Delish. Only reason for not a five is they’re still working out some of the kinks. Only one front of house staff member on the Sunday after Xmas(not crazy, but had an impact). Weirdly, they ran out of steamed rice. Also need to sort out the menu. Get rid of the Japanese. It’s just an appendage. Sliced pork belly in red chili, beef in green chili, henan noodles with lamb, northern style dumplings, and even won ton soup were all spot on. Except for Bar Shu — with it’s crazy prices — I don’t think I’ve had a much better Chinese meal in London. It’s small, it’s local, it’s worth supporting.
Patrick R.
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
Amazing! This little gem of a restaurant is owned by a man from the northwest and his wife who is from China. It is the perfect fusion of authentic Chinese cooking and a bit of English style Chinese. The prices are not to be beat, and the quality is fantastic. They deliver within a 3 mile radius, and are even environmentally conscious, using a push bike. When my wife and I walked in to this well decorated little establishment we were instantly greeted by the friendly owner, Paul. The service was prompt, and very helpful in navigating the menu. We started with pan friends pork dumplings, which were great. A bottle of wine was under a tenner, which is always nice. I ordered the«Authentic Chinese Special Shredded Chili Pork» which comes complete with a portion of rice(upgraded to fried rice for 50p). It was fantastic! I am still craving to go back and have it again, but am also excited to try out the rest of the menu. If you are in the area, Chubby Chang’s is not to be missed. It is a refreshing take on traditional Chinese(and Japanese) at a fantastic price with great quality. Well worth a visit, and if you go once I think you will be hooked.
Patch H.
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
Fantastic! This is such a simple but wonderful change to all the sterillised Chinese restaurants you normally find. Gone is the faux plinky plonky music coming from a tired speaker next to a tacky picture of a waterfall. Here you get The Smiths and funky prints of modern skylines. No formica in sight. Simple comfy tables and chairs. Already i like the place. But even more so as the young chinese waiter bowls over with the biggest smile and the menu. A nice rounded selection with all the things you would expect with a few treats i’d never tried. The starters are amazing particularly the dumplings(have them boiled not fried, our trusty waiter informed us) And for main i had a brilliant pork dish, the name of which now escapes me, but i suppose i’ll just have to go back. Especially now i’ve just read they have an authentic menu as well. This is definitely the place to try that. The proof is in the bill though and that was really reasonable(despite me and my girlfriend trying to drink all the wine they had)
Grace L.
Place rating: 3 London, United Kingdom
Right, so my only Taiwanese friend here in London notified me of this place… which opened just a few weeks ago apparently. I got in on a night when Arsenal was playing(meaning…absolute havoc on Holloway Road) and was greeted with the most English looking men you could think of. Really? A RECOMMENDED Chinese restaurant, manned by non Chinese people? I almost passed out in fear. But then the conscience kicked in… must.not.judge. So I can’t read mandarin, and the staff clearly assumed just as much and handed my friend and I the standard fake English menu which consisted of such rip offs as «sweet and sour» crap. I put my head down on the table and shed a single tear. I try my luck and ask for the mandarin menu to see if there were any photos, but again I fail because they hand me a BINDER with characters margin to margin. Last resort: The manager hands me his cell phone so I can talk to his Chinese wife… who is the REAL manager. I ask for the knife-cut noodles in a lamb broth(which was the specialty apparently) and it turned out to be pretty tasty, although the noodles were sliced a little to thinly for my taste. So 3 hours later, I finish the strangest Asian meal of my life, in the most awkward surroundings amidst Arsenal hoopla… but will give this place another shot due to my own illiteracy and failure to recognize signature dishes. Grace will prevail in the end. ROAR!
