Pearl Liang (Chinese)
Above: Chinese restaurant Pearl Liang Sheldon Square, W2
For those of you who have yet to brave the Brave New World of Paddington Basin, the curiously deserted and disorientating development behind Paddington Station, there is now a compelling reason.
Pearl Liang, a big and ambitious Chinese restaurant which opened recently, has a pretty fine pedigree: the owner and chef both come from Mandarin Kitchen, the veteran Queensway restaurant frequently cited as selling more lobsters a day than any other restaurant in Britain. It may be difficult to find – and finding somebody to ask directions from is well nigh impossible at night – but it is worth the effort. It is an impressive space: not quite in the Hakkasan league of chic, favouring dusky pink décor and banqueting-style chairs, but it is considerably more comfortable and spacious than its Queensway peers. The lunchtime dim sum has quickly established a loyal following, and is exceptional value, with most dumplings priced at £2.30: in the evening, attention turns to the main menu, which is long and interesting.
Pearl Liang is a proper Chinese restaurant, not another modish pan-Asian joint, as evidenced by the largely Chinese clientele and a menu full of jellyfish, shark’s fin, abalone and their ilk, giving full rein to the Chinese obsession with texture.
Beef sheen (I think they meant shin) was a case in point: served cold and sliced, after long and patient cooking, it was delicately perfumed with five-spice powder and utterly delicious. Softshell crabs with garlic and chilli were similarly well prepared: as is invariably the case in London, the little critters had been frozen, but had none of the sogginess that freezing usually entails.
Beef ‘goulash’ turned out to be slices of brisket in a delectable, garlic-scented broth, and a ‘clay pot dish of seafood showed the Mandarin Kitchen credentials of the chef to perfection, and went especially well with a bottle of Albariño.
Pearl Liang’s only aberration was the state of the toilets, which reminded me more of a Nuneaton nightclub than an elegant Oriental restaurant: apart from that one blip, Pearl Liang is a notable addition to the already wide selection of Chinese restaurants in W2. Never mind that you might need a compass and whistle to find it: just treat it as a challenge.Bill Knott
Dim sum lunch for two, with tea: approx £25
Dinner for two, with wine: from £65
Pearl Liang
8 Sheldon Square, Paddington, W2 6EZ
020 7289 7000