LONDON

CHINESE NEW YEAR
NIGHTLIFE
Chinatown’s nightlife has livened up in recent
years. The Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum
Parlour (left), for instance, transports you
to the glamorous world of 1930s Shanghai.
‘I wanted a place where people could enjoy
top-quality dim sum and incredible cocktails
using seasonal Chinese fruits sold here on
Gerrard Street,’ explains owner Eric Yu. ‘It’s
a contemporary late-night hangout which
Chinese people would feel proud to visit.’ Sing
your heart out to the latest Cantopop hits in
karaoke bars that are tucked away in private
lounges at restaurants such as Royal Dragon.
The Hippodrome Casino, where Claire Heliot
performed her lion-taming shows a century
ago, remains true to its live roots with its bijou
Matcham Cabaret room. February highlights
include The Soho Burlesque Club (6, 13 & 27 Feb)
and Viva Las Magic (6 Feb).
RESTAURANTS
Most people visit Chinatown for food. In previous
years, it was no-frills Cantonese cuisine to suit the
local community; now there is a vast array of South
East Asian cuisine including upmarket eateries, as
well as tempting window displays, from hanging
pressed roast goose to arrays of Korean bubble
teas. Most restaurants are clustered on Gerrard
and Lisle streets – choose from a contemporary
spin on dim sum at Plum Valley, or sample
tongue-tingling Sichuan dan dan noodles at
Bar Shu (on Frith Street) or Baiwei. Try the
roast duck with its legendary secret barbecue
sauce at Four Seasons, or snack on Taiwanese
street food such as homemade sausage at Old
Tree Daiwan Bee. For a taste of tradition, New
World is one of the few restaurants still using a
trolley to wheel baskets of dim sum to your table.
COCKTAIL, TEA AND OPIUM BAR INTERIOR COURTESY OF OPIUM BAR; CHINESE FOOD AND STREET SCENE © ISTOCK
12 | LONDON PLANNER