Exquisite dim sum, some inventive dish names and an excellent Sidecar; Larry and Larman take a Cantonese lunch to the water’s edge…
What’s in a number? Banquet 88 doesn’t say, and neither, I confess, does anyone I asked. It has the ring of a vintage, or perhaps a postcode, or the sort of figure a restaurant plucks from the air because it looks well on a menu. Hold that thought; I suspect we’ll need it later.
St Katharine Docks, meanwhile, needs no numerology. On a crisp, bright autumn day, in one of those unseasonable lifts in the weather, it is absolutely divine. As we trod the cobbles and crossed the gangways, “You feel like you’re on holiday, don’t you,” Larman sighed, breezily. And it is astonishing to think we are in London at all.
Inside, the room is contemporary, pristine and polished; nothing is out of place. It feels like an upmarket yacht club, which is fitting given the craft spread before us on the docks, and with the floor-to-ceiling bifolds open, we could almost be outside, on the Riviera.
Chinese restaurants are not known for their cocktails (I have the ignominious honour of sending back a Manhattan from our favourite local), but these are excellent. The Sidecar, in particular, would compete with the best from Harry’s Bar in Paris. “Look at that, old chap,” Larman said, casting his arm out across the table, “the shimmering water, this fine cocktail…”. We were, indeed, set for something splendid.
The menu, meanwhile, is almost so extensive as to be overwhelming. Larman pontificated for an age over how best to assemble the meal, until it became clear we should either be guided by the waitress or go with a set menu. We went with the former, and with unerring efficiency she steered us towards har gau, pork buns and siu mai from the steamed menu, and a Wagyu thousand-layer pastry from the ‘fried’ pages. “Chinese food…” I began. “Cantonese, old boy,” Larman corrected, without looking up, “China is rather large.”
He has a point, and Banquet 88 has the credentials to make it. This is the first City opening from the team behind Good Fortune Club, the dim sum hot spots in Wimbledon and Ealing, whose combined experience stretches from the high-end Chinese dining of Canton Blue to Chinatown stalwarts such as Tao Tao Ju. That pedigree shows.
The dim sum were excellent, as Banquet is known for, the Wagyu in particular: light, puffy pastry and a wholesome filling. And then the buns arrived; joyful, pillowy things, quite unlike anything I expected. Suffice to say, there is something about the execution here that is leagues away from the hastily delivered production line of Chinatown. I’ve not had bao like this since Hong Kong in 2018.
To a passing couple perusing the menu outside, I couldn’t resist barking, “If you’re wondering, it’s excellent.” “Wonderful,” he replied, “we shall be here next week!”
Over a glass of Gavi we leaned into the menu, buoyed by what we’d had and by the waitress’s counsel. I, as ever, was sold on the Chef’s ‘signature’ chicken. Larman, eschewing her suggestion of Wagyu ribs with truffle, and true to form as a steak fiend, elected the black bean beef. To accompany: Yangzhou fried rice, pimped with shrimps, pork et al, and noodles with chives and beansprouts.
Then I spied a dish by the name of ‘Buddha Jumps over the Wall’ and was intrigued. It transpires it’s a rich Fujian soup – abalone, sea cucumber and so on – whereas our signature chicken is, the waiter confides, “just black bean”. He may not be given over to upselling, but black bean chicken suits me just fine.
As it turned out, what we had was exceptional. The beef arrived as cuts of steak among peppers and sauce; the chicken was deserving of its ‘signature’ in spite of being a humble black bean sauce; and Larman, having turned to a glass of Ningxia red for the mains, had made a sound choice. “I’m still going and I don’t know why,” I remarked. “It’s because it’s delicious…” he quipped, snaffling another sliver of beef.
It is, and without a word of hyperbole, one of the best Chinese (or, as I’m reminded, Cantonese) meals I’ve had in a long time. You might think the food of ‘your local Chinese’ is standardised, perfunctory; Banquet 88 demonstrates that it can be done exceptionally well.
Remarkably, we had room for dessert, and the menu is just as extensive, albeit a range of jellies and sago puddings. Larman, still struck by the buns, went for custard bao, while I, a fan of pomelo, eyed the mango pomelo pudding. Not wishing to miss out, I consulted the waitress, who declared it her favourite. A curious thing, too: a sort of sweet soup, served in a jelly cup, and one of the more unusual desserts I shall take with me.
Which brings me back to the number. I tallied up the table on the way out: four dishes of dim sum, four mains, eight in all before dessert. Whether by design or happy accident, I couldn’t say. But eight, I’m reliably informed, is the luckiest of numbers in Cantonese culture, and 88 doubly so. Which, after a lunch like this, is exactly how we felt.
Banquet 88, Unit 2 Commodity Quay, St Katharine Docks, London E1W 1AZ. Hailed as one of the best dim sum spots in London, the critically acclaimed Banquet 88 has just launched its new Dim Sum Afternoon Tea. Available daily from 11.30am to 4pm. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.banquet88.com.
