London - China Tang
Winter 2009
Frank's view 
China Twang
The cleverest way to enjoy a top London restaurant and still have some notes in your wallet or credit on your card is to take advantage of their lunch time special set menu.
Some offer genuinely good deals such as Miyama's £27 Full Set Lunch or The Red Fort's £12 Mughal Banquet. Others, such as Sumosan's £22.50 'mix 'n match' 7 Course Banquet, fail to live up to their promise.
My first visit to China Tang was a couple of years ago in 2007 when we dined from the a la carte menu. I recall two things - the bill was huge and the food was disappointing. In search of a light Asian lunch around Mayfair I noticed that China Tang offered a £15 Set Lunch Menu. Would China Tang redeem itself with a fabulous feast for fifteen pounds?
The Set Lunch menu consisted of 6 pieces of Dim Sum, a choice of Rice Noodles with chicken, pork or vegetables and a glass of wine, a Tsing Tao beer, or a pot of Jasmine tea.The Dim Sum was good and most likely from the same stable as the a la carte Dim Sum charged at £5 per portion. To follow I selected chicken, whilst the Camel's companion opted for the pork. The dishes arrived and with the first lunge of the shiny steel chop sticks the slippery food slithered around the plate whilst the quality of the cuisine slid instantly to the class of a Peckham takeaway. It was bland and the noodles were crunchy, as if they had been slung from the pot prematurely to make way for a serious customer.
China Tang is located in the crypt of The Dorchester Hotel where rich and famous celebrities are oddly juxtaposed with middle managers and sales reps. Whilst the privileged escape to their suites the proles parade in their penguin suits, as night after night The Dorchester plays host to a lucrative string of corporate award ceremonies. It seems that China Tang is reflecting this schizophrenia. We sat with our value meal whilst others around tucked in to a lavish array of dishes, most of which seemed to be priced around the £40 mark.The inclusion of a glass of house wine or a beer for your £15 is further evidence of China Tang's efforts to attract the swigging masses. I had always assumed that set menus filled lunchtime tables, gave diners a sample of the restaurant's fine cuisine in the hope of tempting them back, and provided an opportunity to make some money from wine sales. But China Tang was giving away the liquor profit with supermarket style. Why not charge £25, leave the liquor as an extra and serve some decent food?
On a final note, China Tang has had their restaurant monogram stitched into the table cloths. Whilst awaiting my slop I contemplated why.
Answers on a napkin please.
China Tang
The Dorchester Hotel
Park Lane
London W1
020 7629 9988
The Dorchester - China Tang
China Tang has had its monogram stitched into the table cloths
Some offer genuinely good deals such as Miyama's £27 Full Set Lunch or The Red Fort's £12 Mughal Banquet. Others, such as Sumosan's £22.50 'mix 'n match' 7 Course Banquet, fail to live up to their promise.
My first visit to China Tang was a couple of years ago in 2007 when we dined from the a la carte menu. I recall two things - the bill was huge and the food was disappointing. In search of a light Asian lunch around Mayfair I noticed that China Tang offered a £15 Set Lunch Menu. Would China Tang redeem itself with a fabulous feast for fifteen pounds?
The Set Lunch menu consisted of 6 pieces of Dim Sum, a choice of Rice Noodles with chicken, pork or vegetables and a glass of wine, a Tsing Tao beer, or a pot of Jasmine tea.The Dim Sum was good and most likely from the same stable as the a la carte Dim Sum charged at £5 per portion. To follow I selected chicken, whilst the Camel's companion opted for the pork. The dishes arrived and with the first lunge of the shiny steel chop sticks the slippery food slithered around the plate whilst the quality of the cuisine slid instantly to the class of a Peckham takeaway. It was bland and the noodles were crunchy, as if they had been slung from the pot prematurely to make way for a serious customer.
China Tang is located in the crypt of The Dorchester Hotel where rich and famous celebrities are oddly juxtaposed with middle managers and sales reps. Whilst the privileged escape to their suites the proles parade in their penguin suits, as night after night The Dorchester plays host to a lucrative string of corporate award ceremonies. It seems that China Tang is reflecting this schizophrenia. We sat with our value meal whilst others around tucked in to a lavish array of dishes, most of which seemed to be priced around the £40 mark.The inclusion of a glass of house wine or a beer for your £15 is further evidence of China Tang's efforts to attract the swigging masses. I had always assumed that set menus filled lunchtime tables, gave diners a sample of the restaurant's fine cuisine in the hope of tempting them back, and provided an opportunity to make some money from wine sales. But China Tang was giving away the liquor profit with supermarket style. Why not charge £25, leave the liquor as an extra and serve some decent food?
On a final note, China Tang has had their restaurant monogram stitched into the table cloths. Whilst awaiting my slop I contemplated why.
- Fear that their laundry may inadvertently be returned to China Twang in Walthamstow?
- A deterrent to restaurant cleptomaniacs who are irresistibly tempted to whisk table cloths from under their chow mein?
- The ultimate collectors item for dine at home takeaway.
Answers on a napkin please.
China Tang
The Dorchester Hotel
Park Lane
London W1
020 7629 9988
The Dorchester - China Tang
China Tang has had its monogram stitched into the table cloths
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
