Chinatown -recommendations please?

[BlingLoving]

We go to Chinatown for dinner about once a year - when we have guests in town who want to experience it. That time has rolled around this year again.

The problem is that I can't tell from the outside which are the "good" ones -ie with good food, clean, good variety etc and which aren't. So please tell me your favourite spots to help me navigate the Chinatown minefield.

TIA

Have not been there for a while (boo) but Harbour City is nice, its been there for ages. Mayflower and China City are nice too. I am hungry now!

The Won Kei in Soho is clean with good grub, reasonably priced.

Thank you both. I'm not fussy so one recommendation on Mumsnet will do it - I'll keep these names in mind later in the week!

Please don't go to Wong Kei! The food is ok for the price but the service is infamously terrible! It is very good if you want a very late night bowl of noodles after a club etc...

If you want a really nice experience and great food in a restaurant atmosphere (still great with children though) rather than a 'chow down' try this one on Lisle street.

If you're on a budget the Young Cheng restaurants (i think there are three in chinatown Shaftesbury, Lisle and Wardour?) do an excellent value banquet menu for a small group (i think it's 3 or more people). But the atmos is more down to earth bustle like Wong Kei.

Won Kei!! I love that the service is so traditionally Chinese! Its all about the food, not the waiting staff, and the food is excellent, authentic and well-priced.

Hey Notafraid, treating customers like dirt is not traditionally Chinese! But the food is well priced, and it's open very late too, which is a bonus. People do go there on purpose to be treated badly though, as though it were part of the entertainment!

Imperial China is definitely my fave so I can second that.

It's great for dim sum and a pleasant restaurant inside too, prob my fave for taking people to as it big inside and not so noisy that you can't talk.

Joy King Lau has very good dim sum - on a par with Royal China Baker Street but cheaper. Not beautiful inside though.

I want to try Plum Valley (50% off on toptable)too as it looks nice but is pricey.

Sorry but I wouldn't take anyone to Won kei's unless they were drunk

If you like seriously spicy food then Bashan and Bar Shu are brilliant.

Oooh they look like a change, not sure about the ox tendons at Bar Shu though!

I definitely recommend the "man-and-wife offal slices". Does not sound appetising but it's one of the nicest dishes I've ever had.

But you can always go for more, er, conventional, dishes. The black cloud ear fungus with coriander should be nice too. We had that on in Bashan.

BlingLoving - let us know where you end up.

Upto - I'm not an offal fan due to what I used to do for work!

Fragrant chicken in a pile of chillies looks spicy/hot enough LOL!

I'm out this week and hoping to go to one of the above.

morag I never said I wasn't drunk

Right - it's tonight so I'll report back. This of course assumes I get any real say once we arrive! .

I'm tempted by Won Kei. MIL doesn't do spicy so I'll skip those. And she's more interested in chinese food in the form of sticky ribs than dim sum.

Will report back tomorrow. Thanks all.

I will keep the dim sum recommendations in mind though - MIL might not like it but I'm a huge fan!

Bunty - come to think of it, I don't think I've ever been sober!
Ah, those were the days of old.
BC.

Even been to Won kei's sober, I mean.

We went to Imperial China in the end. I was gunning for Canton but by that stage the rest of the gang couldn't face the (10 metre) walk back.

It was pretty good. Service wasn't great.

We loved the karaoke upstairs - there was a huge group of what looked like a chinese corporate event in one room who were really belting out the numbers. and a traditional hen party in the other. DH kept pointing out that the corporate gang were actually pretty good singers.

Loud though - every time they opened the door I practically dropped my chopsticks in shock as the sound blasted out.

Thanks for the recommendations. Canton next itme.