When I moved into Soho in the late 90s there were a lot of things that I thought would be great a about having a flat off Dean Street. In almost every case this turned out to be true. In many it was way more fun than I ever thought possible. But in one respect at least it was a bit of a disappointment: Chinatown.
I had recently moved back from living in Tribeca in New York, where a short stroll up Broadway introduced me to the wonders of New York’s Chinatown: roast duck, potstickers, General Tzo’s chicken, fiery lamb hotpots and dim sum. Lots and lots of dim sum.
So to say that the prosaic offerings of Gerrard Street in those days was a let down is putting it mildly. There were some exceptions. A clear standout was always the superb Four Seasons on Gerard Street, but there was also some good food to had at the late lamented Fung Shing on Lyle Sgtreet, particularly seafood. Finally there was always Wong Kei, albeit as I only ever went there for lunch on my own I never got to experience the hidden mysteries of upstairs or downstairs. Still never have.
But then my brother introduced me to Y Ming, a Cantonese restaurant that had made the brave leap over Shaftesbury Avenue into Soho proper. It’s pale blue exterior and pink tablecloths with napkins and wine glasses spoke more of a 50’s French offering than Cantonese. But when you tried the food you were sold. And best of all there was William Sin. One of the great restaurant managers for over 25 years. He knew everyone’s name, was kind and fun, and with a gentle raise of an eyebrow as you perused the menu would steer you from something you thought you wanted to something you would actually love. Unfortunately Y Ming shut down during the pandemic when the eponymous grand dame who owned it decided that in her mid-eighties she had probably had enough. And with that William too retired.
But as in a move sequel, it turns out it was not so. Having indeed intended to retire, he got one of those horses-head offers from Four Seasons – if they funded and set up a top class Cantonese restaurant called Chop Chop in the Hippodrome would he run it? And, yes reader, the great man said yes.
The Hippodrome is in Chinawown, but on first glance it is not obviously a venue for excellent restaurants. It is however spectacular, built in 1900 for the then astronomical cost of £250,000 it was designed as a hippodrome for circus and variety performances. performance space featured both a proscenium stage and, unbelievably, an arena that sank into a 230 ft, 100,000 gallon water tank (about 400 tons, when full) for aquatic spectacles. The whole was then covered by a painted glass retractable roof, that could be illuminated at night.
Blimey, they don’t make them like that anymore.
Nowadays it is one of the largest casinos in the UK, and even if you don’t want to gamble I would recommend popping in just to look at a piece of London architectural heritage, which they really have done their best to preserve. Against all my expectations it is still a wonderful building.
But finally, down to the basement to the restaurant and William. The venue itself is not as beautiful as the main arena, but it is functional, comfortable and has an open kitchen to provide an appetising glimpse of Four Season’s famous roast meats. But William made the whole place light up. He remembered me, remembered my brother, and it was properly emotional to see him again.
But we’ll get to those in a minute. First off I note that the menu is much shorter than the Dicken’s novel length that is the prevalent style in the rest of Chinatown. And that’s a good thing. No “never mind the quality feel the width” here. It’s more of a greatest hits list and shows a confidence standing behind each dish. It is also not a pan-Asian or fusion menu. This is Cantonese food full on and proud, which is exactly as it should be.
To start with we had beautiful scallops, steamed in the shell with glass noodles and the right amount of chilli, as well as a variety of almost see-through dumplings that bore witness to them being made on-site. Delicious. Obviously we did not even consider ordering the crispy duck and pancakes, as in no way was I going to ruin the evening by getting the raised eyebrow from William that was a trademark if he thought your order was imperfectly thought out.
But why would I want to when we could next have the epic half Cantonese roast duck (a bargain at £23.80). Crisp dark, umami skin, which flicked off the bone and skin as it should to be followed by rich juicy meat dripping with soy. I sucked the bones dry. And the char sui pork with properly rendered fat and that smell and taste of a summer spent living in Tsim Sha Tsui back in the 90s.
For our heroic attempt at a main course we dived into the sea: steamed seabass with ginger and spring onion, mopped up by perfect egg fried rice and crisp stir fried mixed vegetables. Puddings defeated us, but the whole thing came out with a few bottles of Tsingtao under 80 quid a head for a vast amount of food for the two of us (you could feed three, probably four less greedy people on what we ate). It is superb value for food this good.
So, the best food in Chinatown, served in an historic building with the best restaurant manager full stop. Chop Chop is utterly and completely great. All I can think of while writing this is when I can go back.
Chop Chop at The Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn Street, London WC2H 7JH
020 -7769 8888 – Chop Chop by Four Seasons | The Hippodrome Casino
Open 6pm to 4am every day
William and me….
Related post: Restaurant review: William IV Dining Room, Shoreditch