Shanghai Blues comes highly recommended as a top-notch place for authentic Dim-Sum and fine Chinese dining in London. It's just a short walk from Holborn tube station and when it comes to the food certainly delivers the goods! I went on Sunday lunchtime for a Dim-Sum lunch and wasn't disappointed. If you are a constant reader of this blog (and judging by the feedback there are only three of those, the famous Trinity of Me, Myself and I) you can imagine that the next question has to be how Shanghai Blues compares to my benchmark Dim-Sum restaurant, Hakkasan.
The long and short of it that Hakkasan's position on the throne was never threatened! While the food at Shanghai Blues is very good, Hakkasan's is yet a little better. The biggest differences are found elsewhere though: Hakkasan is about perfection which they pretty much achieve. Hakkasan's ambience is classy, like a great film set; Shanghai Blues is a strange combination of different styles and while not unpleasant somehow "off". I normally start my lunch at Hakkasan's with a fine cocktail (great Martini variations); at Shanghai Blues, the cocktail menu was rather unappealing. One offers perfect service, the other just good service (one good example is that Hakkasan serves your Dim Sum in manageable rounds while Shanghai Blues just plunked all seven dishes on my table as they came out of the kitchen). Soy sauce was only served after I asked. No spoon. Paper napkins. I rest my case.
Back to the food: in addition to some of the classics (Cheung Fun, Ha Gau, Char Siu Bao) there are some less common dishes to be found, such as Salmon Dumplings with Gold flakes (the latter look good on the dumplings but are of course completely pointless offering no taste or nutritional value), Shanghai Shui Jiao in Exotic Chilli Sauce (nice spicy dish served with green leave veggies), Chicken Dumplings in Superior Spicy Soup (very good, very spicy and not recommended if you don't like hot chillies or garlic) and Tai Chi Dumplings, Ying/Yang patterned large steamed dumplings with a pleasant duck-based stuffing. There is a decent selection of teas, which is served in rather small tea pots and tiny tea cups, but constantly refilled with fresh hot water.
Usually I would tell you to go to Hakkasan and forget about this place. Here's why I would still recommend Shanghai Blues for two reasons:
1) If you're on a budget, use the special offer on Saturday lunch times and all day Sundays: 50% off the food bill!
2) If you are getting a bit bored with Hakkasan's fairly static Dim Sum menu, this makes a good change once in a while - and you will appreciate Hakkasan's aim for perfection even more!
6.5/10 - Before you risk a random Dim Sum experience in Chinatown, come here on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday and get very good food for about the same money.
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