Dim Sum @ Gerrard’s Corner

One of things I’ve missed studying abroad is the widespread of dim sum easily available around Penang. Staying in London, I’m thankful to be blessed with numerous Chinese restaurants all over London with some serving dim sum which are as good or even better than those at home. Although dim sum in London is 5 times more expensive than those back home due to currency exchange, at times some cravings simply can’t be repressed.

Gerrard’s Corner is one of the few places I would frequent for dim sum as it is the only restaurant that I know of to serve 流沙包 (liu sha bao) or melting custard bun. Among the dim sum that I frequently order when dining with my friends are the common pork dumpling (siew mai), prawn dumpling (har gao) and barbecued pork bun as well as the 流沙包 and a variety of others.

Pork dumpling with crabmeat
Juicy, soft and tender; I couldn't taste any crabmeat though.

King Prawn Dumpling
Filled with large chunks of prawns; the thickness of the skin of the dumpling is just nice

Shanghai Steamed Pork and Crabmeat Dumpling
Tender minced pork as the fillings - lacking the taste of crabmeat. However, the xiao long bao lacks juiciness. Often xiao long bao has a spoonful of 'juice' when broken open, here the xiao long bao has a juicy filling without any extra juice.

Spare ribs in black bean sauce
Well seasoned with black bean sauce but lacks tenderness

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun
Standard char siew bao taste and texture

Melting custard bun
Warm flowy custard enclosed in a soft and fluffy bun. The melting custard is a blend of sweetness of custard and fragrance of salted egg yolk. Not the best I've tried before but good enough to satisfy any cravings

Warm melting custard!!!

Pork and Preserved Egg Congee
Smooth congee with generous preserved egg (century egg) hidden in the bottom of the congee. No idea where the pork is hiding though.

Prawn cheung fun
Large prawns enveloped in thin layers of cheung fun. The cheung fun sauce here which is a perfect blend of sweetness and saltiness is one of my favourite.

Deep fried squid
Crispy batter on squid rings. Nothing to shout about.

Seafood Croquette
A typical deep fried seafood dumpling. A generous amount of filling, but nothing much to be excited about

Vietnamese Style Spring Roll
Not sure how Vietnamese is this but the paper skin is crispy with a generous seafood filling. The accompanying sauce goes extremely well with the spring roll

Pan Fried Turnip Paste with XO sauce
The closest I could get to my favourite hawker 'Char Koay Kak'. The turnip paste is filled with dried shrimps and well pan fried over high heat, giving off a fragrant mixture of XO sauce and fresh eggs. 

Crispy BBQ Pork Puff Pastry
The puff pastry lacks crispiness and is less flaky than most other restaurants. The BBQ pork filling is delicious but the puff pastry could definitely be much better

          
Like any typical Chinese restaurants, customer service is not the top of their priorities. The service in Gerrard’s Corner is rather good. At least, they have never pressured us to leave when we are done eating. On my last visit, one of the waiter even told us to take our time and enjoy the dim sum. In general, the dim sum is above average and 流沙包 is the main reason I would choose Gerrard’s Corner over other restaurants.

Located on Wardour Street off the corner of Gerrard Street in London’s Chinatown, Gerrard’s Corner is about 5 minutes walk from Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus station and numerous bus stops. Their dim sum is served daily until 5pm.



Food rating: 6.5/10
Service rating: 7/10
Ambience rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 6.5/10