Alexander's review of Yauatcha

My friends and I visited Yauatcha last Wednesday to discover the menu had undergone a revamp, with the dim sum selection significantly reduced, excising many of our favourites such as the spinach cube, char sui cheung fun and prawn and date dumplings, only to be replaced by a larger selection of starter and main courses. A confusing choice considering its reputation as one of the best restaurants for dim sum in London.

However delving into the menu revealed a number of highlights, with old mainstays like the baked venison puff supplemented by excellent dishes like roast duck and pumpkin dumplings and pear and taro croquettes. Indeed, it would appear that standards, which had slipped of late, are back to form, with everything receiving a bit of a polish, from the inventive ingredient combinations to the new spin on established dishes, notably including the mango spring roll now done in batter rather than pastry. Unfortunately the diver scallops, having had the fortune to eat on only a handful of occasions, remain elusive as ever, and we were informed that a number of our selections were not available either. A shame, but one that I assume to be a result of the relative newness of the menu.

The service has been variable in the past, but on this occasion the staff were pleasant and accommodating, offering up alternatives to the unavailable dishes. All in all, this still remains one of the go-to places for dim sum. However, if anybody at the restaurant does read this, I have one request: please bring back the char sui cheung fun.