Wong Kei
41–43 Wardour Street Soho London W1D 6PY
Housed in what was originally a wig-makers’ shop, this huge Chinatown restaurant looks deceptively plain in daylight, but its ornate exterior come into its own when lit up at night. While Wong Kei is famous for its legendarily grumpy staff, it’s also one of Soho’s best-value restaurants, serving authentic and very tasty Chinese food at fabulously low prices. Yes, the service is brusque – you’re expected to know how the system works, and simply march in and grab the nearest available seat, whether or not there’s someone else at the table already. You’re also supposed to know your way around the menu – if you order the wrong thing by mistake, you’ll be given very short shrift. And above all, you have to pay in cash – heaven help you if you’re only carrying plastic. Those snags aside, though, the food itself is great value, and attracts a very mixed clientele, of Londoners and tourists, suits and scruffs. The long menu consists largely of massive heaps of rice or noodles, topped with roughly chopped meat or fish – watch out for splintery bones – but vegetarian options are available too. The garlicky black bean sauce (with real black beans and sliced raw ginger) is recommended, served with anything from barbecued eel to sliced aubergine. There’s no service charge, which is fair enough since there’s not a lot of service, and endless pots of green tea are entirely free.
