Imperial China - Chinatown, Sunday April 22nd, 2012

There is something so unutterably reassuring about Chinese teatime. It's one of those meals that you know is a bad idea for both money and cholesterol levels, it's a relatively unnecessary meal and if you eat it you most probably won't need dinner. Having said that, what makes it such a familiar comfort is that - most of the time - you will feel satisfied with what you got.

Imperial China is an old favourite and it was on a quiet Sunday with not much to do that we decided to enjoy our afternoon with a few dishes. What I like about this place, aside from the food, is that it remains one of the truly elegant restaurants in Chinatown. Its gateway through the small garden-like entrance becomes something resembling a properly upmarket eatery, all within the scummy throes of one of the busiest parts of west end London.

We went for some beef cheung-fun to get things started, being that the long, thin dumplings are a mainstay of dim sum for the wife and I (left). These were lovely in texture, but lacking in taste. The beef was lost in the skin, meaning the hint of flavour we were anticipating never came. Pretty disappointing, given the quality one expects here.

Next up were some chicken feet, which the wife had insisted on (right.) This really is one of those Asian dishes you have to give it your all for and despite the wife's affirmations, these are not for me. Whilst the meat and skin is actually soft and rather pleasant, the amount of small bones you have to spit back out leave a lot to be desired.

Egg tarts were predictably fantastic; a reminder of just about the best thing ever to come out of Hong Kong (left). Warm, flaky pastry surrounding a delicious egg cream with a slightly gelatinous sheen - perfection. I could eat these for way longer than is healthy.

We departed from our usual dim sum themes to try some spring rolls (right). These were a nice surprise - hot, soft and just about as tangy as you want your spring rolls to be. Slightly Vietnamese in style, they were packed full of vegetables, herbs and dainty flavour.

Next up was some pork rib (left). When this came to the table, it looked more like pork knuckle. Similar to the chicken feet, there was some pretty enjoyable meat here, but the amount of cartilage destruction and bone separation didn't really merit the eventual pay-off. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a top one for me. The wife, however, really enjoyed these.

Finally, no dim sum outing of mine would be complete without some char siu bao, the fluffy barbecue pork buns (right). These were hot, steamy but sadly a little too thick. The meat inside was great, which is not always a given with these in dim sum places, but the bun slightly overwhelmed the filling. Not bad but not quite up to scratch.

There were a few highs and a few middles (no real lows to speak of) from our tea time at Imperial China, but it remains a favourite of the area. Its tea and lunch time appeal is just about as good as anything else you will find in Chinatown and it's more or less always the restaurant I'd recommend to anyone if they are in the area.

So, note it down: next time you feel like something worth your money in Chinatown, head off the bustle of Gerrard Street and onto the quiet sleaze of Lisle Street. Imperial China is waiting.

Imperial China