Ping Pong, London

Shu: If I had to limit myself to dine from only one cuisine for the rest of my days, it'd be Cantonese food... dim sum in particular. The translation of it is to 'touch the heart' and it was originally designed as bite-sized snacks to enjoy whilst catching up with your friends and family - a Chinese afternoon tea if you will! I'm a very indecisive person so having samples of multiple dishes works perfectly for me. I had heard great things about Ping Pong, a Western chain that's apparently modernised the Chinese classics. After months of waiting, we finally put it to the test... on CNY.

Jordan: It was getting late in the day and we had just walked around Chinatown for the Chinese New Year soaking up the traditional celebrations and enjoying the atmosphere. Ping Pong was a place we had been wanting to try for a very long time and we thought considering the date why not make it today?! 

Jordan: We chose the Southbank branch as we were in the area. It was packed as you'd expect and my initial impressions were good; the restaurant's interior housed swanky furnishings and was lit with ambient lighting. What's not to like?!

Shu: I'm not a big drinker these days so was naturally drawn to the tea menu (granny alert), I spied people ordering cups of tea with flowers in that blossomed in front of their very eyes (?!?!!) Magic. I didn't order a drink though... had to save as much space as possible for the food. You win some... you dim sum.

After a 45 minute wait, we were seated outside. We had views of the London Eye behind us and the patio heating worked its magic to rid us off the cold winter air.

Enough chit chat, it's time to order.

Jordan: This was the mushroom, vegetables and black bean sauce rice pot. Something I usually wouldn't go for but I'm glad we did! The vegetables couldn't have been cooked any better and it was nice to have that sweet glaze from the black bean sauce. There's rice under there somewhere - honest.

Shu: These are the vegetarian spring rolls... complete with spicy mango sauce. We all know how I feel about mangos so naturally, this HAD to happen. The spring rolls aren't anything to write home about and tastes as you would expect them to. The sauce was great though, oh mangos.

Jordan: The Roast Pork Puff is the type of food that my taste buds yearn, and yours too if you let them try it. Crispy puff pastry glazed in honey and topped with sesame seeds, wrapped around the most succulent honey-roast pork you could wish for.

Shu: Must order. The pork was marinated well, the sauce was addictive and the flaky layers were light, crisp and not greasy whatsoever. I could easily demolish all 3 of these and still have room for more ;)

Shu: These vegetable buns finally arrived after another 50 minutes of waiting. We noted that the service was particularly slow but excused it because of CNY but wait, we didn't order this... WHERE THE CHAR SIU BUNS AT? The manager gave us these accidental creations to us on the house and we inhaled them. The flavours were good but were slightly bland and dry. Gimme the meat version.

Another hour later, the right buns arrived. Whilst the meat was flavoured well, the BBQ marinade wasn't particularly 'juicy' but the exterior was fluffy as a good bun should be ;)



Shu: You've guessed it - these dishes took another 30 minutes to arrive. These are the crab and prawn dumplings with a hint of ginger. The seafood was fresh, flavourful and seemed authentic.  

Shu: These were the beef dumplings and it's a lot different to the ones I've grown up eating. For one, there's the translucent skin cased around it which would've been interesting if it wasn't overcooked (left in the steamer for too long). It resulted in it all being a bit of a slop as soon as your teeth sink into them. The inside was filled with beef mince bursting with juice and a slight hint of chilli - it reminded me of the inside of a shepherd's pie. I wouldn't order this again but it was nice to experience a reinvention of a Cantonese classic dish!

Jordan: The food was by far the best part of my experience at Ping Pong. If you are accustomed to eating at traditional Chinese restaurants then you know the service is fast. Here? I reckon I could have solved a Rubik's cube in the time between receiving dishes..

Shu: These won't be the best dim sum dishes that you'll ever have but it's a great place to introduce the dishes to dubious friends that have never tried it before over a cocktail or two. Most of the dishes seemed authentic and were tasty. However, we're not sure whether it really was because of it being Chinese New Year but the service was appalling. I really hate to put a negative spin on this and mut emphasise that the food quality redeemed themselves but putting the long wait aside, the staff barely acknowledged us and kept getting our orders wrong (even though it was clearly marked on two copies of the form) and messed up our bill three times too. We probably could've walked to Chinatown, performed a lion dance, climb the Shard, walk back and still wait another hour for the food. 

Pizza Union, London

Jordan: I had heard great things about Pizza Union from Shu so this place was next on my list to visit. We went around lunch time on a Saturday day night and it was absolutely packed deserted?! There was only one family tucked in the corner and then us, result! I really liked the laid back vibe this place gave off, it was decorated like Urban Outfitters (yes I have been dragged in there many times) with it's bare walls, neon signs and suspended lighting.

Shu: Don't mind me, I was just running around the restaurant snapping away with my new camera. The staff pretended that they didn't care but I see the little cheeky smiles and the sneaky flex of their muscles when they were making our pizza base ;)

Pizza Union serve 12" thin based pizza baked in a HUUUGE stone oven. We were mesmerised by the roaring fire and didn't have to wait long for our creations to come to life (and into our tum)

Fancy nibbling on some nuts whilst you wait in the queue? Voila! They'd be great starters and the pastries don't look half bad for an after pizza treat... Focus, Shu. Keep your eye and stomach on the prize: the pizza.

Jordan: There is quite a variety of pizzas to choose from but my mind was firmly set on the one with lots of meat, chilli peppers and the coolest sounding name: Vesuvio. Boy this did not disappoint! The doughy base was married to that tomato sauce with just enough cheese to balance it out. It had that initial crunch which was met with creamy, rich and spicy flavours that left you salivating for more.

Shu: You can bet that if there's a chilli option, I'll be getting it. 

Manzo: tomato sauce, mozzarella, beef, garlic, green chillies and rocket drizzled with chilli oil and extra chilli flakes. Just look at that beauty below, I was ready for a spice party in my mouth. 

Whilst Jordan's pepperoni is a classic, the minced beef worked better with the other flavours in my pizza. The ingredients didn't attempt to overpower each other and it simply worked. The green chillis gave it a kick and the rocket leaves left a peppery aftertaste. 

The stone oven gave the thin base a crisp smokiness - it wasn't weighed down by the ingredients either!

Jordan: A wood-fired oven so large it would make the witch from Hansel & Gretel jealous!

If you're after super affordable and authentic Italian pizza, we'd highly recommend Pizza Union. It's great for on the go meals or a casual lunch with friends. They even serve various flavours of gelato... we'll be back for you (and more slices of pizza goodness)