Archive 1997 review of The Oriental Restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel

Since then there have been significant changes in personnel, with Head Chef Simon Yung for whom the kitchens were specially kitted out) succeeded by Chef Poon. Meanwhile DeeTang has taken over from the redoubtable Jimmy Man, who was one of the old school of maitre d's.

We therefore thought it high time for an update - and you can read Charles Pelham's account of his March 2002 visit - we can assure you that the standards at the Oriental are as high as ever  they were when I wrote this...

The Oriental at the Dorchester Hotel is a place with a reputation. It is one of only a clutch of non-western restaurants in the whole world to have gained a Michelin Star, an accolade it has retained for the fifth successive year. This is an achievement of some merit of which Simon Yung the head chef, is no doubt very proud. Another reputation that it has gained is the tag of being fabulously expensive. We wondered, as we entered expectantly, whether we would find this reputation to be justified.

The entrance to the Oriental is at the end of the Dorchester's grand Promenade Foyer. A charming "greeter" in eastern dress takes your coats and things before leading you into the main dining area which is divided between two floors.

The lower floor has a number of banqueting rooms which all lead off a central reception area. The main upstairs dining room is a spacious arrangement of free standing tables; some banquette seating provides a little more intimacy. There are also some additional tables in a gallery that overlooks the main reception area. As befits a hotel such as the Dorchester, the decor is elegant, setting the scene for oriental dining with authentic artefacts such as Chinese wall scrolls and antique fans.

Jimmy Man is the restaurant manager and heads up an extremely competent front of house team who play a pivotal role in the Oriental dining experience. They are there when you want them, anticipating your needs and they understand the particular requirements of serving Chinese food. The sommelier is helpful and has made a careful study of matching wines to oriental cuisine.

We dined in the evening and were presented with a three part menu: The Carte, a list of the Chef's Recommendations and the Silk Road which is a set dinner priced at Stg 38.00 per head.

We began the meal with a Mixed Oriental Platter Stg 13.50, consisting of deep-fried Crab Claw, Soya Chicken and Steamed Scallop. The crab claw was a typically Chinese combination of fish and meat. A mixture of crab meat and pork is wrapped around the crab claw before being dipped in flour or breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It was succulent and with a good crab flavour, so things were looking up. The Soya Chicken was three boneless strips of meat covered with the wonderful rich, dark soya infused skin. But the revelation of the evening had to be the steamed Scallop with Ginger and Spring Onion. A king scallop of considerable size had been cooked, seasoned and served at its very peak.

Next we shared a very generous portion of pan-fried slices of Goose Liver flavoured with Five Spices. We didn't tear into it in a vulgar fashion, rather, the waiter divided it discreetly at a side table and re-presented it to us in the most civilised manner.

This was cooking of the highest standard using ingredients of the highest quality. When you have such a wonderful ingredient such as foie gras, you shouldn't have to muck about with it. Just cook it correctly and let it stand up for itself. The Chinese love to cook rich goose liver and the kitchen gave it the respect it deserved. A simple accompaniment of crisp sautéed asparagus tips provided the correct foil to the rich, delicately spiced liver. The dish though costing Stg 26.00 was more than enough for the two of us.

On to the soups: Hot and Sour for me and Braised Scallop with Conpoy for Clifford. At Stg 8.50 and Stg 8.00 respectively, these soups need to be pretty good to justify such a price tag. Attention to detail and preparation were the hallmark of these soups. Both were based on quality homemade stock and ingredients that had tastes and textures that could be instantly recognised. Everything was in balance rather than in competition. In the Hot and Sour Soup, the pepperiness and sourness overwhelmed neither the prawns nor the beancurd nor indeed any of the other constituents, whilst the delicate flavour of Scallop shone through along with the Conpoy. Just like Oliver, I wanted some more!

Choosing our main courses was difficult. It seemed a pity to leave anything out, but we couldn't try everything, so taking our inspecting seriously we chose a selection of dishes that would give Simon Yung's brigade the opportunity to show why it is considered to be the best. After some agonising we finally plumped for Braised Slices of Abalone with Broccoli Florets (Stg 26.00), Deep Fried Boneless Pigeon with Orange Sauce (Stg 17.50), the Sautéed Selection of Seasonal vegetables (Stg 8.50), and Pepper and Aubergine stuffed with Prawn Mousse in Blackbean Sauce (Stg. 15.00) and Oriental Special Fried Rice (stg 12.50).

