The philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine believes that our bodies need a balance of five core flavour profiles for good health: salty, sweet, spicy, bitter and sour. Yet for a country as vast as China, translating this across the regional variety of 22 provinces makes ‘Chinese cuisine’ an ambitious umbrella for the culinary kaleidoscope it attempts to represent.
Having grown up in Hong Kong, a city overrun with options – from street stalls and bustling food courts to Michelin-star fine dining – London is now a worthy second home for Chinese food cravings, with its incredible variety of restaurants across regions and price points. The following list is chosen through the lens of locality and authenticity, with restaurants spanning the salty, saucy tangs of Cantonese seafood, flavour-packed noodle houses inspired by Xian, Yunnan and Guilin influences, the numbing sensations of Sichuan dishes and the aromatic, barbeque flavours of Xinjiang. These are the spots where whatever the occasion, they stand out for their flavour, bang for buck and being the best at what they offer.
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Elaine Zhao is a London-based writer from Hong Kong. She writes about food and culture through an East and South East Asian lens.
