Chuen Cheng Ku

***Brilliant Food and Service***

I am very surprised at the negative comments - we have been going to Chuen Cheng Ku for 13 years and never had a bad experience. Our Chinese friend recommended the restaurant after we had been to a London Show and we continue as a tradition.

We went on Saturday 9th after Les Miserable and as friends were joining us, I looked up the address and found all these poor reviews, so as you can imagine we were a little worried and even thought of changing our booking!!

But we had a great time - the service was second to none, the food and wine were superb and the bill very reasonable. The only thing we could fault is that the décor could do with a refresh (same chairs from our first visit).
Comment on this reader review

John G - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Sunday, January 10, 2010

Wow! I'm so surprised by negative reviews of Chuen Cheng Ku because we've been eating at this restaurant regularly for twenty-five years and have never had a bad meal or experience. We go there to "eat" not to dine, but it's great place with authentic dim sum and lots of variety. In fact, it's the best we've had outside of Hong Kong, and that includes places like New York and San Francisco (not that they would considered on par with London anyway.) Fabulous prawn dumplings, pork and ginger dumplings (our teenage son can eat five baskets of them and they're affordable), excellent roast duck and roast pork, siu mai, fresh Chinese vegetables and noodle soup. We've been surrounded by "native" diners at the tables and in the long queues outside if you don't get there early enough for lunch. For dinner, order from the a la carte menu - gorgeous prawns with lobster sauce, beef dishes, etc.
Comment on this reader review

Terry
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Sunday, December 13, 2009

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE

After making a booking with this restaurant my partner arrived after going to see Wicked at 10.40pm - our enjoyable evening was OVER! As soon as we stepped foot into the restaurant our magical evening was over.

The carpet was dirty, the restaurant was dingy and dated and the atmosphere was flat. We were spoken to abruptly, only offered one drink throughout the meal, had a lack of choice (vegetarian). The food was luke -warn tasteless and unpleasant.

When we were eating our main course several staff members started dragging tables around the restaurant and re-arranging things. I had finished eating and my partner was still eating his main meal, 3 times they tried to take his plate away and 3 times we had to say he was still eating!

After they had cleared our plates we were given the bill. We were not offered desert or coffee.

I had noticed on the menu that there was an optional 10% service charge, but it stated that you could just delete this if you didn’t what to pay it. When the bill arrive the 10% had been added and next to it the same statement was added 'this is an optional service charge please delete if you do not want to pay'.

We did not have enough cash to pay so we had to pay on card. As it was an awkward situation I said to the waitress, please can we only pay the bill as we didn’t want to pay the service charge. When I said this, she asked me why? I said that we wanted to pay the bill amount on card and if we want to leave a tip we would leave this on the table in cash. The situation became very awkward and then the waitress said - ok put the tip on the table now! I repeated that if we wanted to we would leave a tip on the table. She then to our horror seemed to turn on us and said that if we didn’t pay the tip then she couldn’t pay her staff...I didn’t even acknowledge this with an answer. I think I was too shocked! When I said that I didn’t want to pay the tip she then said that she couldn’t believe us, we were disgusting and unbelievable, that everyone always leaves a tip. She also said that they had been waiting for us to finish eating.

This place was awful and it really ruined our evening :-(
View/Add comments (1)

Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, November 09, 2009

Bad service and 'cold' dim sum..I visited with my husband , my toddler and a girlfriend i advised you to stay away in this chinese restaurant.. We had a dim sum (trolley) and each of them taste awful!! Plus the worst part is when we finished our meal and the bill came, we been charged 4 chinese teas including my toddler son. This is unbelievable!! My toddler son cant even drink a chinese tea.. and they even billed to us.. They didnt apologised and just say 'oh' .. and changed it ! Unbelievable!!!
Comment on this reader review

Cuteybabe
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Friday, October 02, 2009

Whilst taking into account previous less than glowing comments (including the one by Mr. McDonalds goer....nuff said), I felt it necessary to add my own. I have been to Chuen Cheng Ku many times. If you time it right (say 12PM on the button) what you get is authentic, fresh, steaming hot, varied dim sum. As for the non-Asian clientele, this Sunday it was 50-50. There are of course, some dishes better than others: scrumptious duck, cheung fun (broad rice noodle wrapped around shrimp, beef or pork), a variety of dumplings, aubergine stuffed with shrimp.

It is functional inelegant food, served by waiters and waitresses whose English is less that perfect but who cares. This is not homogenised sweet and sour High Street stuff, altered for Western palates, but genuine Cantonese fare.

And reasonably priced (£60 for three, with beer and tea).

I have, on the other hand, been there on a dark winter's Sunday evening (recycled dim sum, sullen service, and pedestrian dishes) but hey! Horses for Courses. Stick to the lunchtime fare, be adventuresome (even if you have chicken feet) and you will NOT be disappointed.
Comment on this reader review

Eric Pettigrew - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Monday, September 21, 2009

the true sign about a Chinese restaurant in China Town is the customers.

