XU: a time capsule to 1930s Taipei

Overall Rate: 7.5/10

Price: starters £3-8, mains £12-20

Price we paid: £57

Go there for: nostalgic atmosphere and top-notch Taiwanese pan-fried dumplings

Location: Chinatown

There’s no one still here to tell us about the magical atmosphere of 1930s Taipei, with its luxury dining rooms and social clubs. We can only imagine it, dream about its mysterious charm. Or, we can open our eyes, and step into the nostalgic embodiment of that bygone era, here and now, at XU in London.

You would only expect great things from the team behind the hugely successful Bao restaurants – their pillowy steamed buns conquered Londoners almost effortlessly, and gave queue lovers a new reason to be. However, XU is nothing like a spin off or a replica of BAO. We’re talking Taiwanese fine dining here, and we were incredibly excited to see such a brave new venture making its first appearance in London’s food scene.

Escape from the chaos and sticky smells of Chinatown, to enter a sophisticated world of dark-wood panelling, art-déco features and lazy fans, whose spinning immediately takes your imagination to milder climates. A lacquered wooden kiosk is there to welcome you, the tea master behind it expertly preparing oolongs and puerhs.

You have the impression of travelling not only in space, but also in time, to an exotic land that is lost forever. The quality and character of the food is however very contemporary. Sister and brother, Wai Ting Chung and Shing Tat Chung, and Shing’s wife, Erchen Chang, have put together a menu of Taiwanese staples with modern and creative touches. It’s all about small sharing plates, so the more friends you bring along, the more scrumptious dishes you’ll get to try.

We started with some deliciously crunchy lotus crisps, covered with a generous sprinkle of peanut brittle. Just what you need to get you excited before the real show begins. Then chicken wings arrived, a far cry from their Western counterpart, covered in honey-sweet sanbei glaze, with a touch of caviar to elevate them to royalty.

Taro, a Southeast-Asian root vegetable widely used in Taiwanese cuisine, reaches our table in the form of beautiful triangular dumplings, fresh and pleasantly chewy. Then it’s the turn of the mouthwatering Xian Bing: fried dumplings, whose crispy parcel envelops a heart of succulent minced pork and gingery broth. Divine!

For mains, we choose two very different proteins, chicken and crab. The waiter sprinkles our shou pa chicken with crispy crumbs of chicken skin. Fresh and gently spicy, this dish is a pleasant elevation of a traditional recipe. The chilli eggdrop crab, however, easily steals the show: the juicy salmon roe pearls pop in your mouth and mingle with the meaty texture of the crab to a real wow-effect.

The dessert is another surprise. The beautifully presented mai lai cake is served into a bamboo steamer: fluffy and light, it finds it perfect companion in the condensed milk dip sauce.

So completely absorbed in the degustation of our wonderful cups of oolong tea, we didn’t order any alcoholic beverage; but the menu features interesting Taiwanese beers and Asian-inspired cocktails for those fancying a tipple or two.

The damage was £57 per person – a bit on the expensive side but, considered the level of the food and the charm of the experience, fair. XU provides a unique dining experience in London, mixing romantic interiors with a creative take on a gastronomic tradition that is still to be fully discovered.