A. Wong

Chinese, Dim Sum·
££££
·
Gold Award
·

SquareMeal Review of A. Wong

Gold Award

“Simply the best modern Chinese food in London”, insists a fan of Andrew Wong’s “inspirational” Pimlico restaurant, while another convert reckons it’s “the most exciting Chinese to open in Europe since Hakkasan”.  We’re also very fond of the place and weren’t surprised when Wong was upgraded from one to two Michelin stars in 2021.

At lunchtime, we suggest plumping for some “perfect” dim sum in the unpretentious ground-floor space overlooking the open kitchen: esoteric items such as ‘aerated’ sesame dumplings, scallop puffs with dried scallop oil or steamed duck-egg yolk custard buns are presented with real panache and an eye for detail: the “lit cinnamon sticks” (deployed for added fragrance) impressed one diner.

By contrast, evenings are more suited to tasting menus amid the “sheer opulence” of the basement dining room. Here you can expect accomplished but relaxed service, plus some “truly great” dishes culled from China’s diverse regions: a crab claw with cured scallop and wasabi; sweet-and-sour corn-fed chicken with smoked meat and marinated pineapple; ‘gold fish’ dumplings with seared foie gras, dried pork and chive-flower oil.  

Both “quality and quantity” are mightily impressive, while crossover desserts also deliver a “big wow” in the shape of, say, poached meringue with fruit textures or coconut water ice with blackberries, Xinjiang mulberries, yoghurt and mochi rice cake. It’s all about “flavours, textures and sensations”.

The restaurant is spot-on when it comes to drinks too, whether you’re in the mood for one of the Chinese-inspired cocktails or want to stay with the list of well-chosen and “surprisingly well-priced” wines.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Over £80
Cuisines
Chinese, Dim Sum
Ambience
Cool, Cosy, Fine dining, Luxury, Quiet conversation, Romantic, Traditional, Unique
Awards
SquareMeal London Top 100, Two Michelin stars
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Alfresco And Views
Outside seating
Special Features
Counter dining, Gluten-free options, Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Group dining [8+], Romantic, Special occasions
Food Hygiene Rating

About

Arguably serving up some of the best Chinese food in the whole of London, A. Wong is a fine dining restaurant located in the heart of Pimlico.

Named after head chef and owner Andrew Wong, it first opened in 1985 by Wong's parents under the name Kym's, before being reopened with a new name in 2012 by Wong and his wife. In 2021 A. Wong was awarded a second star in the Michelin guide making it the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to hold such a title. Serving a highly innovative menu of modern Chinese food, the restaurant aims to showcase a diverse selection of dishes from the many different regions of China. Its not overly formal ambience makes A. Wong a brilliant spot for special occasions when you want to avoid hushed voices and silver service.

Found on the busy Wilton Road, the outside of the restaurant is surrounded by trees and greenery, while there is some outdoor seating, allowing for al fresco drinking and dining when the weather allows. A Wong's large windows and light interiors provide a bright and airy feel to the place, with an open kitchen allowing diners to see the chefs at work and a few seats up at the counter.

There are a variety of different menus on offer throughout the day including a dim sum lunch menu, an evening a la carte, and a lengthy tasting menu. Expect creative savoury dishes such as Shaanxi pulled lamb ‘burger’ with Xinjiang pomegranate salad and Anhui province red braised fermented wild seabass, while sweeter treats might include poached meringue with fruit textures.

The drinks offering is equally innovative as the food with a range of Chinese-inspired cocktails available alongside an impressive selection of wines by the glass and bottle. You can either enjoy your drinks at the table or head down to the Forbidden City bar on the lower ground floor before or after your meal.


FAQs

Does the restaurant have a Michelin star?

The restaurant has two Michelin stars.

Helpful? 0

How do you book?

You can call the restaurant directly using the number above, or book via the website

Helpful? 0

How much is dinner?

The Taste of China Menu costs £200 per person and is available for tables of 2-4 people.

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Meet the team
A. Wong

Andrew Wong

Chef Patron

Andrew Wong is widely regarded as one of the finest Chinese chefs that the UK has ever seen. Starting his culinary career helping out in his parents Chinese restaurant in London, Wong quickly realised that Chinese restaurants in the UK almost exclusively served classic Cantonese food and little else. After a six-month journey across China, his mission became to own a restaurant which explored the regional cuisine of China. This mission was realised when he reopened his parents' restaurant in 2012 under the name A. Wong and began serving dishes from all over China. In 2017 he won his first Michelin star at A. Wong, before winning a second in 2021 and maintaining it in 2022. He also briefly opened a second restaurant in London called Kym's, however it closed in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.