Simplicity is not synonymous with easy. It is often harder to do a simple thing well than it is to make something difficult look simple. Braised Slices of Abalone with Broccoli Florets sounds simple, but the skill required in the perfect execution of cooking fresh abalone with its chewy texture and distinctive shellfish flavour whilst matching it with broccoli that is cooked so that it still retains enough texture to give bite without seeming under cooked, is a task few kitchens would relish let alone accomplish. The Oriental kitchen passed this test with flying colours

If there was a tiny flaw in this meal, then it might have occurred in the Deep Fried Boneless Pigeon with orange Sauce. The bird itself was beautifully cooked in a light almost tempura like batter. We felt the orange sauce was a little too sweet, tasting too much of fresh orange juice. We'd have preferred it to be more cooked and caramelised to be the perfect foil for the gamey pigeon.

It is often the most humble of ingredients and the simplest of cooking techniques that show the true genius of a kitchen. Our plate of sautéed Selection of Seasonal vegetables was probably the finest example of this type of dish that I have ever had. A selection of three leaf vegetables was simply cooked, each one having reached their optimum texture and taste. We had Kai Choi, Baby Pak Choi and Choi Sum Hearts, all drizzled with a light coating of chicken stock for flavour.

By any other name Pepper and Aubergine stuffed with Prawn Mousse in Blackbean Sauce, is a variation on the classic Stuffed Three Treasures where the third treasure is stuffed fried beancurd. In the event there was a third treasure in the form of a red chili pepper, split in two and stuffed with the prawn mousse. Perhaps Chef Simon Yung included it as a whimsical gesture. The execution of this dish was perfect. The green peppers were caramelised and enclosed the superb prawn mousse, which had a good solid texture with an abundance of prawn flavour. The aubergine just melted in your mouth to give way to the prawn and the sauce had the distinctive bite of the blackbean and garlic with an almost velvet smoothness. Heaven!

Generally I like to accompany my meal with boiled rice but the Oriental Special Fried Rice could well change my mind. It came lightly fried and seasoned, and Clifford and I argued over whether or not the ratio of egg, prawns and barbecued pork to rice was too generous or not.

The Dessert Menu was let down not by the quality or authenticity of its offerings, but by the awkwardness of its descriptions. From the perspective of someone like myself who longs to see proper Chinese puddings on a menu instead of the ubiquitous Toffee Apple, my heart warmed to the selection. Clifford, my companion, admits that he is a bit prejudiced against Eastern desserts. Perhaps he is more accustomed than I to the creative skills a good pastry chef. Our choice of the slightly uncompromising sounding "Cold Beancurd with mixed Fruits" Stg 7.00 and "Cold Sago with Melon in Coconut Milk" (Stg 6.50) did not disappoint me. It was perhaps unfortunate that the beancurd and mixed fruit looked, at first sight, as if it might have come out of a tin, but the beancurd was scented with almond and the mixed fruit was both fresh and exotic. The Cold sago with Melon in Coconut Milk was like a thin sweet soup; taken in that context, it was both refreshing and satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed both desserts, but could understand why others might be a little underwhelmed.

At Stg 156.30 for two without wine and service, the Oriental is never going to be a cheap place to eat. But to compare it with restaurants that charge only Stg 1.50 for a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup is to completely miss the point that this review has tried to make. Eating at The Oriental in the Dorchester is not just about food. The food, though undeniably central, is only part of the package. Presentation, service, surrounding and location all have a role to play in creating an experience that is both memorable and intensely pleasurable. If you take a more objective look at the menu prices, and make allowances for the location and level of service then I would say The Oriental does indeed give value for money.

In any case I doubt if there are many oriental restaurants in Britain that can match the quality of cooking at The Oriental Restaurant. Simon Yung came to the Dorchester with a formidable reputation from the Hua Ting Sheraton Hotel in Shanghai, from whence he brought three other chefs. The kitchen was specially designed and equipped to his exacting specifications. The gas burners are virtually turbo-charged so as to deliver the intense heat Yung requires to achieve the extreme rapidity that is the hallmark of his culinary style.

We strongly recommend you go along and appreciate it for what it is and not what you think it might be.

NB this is the old 1997 review. Click here for the March 2002 update.