Chop Chop Chinese

Last night, myself, my housemates and a friend went to Chop Chop. A Chinese restaurant near Haymarket, famously known for being Gordon Ramsay's choice for Chinese!

It was my first visit to Chop Chop, but my housemates had eaten there before, and had said it would exceed any expectations I may have. That is setting the bar VERY high.

We had a drink down the road in Carter's Bar before heading down for our booking at six. We were only the second table in the restaurant. We had brought our own wine, and the bottles were taken as we opened our menus. Before I even had a chance to look into the options, my housemates mentioned, and we unanimously decided on Unlimited Banquet for 4.

Its a fantastic concept whereby the pates are brought to the table, one of everything initially, then you request more as you'd like it.

The delicious banquet is as follows:

• 8 pork and coriander boiled dumplings (3)
• 8 chicken boiled dumplings (9)
• 4 pan-fried beef and chilli dumplings (41)
• 4 pan-fried prawn dumplings (53)
• Large sweet and sour pork ribs (76)
• Small cucumber salad (85)
• Small shredded potato salad (861)
• Large aubergines with garlic (92)
• Crispy Northern Beef (749)
• Small lamb with cumin seed (71)
• Small crispy shredded potato (77)
• Stir-fried chicken and potato (825)
• Large boiled rice (serves four) (136) 

First of all came the salads and 2 lots of dumplings. I miss Yum Cha so much over here, but these dumplings certainly filled a hole I had. They were just delicious. The accompanying salads were also so tasty. My favourite was the cucumber. The crispy potato (shown below) was yum and tasted like sour cream and chives crisps!

 The meat dishes were all sensational and unlike anything I have ever tried. In all 3 cases the meat itself was perfectly cooked and tender. The ribs fell off the bone. The vegetables were all crisp and fresh. This is how Chinese is supposed to be!

The unanimous standout dish was the Aubergine

The flavour packed into this dish is inexplicable, and must simply be tried. We ended up getting 3 servings in total.

We decided after 3 sessions of food that enough was enough and ordered a pot of green tea to assist with digestion.

We left feeling full but not uncomfortable. This dining experience was truly memorable to me, and I simply can't wait to return to try more of their menu.

One or two small gripes. £5 per bottle corkage is mental! I really don't like it when 10% service charge is added to a bill. Tips are tips and should be earned.