Jen Cafe

One of the few places in Chinatown still worth visiting in these days of inreased rents and cut corners. Simply the best (perhaps the only) authentic Northern Chinese dumplings in central London (always ask to have them boiled), and a decent rendition of Zhejiang mian too. Good value and friendly service more than compensate for basic decor and the inevitably shared table.
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T.J. Hammond
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Friday, December 12, 2008

Let me describe the place and you might get a better feel of Jen Cafe.

It's located in the middle of Chinatown, and its a small green triangular restaurant if you were looking at it from the top. The place itself is small.

Peering in, you see lots of people sitting closely together, waitresses hurrying about with many plates stacked up on the trays, bowl after bowl of hot dumplings being served, being eaten and small plates filled so full with 'zha zhian mian', hand made noodles topped with a fragrant spicy pork mince sauce.

Once you enter the restaurant, the waitress will try to fit your dining group into whatever available space there is. Now, some people might find this too close for comfort, but this is the true Asian dining experience. Where there is space, there you'll sit.

The menu is small, laminated, and the drinks section of the menu is almost as big as the food section. Prices for main meals (dumplings, noodles, rice with roast meats) start from about £4.50 (or less actually for smaller dishes). The dishes I order over and over again are the dumplings (with vinegar provided on the tables as condiments), zha zhiang mian and the roast pork with rice. Drinks vary from hot teas to bubble teas to cold soft drinks.

Definitely one of those places you put on the favourite list.
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monchichi
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 06, 2008

Can I just say, if you want yummy and freshly made dumplings or should I say 'Ziaozi' to be more precise then Jen Cafe is the place to be! Not only do you get the chance to taste authentic dumplings (when I say authentic I mean you actually have a lady from Beijing making them in front of you!) but you also get to experience a bit of the chinese culture where you share your table with other people. All in all, this is a little gem in China town (right next to the temple) and shouldn't be overlooked!
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Adrian
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, November 16, 2007