Not to worry though as we were in a central location with many more places in Soho open. Also Chinatown and Covent Garden were close by too!

Chinatown was where we decided to go for some lunchtime dim sum! The entrance of New World was busy but once we entered, we were given a ticket by the staff and were told that there was a 5-10 minute wait for a table. After only a few minutes, our ticket number was called out and we were directed to enter the restaurant dining area!

There seemed to be a flurry of activity going on! Diners were being seated, lots of staff with trolleys stacked with dim sum baskets going up and down the restaurant and also staff attending to the tables generally!

Once we were seated and given some tea, food was presented really quickly. Lots of choices although the vegetarian options were not as much but still enough.

Each trolley that stopped by our table had lots of tempting dishes! The selection that I went for was some steamed vegetable dumplings, bean curd rolls and rice pasta rolls. All of the dishes had a lovely flavour and were tasty.

The rice pasta rolls were filled with steamed vegetables and was a big portion. The steamed vegetable dumplings were perfectly sized parcels of vegetables. The fried bean rolls were very thin and crispy.

When we first asked for the bean curd rolls, the waitress went from our table to another area just to the side. We weren’t sure what she was doing but when she returned, it all made sense! The waitress had stepped away from the main area to chop the bean curd roll into bite size pieces. She had taken her trolley to the side to prevent any “traffic congestion” with the other dim sum trolleys!

A selection of dipping sauces were given with our dim sum meal. The only thing was that when the staff were putting our dim sum baskets and plates on our table, they weren’t really taking that much care on where they were being placed. On several occasions, they managed to tip the little sauce dishes all over the table.

After our main dim sum meal, it was time for a sweet treat! My friend recommended that I should try the mango pudding. Once the dessert trolley came over, we were happy that they had the mango pudding and also some condensed milk to accompany it!

The mango pudding did not disappoint my sweet tooth! It was like a mango blamanche and had the right sweetness. The taste of the mango was good!

New World is a great place for dim sum! The staff were friendly and the food is fast. It’s good that you can see all the dishes before you choose to have them. New World also have a normal menu with lots of items including meats, fish, noodles and rice!

New World, 1 Gerrard Place, Chinatown, London, W1D 5PA

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ping Pong is a funky dim sum restaurant and feels quite unique. It’s atmosphere is helped by the DJ style music playing in the background.

Our evening started off with some cocktails! There was a huge range of drinks including cocktails, wine, juices and teas. The flowering teas are very pretty to the eye and also taste good to the palate!

The pineapple, coconut and lime non-alcoholic cocktail is a favourite of mine! It’s served in a tall glass and is a really moreish drink! I could easily have had a couple of these throughout the meal but it is a filling drink!

We couldn’t decide on which dim sum dishes to have as there was so much choice. So to make things that little bit easier, a couple of us (not including myself!) took the executive decision to order the Extravaganza and the Vegetarian Extravaganza Set Menus.

To start the Extravaganza, the nibbles were spicy nuts and seaweed crackers. They were nice to have as an accompaniment to the meal. For the rest of the main meal, I only had items from the Vegetarian menu.

The dim sum included a selection of steamed, fried and baked items. The baked hoi sin vegetable puffs were really nice with the sweet taste of the glazed honey coming through. The baskets of steamed vegetable dumplings were made up of crunchy golden dumplings, spinach and mushroom dumplings and spicy hot dumplings. All were great and it was difficult to have a favourite. But if I did have to choose one, then it would have to be the spinach and mushroom dumplings.

Two different types of spring rolls came as part of our meal. One was filled with vegetable and tofu and the other had mixed vegetables. Both were equally nice and crispy.

There were two dishes that were quite different and that I wasn’t expecting! The vegetables and beans in a black bean sauce was the dish of the coconut rice clay pot! I really enjoyed this combination of vegetables and beans together with the rice. The five spice Chinese mushrooms and black fungus were presented in a steam basket! The mushrooms were really juicy.

To go with our huge Extravaganza, we had lots of different dipping sauces! These included five spice chestnut, spicy mango, sweet and sour, and hoi sin.

If that wasn’t enough food, we still had the dessert part of the Set menu to come! The mango pudding with mango puree had the right sweetness and texture too.

For chocolate fans, there was the chilli and chocolate mousse. This rich mousse had a real kick to it and the chilli was just that little bit too strong for me. Another chocolate based dessert was the fluffy white bun. This had a filling of Valrhona chocolate and came with coconut puree. The bun was really soft with the melted chocolate inside. It was a lot lighter than the mousse!

The pudding that looked the most intriguing was the black and white rice with mango puree. The rice was split into two layers with the puree on the side. I was surprised that I actually liked the taste of the rice as a dessert item!

Ping Pong gave us very fast and efficient service. The dishes were brought out all throughout the meal. The staff were friendly and very attentive. It was nice that they pointed out which dishes were pure vegetarian including the desserts.

Ping Pong has a great variety of food and drink! There are lots of different dishes and flavours and it has something to suit everyone’s tastebuds! They always seem to be updating their menu with new items. One thing to note is that Ping Pong only take reservations for groups of eight or more!

Ping Pong, Festival Terrace, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

New Culture Revolution make their noodles fresh everyday and none of their dishes contain MSG! It really does feel like you are having a healthy meal and you can definitely tell the high quality of the food. I found that the food was not oily and the portions were big. It’s a good place to go for a satisfying lunch!

The vegetarian Chow Mein was great with its pieces of tofu, carrots, celery, baby corn, onions, mushrooms, mange tout and pine nuts. It was not laden with soy sauce like you would get in most restaurants. It also made a refreshing change as the noodles were the thin rice vermicelli ones instead of egg noodles. It was a filling meal without the heaviness that you normally get with noodle dishes. I would say that New Culture Revolution has got this Chow Mein perfect!

If you fancy something a bit more warming and hearty, then the Tong Mein is a good choice. This is a soup based dish with thick noodles, mange tout, spring onions, carrots, Chinese leaves and chicken. There were big pieces of chicken and plenty of vegetables too.

The staff were really friendly and it was a relaxing atmosphere. The decor is very simple with beige furniture and white walls but it works! Look out for the philosophical quotes that are hung on the walls!

New Culture Revolution, 42 Duncan Street, London, N1 8BL

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars