Su Yin arranged for a yum cha catch up today with Jonny and myself. We’d set out to go to Royal China since that was conveniently located for her. Unfortunately it was getting renovated – which was news to me and also news to the large number of people who also turned up at the restaurant expecting a yum cha dining feast. Dragon Palace, only a few stations away at Earl’s Court, was a venue I’d been wanting to check out for a while. It’s owned by a friend of Craig’s and came highly recommended. Admittedly he’d gone when both friend was around and it was the regular evening menu (it was a birthday banquet) so slightly different situation to yum cha.

Firstly the pros. Very reasonably priced, fairly modern but still cosy venue, service was efficient.

Then the cons. Probably the only yum cha place I’ve ever been to which gives only three steamed prawn dumplings (rather than four!) and the service was hit and miss depending on which wait-staff you got (yes it was efficient but was it really necessary for one waitress to literally throw one of our dishes on to the table as she rushed by?)

The dim sum itself was neither memorable nor horrible. I do like the fact the venue seems to be a relative unknown and the location, when the district line is working at least, is pretty convenient for me.

Overall, the quest to find another decent yum cha place continues but I would like to come back another time, perhaps when the owner is about.