New Fook Lam Moon

Yes I know, another Chinatown restaurant, but it wasn’t my choice.

Food

We had:

• Lobster with Ginger and Spring Onions (£18.50) – great sauce, lobster meat a bit hit and miss
• Steamed Eel with Black Bean Sauce (£11.00) – nice slimy and chewy texture, just like the ones from home really.
• Fish ball and vegetables - very plain and not very generous
• Sweet and Sour Pork (£6.90)– I am sure the pork has been really treated, as it had such a different texture, but the sauce was good and not too sweet.
• "Lo-Hon" Mixed Vegetables with Beancurd (£6.90)– not great, the tofu tasted very artificial

The food was very average, and we were left very hungry at the end of the night, but it wasn’t the fault of the restaurant. A lot of people showed up unannounced, so our order for 10 ended up being an order for 12. If it wasn’t for the lovely birthday cake, we would be very very hungry.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

At first, we thought there was no way we could all fit in this restaurant, as the shopfront was very small, but then again, so was most places in Chinatown. However, we were led downstairs, where we had almost the whole place to ourselves, except for a table of 2 that they squeezed in there, which we felt sorry for, as they had to endure the very loud noise we were making. Besides being very closed to the toilets (that could be a good thing when there was only 1 available for the whole restaurant), it was a bare space, served to sit as many people as possible. It wasn’t made for lingering.

Rating - 1

Service

We had a mother figure who kept bossing us around, but because she was so motherly it was acceptable. The wait staff here can actually speak English AND Chinese!! (yes, it is actually quite rare in London Chinese restaurant, it seems you either speak one or the other). I think for a Chinese restaurant in this city, it’s the best service I’ve had for a long time, however, when they were busy, we had to wait for quite a while for service, but when we got it, it was efficient and friendly. When we left, about 4 different people thanked us for dining.

Rating - 3

C-factor

At £18 p.p, it was more expensive than Golden Pagoda, but we ate much less. I guess this one is about quality not quantity. However, quality was not that great so I would say value was not that great. Still, for London, it’s not too bad.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 10.5

Info

10 Gerard St
London
W1D 5PW
Phone+44 (0) 20 7403 8403
Website