Gouqi
St. James's, London
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Step inside this unashamedly luxe Chinese restaurant not far from Trafalgar Square and you’ll be swept away by the sheer class of the place. Sleek and sharp, the spacious dining room is decorated with curvaceous velvet banquettes and black leather booths, with lots of dark wood, exquisite artworks, floral arrangements and elegant pendant lights hanging from the high ceiling. Special tables and private rooms are discreetly curtained off from the main dining area. The mood is blissfully calm. Taking its name from the superfood goji berry, Gouqi is a return to form for Tong Chee Hwee – best known as executive head chef of the Hakkasan group. Those who have eaten his food in the past will feel right at home here, as the menu revels in reworked Cantonese classics and crossover ideas fashioned from the most luxurious ingredients. A line-up of beautiful dim sum puts down a marker, delivering exquisite tastes and textures across the board: eel cheung fun (silky and crispy); Ibérico char siu buns (meaty and fluffy); sticky, savoury rice wrapped in a lotus leaf with chicken and shiitake mushrooms, and (best of all) one of the chef’s greatest Hakkasan hits – gloriously gamey charcoal venison puffs. Delve into the carte and you’ll find delectable specialities that match prime produce with classy cooking. Superlative seafood shines through in everything from stir-fried scallops with asparagus and curly kale to Scottish diver-caught razor clams ramped up with glass noodles, chilli and garlic, while meat dishes are star turns all the way – think honey-glazed Ibérico pork with salted egg yolk or an A4 wagyu roll in golden hot-and-sour soup. Top spot, however, goes to the impressively glossy, lacquered Beijing duck, which is ‘right on the money’, carved tableside and served in stages. Impeccable staff also deserve a special mention for their smooth, unobtrusive service. Prestige labels and daunting mark-ups define the international wine list, although two dozen are offered by the glass.
