Restaurant review: Chinese Cricket Club, Blackfriars

Chinese Cricket Club is a restaurant located on the Ground Floor of the 5* Hyatt Regency Blackfrairs, a stone’s throw from the tube station and opposite the unique London pub, The Blackfair.

The hotel’s central location near the Thames is a great base for walking and discovering the city and is very much in the working part of London hence it serves well as a business hotel. The hotel is in an impressive Grade II-listed building on the former grounds of King Henry VIII’s Bridewell Palace. The hotel is not on anyone’s hot and trendy list but is a slick, elegant modern, well-appointed business hotel. Having worked for Hyatt International in my other life I know their hotels are welcoming, well-oiled establishments who train their staff well and the in house restaurants and bars hold their own.

Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket Club Authentic Chinese Cuisine.

FloLondon was keen to give this restaurant a try in an area where there seems to be a dearth of good Chinese restaurants. Personally, having grown up in Singapore I am always in search of excellent Chinese Restaurants in London. Their chef Tony Troung has excellent pedigree having worked at the Royal China Queensway, eventually becoming their head chef.  In the day it was reputed to be one of London’s top restaurants with excellent Dim Sum, a place we used to enjoy as a family almost every Sunday. He then went on to helm Mei Ume at Four Seasons, Trinity Square.

Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket-Club Main Dining Area Dinner Space..

The Chinese Cricket Club is smart enough for a business lunch and there were indeed many businessmen dining here but encouragingly there were also many Chinese people dining here which is always a good sign, albeit a cliched one. The decor is East meets West with wooden floors and uniquely shaped oriental paper ceiling lamps and hanging metal wall sconces which I am sure in the evening gives more warmth to this light filled room. The room has the din of a hotel coffee shop which could perhaps benefit from some carpeting to absorb the sound.

A must order is their Smoked Peking Duck specialty. Its presentation adds some drama to the meal arriving in a clear glass cloche from which swirling smoke appears when lifted. Accompaniments are the usual pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber, and leek but with the addition of sweet and tangy pineapple batons which lift the dish. The duck is lightly smoked, tender and with a delicate, light, crisp skin.

Xiao long bao (soup dumpling) is the dish to order when trying to ascertain the general quality of a dim sum restaurant and these were certainly better than most I have found in London but not quite as good as my absolute favourite worldwide found at Din Tai Fung (a Taiwanese restaurant chain with branches in London at Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road or Selfridges). These soupy dumplings should be served with a ceramic Chinese soup spoon which assists in capturing the soupy goodness and not spilling when you bite a hole in the top to add your ginger vinegar sauce. The ginger in the vinegar was lacking in bite as it appeared too thinly grated and perhaps dried out before adding. I personally prefer the ginger finely julienned. We also tried their Black Caviar Lobster dumpling, a rather sexy dish (I’ll let you guess what my plus one said it looked like). It was both a visually stunning dish and extremely delicious. The remaining dim sum selection looked inventive and thoughtful, and we would be keen to try the Pear Dumpling (chicken shrimp, bamboo shoots, pear), Parma Ham Sui Mai and the Red Oil Chicken Dumplings on another visit.

Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket Club Dimsum Imperial Wagyu with Red Wine.

We tried two main dishes: Shanghai Style 24 Hour Slow Cooked Pork Belly and the Wok-Fried Beef Fillet with Black Pepper Sauce.  The beef was the winner and was packed with flavour. While the Pork Belly was beautifully presented and tender it didn’t quite hit the mark for us flavour wise.

Desserts of Coconut Tapioca Pudding and Matcha delice were both of a high standard. The Tapioca pudding is served with sorbet and an orange tuile it is the lighter and more refreshing dessert of the two. I do love a bit of matcha in my life and the layers in this cake like desert were a wonderful mix of flavours using a complimentary black sesame crmeux. Service overall was well paced and friendly and the only hiccup was our missing coffee order at the end of the meal which was promptly rectified upon asking again.

Matcha delice. Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket Club. Photo by Natascha Milsom.

We dined a la carte but there are set lunch and more elaborate set menu options which appear to be good value as well as a Weekend Dim Sum offering. Also worth noting is their good vegetarian of vegetarian menu items. Chinese Cricket Club is worth a visit for a business or casual lunch.  In the evenings it makes for a convenient post work dinner spot before heading home in the evenings as it is just a hop, skip and step across the road and onto the tube.

Location: 19 New Bridge Street, London EC4. Nearest Station: Blackfairs.Instagram: @chinese.cricket.club. hyattrestaurants.com.

Words by Natascha Milsom