Optima Magazine

Reviewed by Alan Cox

Chinese food (cue: sweet and sour, cue: special fried rice) has become something of an English institution, with at least one restaurant or take-away in almost every neighbourhood. It’s popularity is assured: Chinese is what Friday nights are still made for, after all! Standing out from the crowd, however, and doing things in their own inimitable and contemporary way is Recipe, Hatch End’s mecca for ‘modern oriental cuisine’.

This establishment is big in every way. Reputation, size, menu, standards, wow factor. Here is a restaurant out to make an impression. And a good one at that.
Elegant and beautifully furnished, the place had a real buzz about it last Monday with plenty of tables full of family and friends.

Recipe has just acquired a new chef, whose dazzling reputation precedes him, so are set on introducing some of his unique dishes to their already extensive selection. My wife and I were willing ‘guinea pigs’ for the evening, recruited to taste and sample some of the new dishes just about to hit the menu.

To say we were overladen with food is an understatement – but when it’s as delicious as this, who can complain?

We nibbled on some very moreish salt and peppercorn yam fries, sampled some delicious Chinese cabbage bundled with asparagus, shitaki mushrooms, carrots and winter bamboo shoots and tucked in to Pee pa (tofu) with broccoli and nameko mushrooms. All the vegetables were fresh, firm and flavoursome and cooked to perfection. Alongside these ‘newbies’ we were treated to an array of Recipe’s exquisite Dim Sum (dumplings). Har Gao Crystal Prawns, Spinach and Prawn and Minced Pork Shanghai Siew Long Bun… all steamed and all arriving piping hot in individual little baskets and with flavours to die for. And – as if this wasn’t enough – a dish of pan-fried Chinese Chive and Prawn dumplings. I haven’t tasted better.

After a brief pause came a portion of Zai Aromatic Crispy Duck – a vegetarian version of the classic duck dish, complete with pancakes, hoisin sauce and all the trimmings. Fantastic to see vegetarians so well catered for. The taste and texture really were intriguing but, if I’m entirely honest, as a meat eater I still prefer the real McCoy!

We welcomed a pause before the main courses. As everything here is cooked fresh to order, the pace of the evening allows diners plenty of time to ‘deliberate, cogitate and digest’.

More splendid dishes turned up at this stage of the meal. Slices of beef wrapped with nameko mushrooms served in a black peppercorn sauce literally melted in the mouth, and I just loved the Japanese Wasabi King Prawns: the largest and juiciest I’ve seen for years. While the partnering with the hot Wasabi sauce may give them the strangest green hue, the thought nevertheless has me salivating again as I write. I wasn’t quite so keen on the sticky Teriyaki Chicken with Asparagus, which I found a little dry, but this was the tiniest of criticisms. This really was some of the most stunningly presented and mouth-watering oriental food I’ve tasted.

Price Guide:
Starters: £2.95-£8.95
Mains: £6.95-£24.95
Desserts: £3.80-£4.20
House wine: £14.50