When have you seen any Chinese people visit here for Dim Sum, its full of Westerners and not one Chinese person from London apart from the staff.
Comment on this reader review

Puzzled - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Saturday, August 08, 2009

All I can say is this is by far the best Dim Sum I've had in London and I have revisted at every opportuniry - very much a speciality compared to other restaurants which offer a limited selection of ready made/frozen things bought from Chinese supermarkets like Wing Yip or See Woo (about 100 meters away incidentally and actually worth trying at home!).

The tray service can seem a little unorthodox but this just enables you to see what you are ordering as the meal progresses. Although much of the staff's English isn't amazing, this has never been a problem, all the trolley girls are still very friendly, I actually really like the constant attention from the trolleys and tea top-ups. The atmosphere is quite pleasent and I couldn't care less about the aesthetics in there, I can't imagine them playing different/louder music would be for the better.

Besides we're there for the food, which is usually incredible. There is a great variety to the dishes, with flavours you couldn't normally find in run-of-the-mill Chinese dishes/places. Whilst most dishes come on trays, some are ordered and prepared especially.

If you had never been before, rather than recommend my favourites it's worth just trying whatever you like the look/sound of (although it all tastes better than it looks!), or try and bring an experienced Dim Sum eater!

I'm very surprised that the reviews have been so divided into people who love it and people who are almost shocked by the place. I will admit that on the few occasions I've been in the evening and not eaten Dim Sum, I've been disappointed, and it's a bit expensive, and also the Buffet isn't all that. I would only eat Dim Sum here during the day, but on that alone it's worth full marks.

I can't believe the previous post recommends McDonalds over this place - come on. Or perhaps you work there? And contrary to their statement about no returning customers, my family has been visiting for decades. As for lacking taste and flavour...this person obviously has no interest in Chinese food aside from eating Prawn Crackers with his classic couldn't-be-less-Chinese Sweet N Sour disgrace from a local take away. If that's your style and you know what you like and like what you know, move along....maybe to McDonalds.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The previous poster, hmmm maybe you don't appreciate Chinese food enough and have not visited Imperial City, etc...If you like DIM SUM, then don't come here.

What's good: the food is quick on trolleys.

Whats bad:

1) the food is luke warm having been on the trolley for too long, needs to be piping hot and not hanging around for 30 mins.

2) Poor quality and lacking taste and flavour

3) Overpriced and not value for money, MANY more better places in Chinatown

4) Pushy staff trying to get you to order more, even before you eaten what's on table.

5) Horrible decor and no atmosphere

6) Caters only to tourists ie NO returning customers

Better value to visit McDonalds in Leicester Square, quality fast food that is hot and tasty and VALUE
Comment on this reader review

Chinese Dim Sum FAN
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Sunday, August 02, 2009

I've never been to this restaurant outside of Dim Sum hours: indeed, that's exactly why we go there, for the most reasonably priced and best Dim Sum we've found in London. If you don't know what Dim Sum is (think Chinese Tapas) then you might find it all a little bewildering at first, as other reviewers have said, but if you're clued up then I can't recommend anywhere else more than Chuen Cheng Ku. Even for novices it's fairly easy: you'll be seated, order some drinks, then wait for the trolleys to pass by your table. The staff will tell you what each dish is and what's in them so just experiment and pick what looks and sounds nice. You can have a tasty, filling, and relatively inexpensive lunch this way, but if you're expecting sweet & sour chicken, pork balls, special fried rice and all that sort of thing then you've come to the wrong place frankly - that isn't the point of Chuen Cheng Ku at all.

I've never experienced poor or rude service. Be aware that at peak times (e.g. early afternoon on weekends) you may experience queues at the entrance - it's a popular place.
Comment on this reader review

Alex
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I have been coming to this restaurant for years and years, it is by far the best dim sum restaurant in the West End that I have been to.

The trolley service makes it an ideal place to stop for a quick lunch. After being shown to our table and having our drinks orders taken (I would always recommend the green tea) we were immediately approached by the first trolley. This trolleys have a variety of dim sum, mostly of the steamed dumpling variety. There is also the option to get soup noodle, or fried fish cakes or turnip cakes, or seasonal greens in oyster sauce. My favourite is always the char siu bao, honey roasted pork buns. As with all dim sum, the main ingredients are pork or prawn.

Throughout the meal my tea was constantly refilled and the waiters and waitresses are very helpful.

I would not recommend ordering rice with the food as the dimsum arrives so quickly that by the time the rice arrives most of the food has already disappeared!

The dishes are very reasonably priced - there are different price catagories. It is difficult to keep tab of how much you are spending, but for a good and filling lunch it is only roughly £10 a head, not too bad really!
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, March 11, 2009