Golden Dragon

Sorting the weak from the chaff in Chinatown can be a task that leads many visitors to throw the towel in and just plump for the first restaurant that claims to offer an ‘authentic experience’. If that restaurant happened to be Golden Dragon on a Sunday, then you’d have just hit the jackpot. Sunday dim sum here is just like it should be.

With some knowledge of Hong Kong (the home of dim sum) dining up my sleeve, I can confidently say that Golden Dragon is probably the best example of what is an institution in that part of the world. Forget roasts and walks, it’s all about dumplings and the weekend papers for Hong Kong weekenders. Located on Gerrard Street, the main Chinatown drag, Golden Dragon is a regal sort of place. There is a lot of gold and no shortage of dragons dotted about the interior, a fact we appreciate given its name - a sort of interior design eponym?

We take a seat in the family oriented restaurant on the ground floor. We are shown the first floor but prefer to wait. Up there it’s slightly colder and there’s not nearly enough dragons or gold. The dim sum is typically Hong Kong. None of those delicate flavours that the likes of Yauatcha have brought into the scene. Prices are reasonable. The cheung-fun, cha siu bao and siu mai classics are excellent. We order more. We push the boat out and opt to order pak choi, despite knowing the cost of Chinese greens in Chinatown restaurants. The oyster sauce might well have been straight out of the jar, but the greens go so well with it. We stick to jasmine tea but you can order Tsing Tao beer or wine if you want to make the afternoon a little more British with some boozing. If you’re not in the mood for steamed goodness then there is a full menu dedicated to all manner of other Chinese dishes.

Everyone should get a recommendation before they head into Chinatown for food. If you’re reading this, then consider this yours. Sunday, dim sum, downstairs; we can vouch for it.