restaurant in the UK, A Wong is an oversubscribed restaurant that rarely has unoccupied seats, as I found out first hand; I had to take a day off from work just to get a seat at a somewhat convenient time.

But I am glad I did. A Wong is helmed by chef and proprietor Andrew Wong, who is very much at the top of his game. A Wong's dim sum lunch gives the customer the chance to explore a wide range of dim sum and larger plates, with a vast variety of flavours and textures. I went for 8 plates in total (the advice from A Wong is to have between 8 and 10 plates), including one dessert. 

The first dish I had was a pot of chengdu street Tofu, soy chili, peanuts, preserved vegetables and 1000 year old egg (actually an egg that has been preserved for a couple of weeks to months). One of the best dishes of the meal, the egg was silky smooth, the dish nice and spicy. 

Then came the Laughing Buddha Bun, a steamed, soft bun filled with diced vegetables. This was good, especially the dough, but not revelatory. This was followed by the wild mushroom bun, which had a similar vibe though was deliciously chewy. The filling itself was fine enough. 

Next, 'Memories of Peking Duck', perhaps the most elegant of the dim sum I had. It served as a suitable promise for the crispy Peking duck I was soon to have. 

Then came the larger dishes, starting with the crispy chilli aubergine with a star anise glaze. Oh my word. These little battered sticks were heaven, light and fried but wickedly spicy. 

To follow, I had stir-fried vegetables. This was probably the least enigmatic of the dishes as, well, they're stir-fried vegetables. Doesn't take a Cordon Bleu graduate to knock this up. 

For my final savoury dish, I had to have the crispy aromatic Peking duck with sticky rice, plum sauce and pancakes. The duck was delicious, the accoutrements provided with the duck making for a fitting end to an eclectic meal. 

But this was not the end. For dessert, I had a wonderful creation comprising shaved ice, blackberries, dried Mulberries, yoghurt, mochi and bird's nest jelly. Refreshing and texturally very interesting, it was a high note to go out on. 

I am very glad I attended A Wong, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a particularly interesting eating experience that you wouldn't be able to get elsewhere in the Capital, and possible even the UK as a whole. I liken it to KOL, in that regard. 

Value for money? £130 for 8 courses, a beer, still water, and service charge. You get a lot, so yes. 

Would I return? Not immediately, as there are others I would sooner return to. But given enough time, yes.