Review: Visit Joy King Lau in London for good dim sum

joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
Visit Joy King Lau in London for good Dim Sum

If you’re in London and have an urge to have some Chinese food, visit Joy King Lau in London for good dim sum. Joy King Lau was the recommendation of S, who had studied in London for 3 years. It was a treat for hungry students who missed Asian food. Joy King Lau served very good dim sums, perhaps as authentic as the ones in Hong Kong.

joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
Siew Mais – wholesome and delicious.

We received pretty good service – I’m not sure if it was because S could place the order in Cantonese. The waiter was very helpful. Around us, the were some Caucasians who ordered all the fried dim sum items – my view was that they were missing out on the best dishes.

joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
Fried crisp spring rolls. That was the only fried item we had.
joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
Chee Cheong Fun bursting with prawns inside – Hong Kong style.

While I must say the dim sums were not as perfect as the ones in Crystal Jade and Ding Tai Feng, the standard of dim sum was comparable to that of a legit Cantonese restaurant. For Joy King Lau, it was the flavours that mattered – less went into the intricacies of food presentation.

joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
Ha Kau – prawn dumplings.

We ordered the usuals – Siew Mai, Ha Kau, Chee Cheong Fun, and my favourite Lo Mai Gai, among others. While the Lo Mai Gai was less pristinely done than the ones I’ve eaten elsewhere (ie, the rice was a tad mushy),  the flavour was really good.

joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
My favourite – Lo Mai Gai, steamed sticky rice with chicken meat, wrapped in a Lotus Leaf wrap.

All the items were good except the Liu Sha Bao which filling didn’t flow流 as much. The filling might have been too thin, and had absorbed into the skin by the time we got to it.

joy kim lau london dim sum chinatown
Liu Sha bao – filling wasn’t too fluid.

The Travelling Squid’s Take

four seasons duck chinatown london
Four Seasons duck – such a pity there wasn’t enough meals for it.

If would like a fresh new taste, head down to London’s Chinatown – an array of restaurants await you. We were spoilt for choice between Joy King Lau and Four Seasons duck – there were not enough meals to go around. I’d suggest trying the Four Seasons duck too – there’s an outlet in Singapore but probably at two times the price. Enjoy!

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Visit Joy King Lau in London for good dim sum

  • Address: 3 Leicester Street, London WC2H 7BL, UK
  • Hours: 12pm –11:30PM
  • Phone: +44 20 7437 1132
  • Menu: joykinglau.com