Yauatcha Soho

Chinese Restaurant in Soho
Yauatcha Soho image

9 / 10 from 1 review
Address
15-17 Broadwick Street
Soho
London
W1F 0DL
Map
Telephone
020 7494 8888
Cuisine
Chinese
Region
Soho
Nearest Station
Piccadilly Circus
0.26 miles
Opening Summary
Sun – Thurs: 12:00 - 22:00
Fri & Sat: 12:00 - 22:30
Restaurant Facilities

Disabled Facilities

Children Welcome

Credit Cards Accepted

Booking Advisable

Yauatcha is a contemporary dim sum teahouse that opened in London in 2004. The restaurant offers an all-day grazing experience, specialising in modern authentic dim sum, as well as wok-friendly dishes and other ‘small eats’.

An exceptional range of Chinese and Indian teas are also retailed at Yauatcha, along with handmade macaroons and chocolates.

Yauatcha is a modern reinterpretation of the old Chinese teahouse. Designed by Christian Liaigre, the restaurant’s open-plan layout and visible kitchen energizes the entire space, engaging both the outside street scene and Yauatcha’s customers.

Yauatcha received a Michelin star within a year of its opening and has kept it now eight years in a row.

Yauatcha Soho Picture Gallery

Yauatcha Soho Picture
Yauatcha Soho Picture
Yauatcha Soho Picture
Yauatcha Soho Picture
Yauatcha Soho Picture
Yauatcha Soho Picture

All In London Review

It's hard to fault Yauatcha...we will be back.

A wet and windy Sunday evening was brightened up by a trip to the subterranean Michelin-starred dim sum establishment Yauatcha. Even though by no means full there was still a buzz about the place. The menu was quite large and seemed quite daunting to begin with, however the waitress was on hand to provide advice when asked for. Service has been a perpetual complaint where Yauatcha is concerned, however this certainly was not the case on this evening. Possibly due to the combination of a quieter Sunday and our table being booked for the last sitting, there were no pressures on the front of house to turn tables. On the other hand, perhaps the restaurant have listened to feedback and improved.

After a good studying of the menu a plan of attack was formed. Six dim sum dishes, a vegetable side and a quarter of crispy aromatic duck between three was just about right. That left space for a pudding for the greediest on the table and a lychee martini each for those not intent on stuffing their faces.

The dishes arrived a little ad hoc as is the norm, yet the procession of food seemed expertly timed, with never too much nor too little on the table at any one time. First up Szechuan Wonton, that resembled a chinese tortellini of sorts. Stuffed with melt in the mouth pork, it had just the right amount of spice, giving it that much needed kick. Then came along three perfect bright orange oval dumplings stuffed with diced prawn and courgette. These were so light and flavourful that menu description of zucchini was forgiven. Cuttlefish cakes were intriguing, sandwiched between two slices of lotus root. Here was the first potential error of the evening, as on their own they were a touch dry. However, the little bowl of sweet chilli dip that accompanied them solved this instantly. Another interesting dish was the Cheung Fun Char Siu, again stuffed with tender succulent pork. These rice noodle rolls had soy sauce drizzled across them at the table before being sliced into more manageable pieces, particularly for the non-pro chopstick user. The rolls were light and not at all sticky, and the depth of flavour that came from the pork was outstanding. To round off the dim sum were two classics that are a must if you ever take a seat at one of Yauatcha's tables: roasted duck pumpkin puff and venison puffs. Similar descriptions yet very different, and each exquisite in their own way. The duck balls looked like miniature pumpkins with a tiny sprig of micro herb poking out of the top of each. The crisp shell provided great texture, and was followed by the warm soft pumpkin and duck, an excellent combination. The venison was encased in a flaky pastry and glazed. The pastry was slightly sweet which lifted the rich venison filling to another level all-together.

As the dim sum demolition was coming to an end the vegetable side dish arrived. A mix of aubergine, okra and French beans, all perfectly cooked, and coated in a highly addictive sauce, laced with chillies. This was a great sharing dish and allowed chopsticks to dive in from all angles.

The last course was the crispy aromatic duck. It might be argued that it could be difficult to improve upon such a favourite. Those suggesting that couldn't be more wrong. The calibre of cooking improved the takeout staple no end. The pancakes had been individually cooked, the hoisin sauce was thick and full of flavour. The duck itself was perhaps a few seconds over, but the aromatic skin made that fact pale into insignificance. Closer to crackling than crispy, the flavour and texture were in a class of their own. All in all a great choice and way to end the meal.

Dessert had to be tried, and a mandarin tart seemed an ideal palette cleanser. The pastry was not the most delicate but the flavours were clean and the presentation intricate.

All things considered it was hard to fault Yauatcha. The meal was full of exciting flavours and the precision of the cooking was worthy of its Michelin Star. Furthermore, it was also tremendous value for money at £99 split between three, particularly considering the quantity and quality of the food. The atmosphere was relaxing and menu certainly large enough to warrant multiple trips, we will be back...

Reviewed by James Whiting
Published on Mar 20, 2012


In The News

New desserts at Yauatcha

The launch of brand new petits gateaux and macarons

Best For

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We’ve controversially left Hakkasan off the list as its sheer pretentiousness can outweigh the quality of the food sometimes (which admittedly, is very good), but Alan Yau’s other upmarket venture does deserve to be credited. Great for dim sum and a la carte choices alike, the interior looks like a fashionable tea house crossed with a nightclub. Yauatcha was awarded a Michelin star in 2005.

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Opened by Alan Yau and the sister to Hakkasan, Yautcha is the chic way to indulge in dim sum. Crazy expensive? Yes, but not for the experience on offer. The restaurant prides itself on the quality of its ingredients and contemporary updates are evident in some of its dishes. Don’t leave without sampling the venison puff.

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London's most beautiful dishes

Top grub, looking pretty

At Yauatcha they’ve cleverly positioned their mouth-watering confectionery in a glass-fronted counter so it’s one of the first things you notice when you enter. The brightly coloured macarons and petits gateaux are enough of a reason to visit, before you tuck into their acclaimed dim sum.

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