Location

70 Wilton Road, Pimlico, London, SW1V 1DE

020 7828 8931 020 7828 8931

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 12:00-14:30
Thu 12:00-14:30
Fri 12:00-14:30
Sat 12:00-14:30
Sun Closed
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 17:30-20:30
Wed 17:30-20:30
Thu 17:30-20:30
Fri 17:30-20:30
Sat 17:30-20:30
Sun Closed

Reviews

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17 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Richard F

27 December 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Top class Chinese food. Lovely atmosphere 

Jurate W

23 November 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Wonderful flavours. 

Roderick James

22 November 2019  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 3
Value 4
Outstanding service and food

Dined here on 21st November.  The staff and food were both outstanding. One of the friendliest restaurants we've been to recently and the food was uniformly delicious. Wine, although expensive, was also superb. I don't understand how anyone could leave a poor review of somewhere so good; one can only presume it's fake news or sour grapes. GO!.

MIchelle L

05 November 2019  
No nut allergies allowed in this restaurant!!

I would give a review but I have not been able to visit this restaurant because of my nut allergy, despite dining at a number of other Michelin star restaurants. My husband booked the reservation and explained that I have a nut allergy, to which they responded, “due to nature of our menu, our kitchen operates in the nut oil environment. For this reason, we are not able to accommodate a guest with a nut and nut oil allergy.”
I have to say that in this day and age where allergies are very common, I would have thought a restaurant of this type would find alternatives to cook food other than nut oil. A real shame - by insisting that you only cook food in nut oil means you effectively outcast those with allergies.
Come on A Wong - you can do better than that!

Jeremy Q

26 July 2019  
Delicious and inventive food offering. Very friendly and competent staff. Just love it.

Alex F

28 June 2019  
Chinese food taken to the highest culinary level.

Paul A

13 January 2019  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 3
Value 4
A great culinary journey
The open kitchen, with Andrew Wong at the pass calmly checking every single plate, was just about the quietest place in the restaurant, something we’ve remarked on before in popular restaurants in London. While the dining room had the feel of a typical, traditional Chinese restaurant, the food was anything but, as we discovered on valiantly, and successfully, making our way through what amounted to a 15-course Taste of China experience, a memorable culinary trip round the country with surprises galore and the sequence of dishes properly balanced and served at the perfect pace for our appetites. Cured scallop and stuffed crab with wasabi in a sort of “scotch egg” was the first of a pairing along with honey barbecued pork, grated foie gras adding to the many different taste explosions. A dim sum duo from the restaurant’s specialities, both with a slight chilli kick preceded a “street food” dish, the chilli sauce and Szechuan pepper matching the coriander tofu and backed up with peanuts and preserved vegetables. Brilliant steamed pork dumplings with pickled tapioca, ginger vinegar and spring onion were followed by a delicious Peking duck wrap enhanced with caviar and hints of foie gras which led us into fermented wild sea bass with super crunchy skin perched on a smoked duck and fried kale “birds nest” with cod’s roe. A sort of mid-menu palate cleanser of Chinese broccoli discs, braised abalone, and shiitake mushrooms introduced the meat dishes, the first of which came in the form of a pulled lamb burger (bao bun) with a pomegranate salad providing a striking burst of freshness, and the next, genuine Japanese seared wagyu with lardy, “magic” (oyster) mushrooms, crispy ultrafine noodles, mint and lemongrass gave us an amazing demonstration of chef’s skill. And it didn’t end there - we had soy chicken in a caviar wrap and made to a millennial soy recipe with ginger oil exhibiting an almost sweet side and a second chicken dish with an intriguing mild, sweet and spicy sauce. Coconut water ice with black fruit and creamy yogurt was the ideal palate cleanser before the two desserts, a poached meringue looking like an egg with a passion fruit yolk and pomelo and a sugar crisp, and the finale of mandarin sorbet with ginger, raspberry, and white and plain chocolate. Altogether an excellent evening with first-class cuisine, although we did ask ourselves whether bowls rather than plates would have made our inexpert handling of chopsticks any more successful, but we generally managed, at a rather slower tempo than some of the other diners, and came away unscathed. The service was absolutely top-class and it was a pity that the ambient noise level made it virtually impossible, on occasion, to understand everything in the very detailed explanations of the dishes.

Anon

31 July 2018  
The upstairs dã©cor is quite plain with the kitchen in full view which is a good thing,the downstairs is sheer opulence, but the food is the same apart from the dim sums served at lunchtime upstairs. The food is inspirational, awakening all the senses (a dim sum dish comes with lit cinnamon sticks to enhance the fragrance and overall experience of the dish), whilst the wine list is very well chosen and surprisingly well priced. The cocktail list downstairs pays homage to many Chinese traditions. Service is so friendly and professional. For me, outstanding value for a 1 Michelin star restaurant.

Annette M

31 July 2018  
Simply the best modern Chinese food in London. Flavours, textures and sensations from around China appear before you, bought to your table by very accomplished and attentive staff.

Amir S

11 July 2018  
Perfect dim sum.
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020 7828 8931 020 7828 8931

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