China Tang at The Dorchester

The glittering opulence of The Dorchester's Chinese restaurant was conceived with the glamour of colonial-era Shanghai in mind. Chinoiserie is naturally the name of the game, set against a backdrop of contemporary fish-themed Asian art and fabulous art-deco mirrored columns. The cooking toes the classic Cantonese party line, although the sheer quality of the produce ramps up the menu of familiar dishes and dim sum to a higher plane. Naturally in this setting, luxuries are liberally sprinkled around but you don't have to break the bank - pork satay makes a punchy starter, then you might follow with salt-and-pepper squid, Peking duck or join the high rollers with braised abalone with oyster sauce. Desserts are not usually a strong point in cuisine of this ethnicity, so it is rewarding to end strongly with an inspired pairing of poached plums with Chinese almond mousse.