Top Fives: Oriental pearls
Looking for a selection of the best
ECAPITAL , 8 Gerrard Street, WC2 (020 7434 3838) £35.
Specialities from Shanghai cooked by gifted chef David Tam is one of the lures of this relatively new Chinatown restaurant which in some respects is a metamorphosis of Shaftesbury Avenue's Aroma II. Clean, minimalist decor, friendly staff, a Burgundian wine list are others. Don't miss drunken chicken; Shanghai buns; fish dressed as crab; lion's head.
HUNAN , 51 Pimlico Road, SW1 (020 7730 5712) £35.
Difficult decision-making is obviated by Mr Peng suggesting a "leave-ittous feast" which is by no means a parade of clichÈs. Food from the Chinese province of Hunan tends to be chilli-hot. A particular method of cooking, p'un, can be described as explosive braising. Smoking, another favoured method, can be experienced in the camphor-wood and teasmoked duck.
NIPA THAI , Royal Lancaster Hotel, Lancaster Terrace, W2 (020 7262 6737) £35.
Head chef Mrs Nongyao Thoopchoi leads a wholly female team. Dishes are authentic and far above the average London Thai experience. Thai omelette with crab; steamed rice served with sweet pork, shallots and hot chillies - a do-it-yourself assemblage - and mussaman beef curry are notable. Intricate wood carvings panel the box of a room overlooking Hyde Park.
SINGAPORE GARDEN , 83 Fairfax Road, NW6 (020 7624 8233) £32.
The two areas to address first on the Lim family's Malaysian and Singaporean restaurant menu are the clipped-on list of specials and the back page featuring Nonya cooking. Black pepper and butter crab; braised duck imbued with star anise; oyster omelette and Hainanese chicken rice are just some of the treats. Do book.
HAN KANG , 16 Hanway Street, W1 (020 7637 1985) £28.
I promised myself not to write about this as I like to be able wander down to sit alongside Korean students and enjoy the incisive flavours of clear soups with dumplings, vegetable and glass noodle stir-fries, table-grilled sweet marinated beef, fiery kim chee (pickled cabbage), crisp riceflour pancakes and tempura vegetables. But I am off on holiday so I leave you this as a tip.Note: prices indicate the cost of a meal with wine for one.
