| Friday
May 16, 2008 |
| A Right Plum |
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Eating
in Chinatown has always been something
of an adventure: oft-sour staff with unpredictable
mastery of English niceties; relentlessly
typo'd menus; hit or miss dishes languishing
in overly glutinous sauces; the legendary
specials, reserved for the Cantonese-only
menus. |
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Throw
in a dash of gun-crime and an incessant surge
of tourists, and it really isn't too surprising
that Chinatown is still so low on everyone's
culinary list.
Which is probably part of why Alan Yau is such
a genius. His former show horses, Hakkasan and
Yauatcha firmly put Chinese and dim sum on the
London gastromap, and now he's gone back to
his Wagamama roots with Cha
Cha Moon, this time serving what Hong Kong
gastronomes look to the streets for - soup noodles.
Whilst opening prices of £3.50 on all dishes
sounds great, they'll only last a couple of
weeks before the Yau-tax kicks in.
Luckily, following in the footsteps of last year's
hot opening Haozhan,
the recently opened Plum
Valley on Gerrard Street are becoming a
viable alternative.
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With a sleek, dark, modern exterior that resembles the outside of a private members club, a sophisticated interior with booth seating and low lighting and above par food at very reasonable prices it will, if nothing else, force Yau to come up with something new.
Cha
Cha Moon, 15-21 Ganton St,
W1F 9BN
Haozhan,
8 Gerrad St, W1D 5PJ
Plum
Valley, 20 Gerrard Street, W1D 6JQ
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COMMENT
ON THIS FEATURE |
by
AC & MaM |
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TODAY'S
EVENT PICKS |
Romeo, Juliet, a camper van & a re-imagined version of Shakespeare. 1pm & 6:30pm. £5-20. Shakespeare's Globe, New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT |
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See the dresses that made history in The Story of the Supremes. 10am-5:30pm. £5. V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL |
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A twist on Cabaret where you can name your price with a 'Haggle' ticket. 7:30pm, £15. Borough Hall, Royal Hill, SE10 8RE |
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Check out the first selling-show of Patrick Litchfield's iconic photographs. Chris Beetles Gallery, 10am-5.30pm, free. 8 & 10 Ryder St, SW1Y 6QB. . |
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