Restaurant review: A. Wong – all that and Dim Sum!

Photos of A. Wong’s dishes, especially the Custard Buns, have been taunting me on Instagram for so long, and a recent Michelin Star accolade and sparkling new rating had my interest further piqued. When Dim Sum addict in crime, Emma, suggested a dim sum lunch date at A. Wong, the answer was of course yes, but we struggled to find a day we could both do. Freelance life and all!

Finally in January we had a date to try michelin starred dim sum, which we had been desperately trying to pin down, and excitedly turned up at the upmarket Chinese eatery located in Victoria. I loved the green plants lining the glass windows, and it had recently had a refresh in terms of design compared to pictures I had seen before and looked positively wonderful.

We were seated at the bar and first on the agenda was drinks – bubbles of course, because you should be grateful for and celebrate every single day. My 2018 motto!

The extensive Dim Sum menu charged per piece of Dim Sum and everything sounded so delicious it was so hard to narrow it down (great excuse for a second visit I think). I decided to pick 5 different choices, and Emma did too, although we did overlap, both having great taste and all.

First to arrive was the Sichuanese chicken and peanut bonbons priced at £2.00 each. The server told us to eat it in one go as it was filled with gravy. Although my eating it all in one go effort was a bit of a fail, I couldn’t get over the explosion of amazing flavours inside. So delicious!

Next up, presented in an amazing way, were the Aerated sesame dumplings priced at £2.50 each, which again we had both opted for. I hadn’t been sure what to expect but what arrived blew my mind.

I loved the paintbrush, which encouraged you to slather the dumpling with the sauce. It was light, airy and so tasty, and so unique. I was already mentally calculating when I could come back at this point!

My third choice of dim sum was the Won ton with garlic, chilli oil and crispy bean curd priced at £2.00. It was ‘won ton’ in a million. Excuse the silly puns!

Fourth was again a choice we both made, the Pork and prawn dumpling and pork crackling priced at £2.00 a piece. These were incredibly flavoursome and moreish.

Some dim sum that Emma ordered that I hadn’t included the Laughing Budda Bun, which she really enjoyed. A bun of dreams and reminded me of the ones we indulged in when we were visiting Hong Kong.

I also tried the Chengdu street tofu, soy chilli, peanuts, preserved vegetables, priced at £3.50, from the snacks section.

This was so delicious. I loved the various contrasts in textured between the soft and silky tofu and the crunchy peanuts and the sweet and sour flavours all combined.

Finally, the star of the show and the one that EVERYONE should order – the Steamed duck yolk custard buns, priced at £4.00 each, and just heavenly. I had read Jay Rayner’s review where he said these were London’s best dessert and I wholeheartedly agree.

They were oozing with deliciousness and were sublime! In fact writing this review has left me with major cravings which is always a good sign.

The service was fantastic and the prices so reasonable for a Michelin starred eatery. Our bill came to approximately 64 pounds with 2 glasses of champagne and we left incredibly full! I would highly recommend for innovative, tasty, unique and outstanding dim sum!

A. Wong can be found at 70 Wilton road, Victoria, London and you can visit the website here.

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