Yauatcha: where dim sum can be sosyal

A and I went to visit Yauatcha in Soho which is ‘a modern interpretation of a Chinese tea house’. True enough the menu boasts of favourites such as congee and braised, steamed, stir-fried meats and fish. The dim sum selection is fantastic and the loose leaf teas on offer leave you spoilt for choice. The twist? The desserts are French patisserie-style and the handmade macarons are too cute to resist.

Right next to Berwick Street market, the location doesn’t boast any stars but it’s rather more pleasant inside. The light and airy ground floor hosts the patisserie - anyone who believes dessert comes first will love this. A and I were going up for a dim sum snack so we were ushered to the basement, which looks like a different restaurant  altogether. It was dark and chic, with its candle-lit walls and dark ceiling pierced with star-like lights. There was a slight disconnect with the tables and chairs but hey, we weren’t going to munch on upholstery were we?

So what did we have for our light snack? Cue in the snare…

I love flaky, buttery pastry so it’s no surprise that the venison puff (£4.50) won me over. These pretty little buns were topped with sesame seeds and were filled with yummy barbecued pulled (but not stringy!) venison. It tasted like a sosyal fried pork asado siopao except this was on a different level. I would definitely go back for these babies alone. And order three servings. Or four.The king crab Shanghai siew long bun with pork (£6.50) however was dying on another note. It failed to deliver on its promise of crab and broth; it tasted more of the extenders and was quite dry. Shame, I was really looking forward to this dish, with all my friends in Manila posting photos and screaming about xiao long bao. Oh well.

Let’s talk about the cheun fun…

The char siu cheung fun (£5.60) was glorious. Three silky rolls of dimsum filled with barbecued roast pork swimming in a river of delicious broth. The meat is not overpowered with five-spice or honey, nor charred and overdone. Everything is balanced.

The prawn cheung fun (£5.90) swims on the same broth and is equally as good. The prawn was perfectly cooked and the dish is so good that you won’t get annoyed by the fact that the middle parts are chives and extenders.

Of course we had to have macarons (£1.50/piece). I think Laduree‘s better and more melt-in-your mouth but I’m not writing Yauatcha’s little bestsellers yet. The sesame was my favourite and the Earl Grey one was quite tasty too. The matcha, which was the last one they had, was a bit too tea-ish for my taste buds I don’t think I’d get it again. It was a tad too crunchy too, perhaps because it was indeed the last one of the pack?

Overall, our light snack date was a pleasant experience. I can’t say it’s the best nor the most authentic dim sum I’ve ever had but everything, save for the siew long bun, was pretty delicious (that venison puff probably deserves all the Michelin stars in the world but hey, that’s just me). Plus points as it’s pretty cheap! You pay a really reasonable price for what you get. The atmosphere (inside!) is quite relaxed and unpretentious and the servers are all nice. I just hope they’ve sorted out the toilets. I’d defo go back again. =)

Yauatcha
15 Broadwick Street  London W1F 0DL | Tel: +44(0)20 7494 8888
Average £20pp for a light snack for two with tea (no alcohol)