Underwhelming dim sum

REVIEW: PING PONG

I felt uneasy as soon as I walked into Ping Pong on Great Marlborough Steet.  I couldn’t put my finger on the reason why, and being my first time dining in London, I decided to stay positive and give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt.

However, things did not start well.  Despite having made a reservation for lunch and there being only one table occupied, we were not allowed to take a seat until all of our party had arrived.  I can understand such a rule being enforced when a restaurant is full – but not when it is empty.   And by the time we did take our seats, we were greeted by a couple of surly waitresses.

Of course, being the first time since I have been in a Chinese restaurant since arriving in the UK, I would have forgiven this all for some well made dim sums.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.  The white doughy skins of the steamed dumplings (the har gau and chive dumplings) were far too thick and by the time that they arrived at the table, no longer steaming hot.  And by the time that I munched through the chewy skins, I was only disappointed to bite on, in respect of the har gau, skinny little prawns.

This was largely representative of much of the meal. The siew mai (pork dumplings) and the char siew pao (steamed pork buns) were better than average but underwhelming.  Probably the result of being spoilt by Chinese food in Sydney, I expect my siew mai to be bursting with juices and flavours, my pork buns to be fluffy and filled with rich barbeque pork.  The spring rolls were not crispy, but rather, much too dense and again arrived at the table lukewarm.  On a more positive note, I found the prawn toast to be quite tasty and novel, however, again it didn’t arrive hot with the result that the corners of the little triangle toasts had to be carefully negotiated inside eager mouths.

Yum cha needs to be served hot – so hot that you have to stop yourself from immediately tucking in so that you don’t burn the insides of your mouth.  What made this particularly unforgiveable, in my view, is that the food is brought to your table to order – not from trolleys that ply their way between the tables.  So there is really no reason why the food shouldn’t arriving steaming.

By the time we finished, the restaurant was largely full with a short line at the door.  So maybe there is something to be said for Ping Pong.  All that I know is that I will not be returning any time soon.

Details:

The Place: Ping Pong

Where: 45 Great Marlborough Street, Soho (they have a number of different restaurants in London)

Food: Yum cha

Tip: They do offer some interesting teas on the menu.

Butcher’s Bill: ₤17.50 per head on a Sunday all you can eat deal plus a few extra pounds for drinks.

Who should go: Anyone who hasn’t had yum cha in Sydney or Hong Kong.

Doing fish well

REVIEW: GARFISH

The period which begins a couple of days before Christmas eve and ends a week into the new year is my favourite time of year.  This year, particularly, the summer heat has not burned too strong, making it much more enjoyable to be outdoors.

Last weekend, it was decided that lunch was to be spent in Crows Nest.  After wandering Alexander Street, we headed for Garfish as our hunger began to get the better of us. 

We had been to the Garfish at Kirribilli a few months ago, so I am able to say that the outdoor dining area at Crows Nest is the more pleasant spot on a hot summer’s day.  Most of the seating is under an awning (or perhaps verandah), whereas at Kirribilli, sun umbrellas provide most of the shade.  If you are planning a long lunch, this does make a difference as you won’t be sweating profusely by 4 o’clock.

The food was excellent.  A generously thick fillet of blue eye trevella in a light green curry sauce was very well prepared.  A properly grilled piece of fish is a joy in itself and the curry flavours were subtle enough that they did not overpower the fish. 

The snapper pie was impressive (I must find a recipe!) and, in my opinion, is a close second to the one prepared at the Boathouse.  That said, Garfish’s pie had a wonderfully homely feel – it reminded me a lot of the pies which my mum used to make – perhaps it was the brocolli.  My only complaint is that the pinches of sea salt on the pastry top were not really necessary – especially as there is salt at the table.  Another friend settled for the crab tagliolini – I can’t comment on it, as I didn’t try any, however, at least half of it was left on the plate which is usually a good measure of the fare.

Dessert at Garfish is a surprisingly simple affair.  Belgian waffles make up about half the offering.  I found my waffles too heavy – more like bagles.  The ice cream and oter assorted accompaniments were nice, but for the price you pay, I can’t profess to being a huge fan.  The affogato appeared to be the dessert of choice that afternoon, as I lost count of the number I saw leaving the kitchen.  And at our last visit to the Kirribilli Garfish, OP gave the raspberry and white chocolate tart high marks, so I will probably revert to this tried and tested performer next time.

The service was warm and friendly.  It was the same at Kirribilli, and Garfish are well served by their wait staff.  My only complaint was that the food took a little too long to come out, even factoring in the long lead time for the snapper pie.  It was little noticed, however, as we were so relaxed and happy with a whole afternoon to kill.

I can summarise my experiences at Garfish very succintly – Garfish does fish well.  The fish is the centrepiece, and the garnishes neither overpower nor take attention away from it.  I should have mentioned this above, but the salads (especially the baby spinish, fetta and beetroot) are great.  So a simply prepared piece of fish and a bowl of salad may be the way to go.  I can say, with little hesitation, that summer lunches at Garfish have become part of my annual tradition.

Details:

The Place: Garfish

Where: 6/29 Holtermann Street, Crows Nest (02 9966 0445) and 2/21 Broughton Street, Kirribilli (02 9922 4322)

Food: Seafood

Tip: Find out what the daily recommendations is.

Butcher’s Bill: About $65 per person – there were four of us – each had one main, 2 salads/sides to share, bottle of riesling, desserts and coffee.

Who should go: Anyone looking to relax with friends over a seafood lunch on a Sydney summer’s day.