Measuring 8m by 5m, it is made up of 1888 photographs of Chinatown, its residents and visitors donated by the public. It is such a clever idea to use the photographs as mosaic for the mural. Wong explained that she called it "1888" because it is an auspicious number in Chinese numerology. The triple eight denotes prosperity and good fortune and the number 'one' sounds like 'everyday' in Cantonese, and together it means "good fortune everyday" for the people in Chinatown. Looking at the bowl of rice reminds me it is lunch time.
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| Chinese Restaurant London Chinatown |
There is a plethora of restaurants in Chinatown to choose from, seventy-eight to be precise. Whenever nostalgia grips me, I make a beeline for Chinatown to seek out some oriental nosh and to savor the Asian ambiance so redolent of my home country in Malaysia. The bustling shops and Chinese supermarkets at Gerrard Street sell everything Asian.
There are stores selling Chinese cakes, pastries and all my favorite snacks. It is like strolling through a street in Hong Kong or any eastern city with Chinese songs blaring in the air and some signboards in Chinese character. It is in a world of its own yet just a stone's throw away are Trafalgar Square, Westminster and Piccadilly and everything quintessentially English.
With so many restaurants to choose from, one has to be selective and careful not to choose the touristy ones that serve Anglo-Cantonese food to cater for the local British patrons. But to be fair, in recent years the Chinese cuisine here has improved as more and more restaurants are opened. My favorite is Imperial China in Lisle Street which runs parallel to Gerrard Street. It is the only restaurant in Chinatown that has its own courtyard set away from the street.
The restaurant is accessed through a gateway and an ornamental bridge over a koi pond. The courtyard gives way to a large open seating area inside the restaurant where the meals are served.
In the summer, tables are set right by the koi pond. It enjoys great Feng Shui with positive chi circulating freely inside the enclave and away from the vortex of energy from the heavy traffic on the street, not to mention free from the pollution of exhaust fumes of cars.
The dim sum is one of the best in Chinatown and the service is friendly and efficient. It is more upmarket than the other restaurants and the dinner menu is above par and authentic. I grade Chinese restaurants from the tea they serve and from the hot sour soup, where the hotness and sourness is tricky to master. It passes the litmus test here with more than the ubiquitous low grade jasmine tea so beloved by all Chinese restaurants. They have my favorite chrysanthemum tea, so fragrant and refreshing to wash down the scrumptious dim sum dishes.
The "char slew soh" or baked pastry parcel stuffed with barbecue pork is heavenly, and so are the cuttlefish cakes eaten with a piquant vinegar and chilli dip. Next to be served is the dessert of mini egg tarts, the pastry case and custard filling so delicate that it melts in your mouth. Yummy yum to the highest order! I could eat a dozen of those tiny tarts but I restrain myself and must walk off this lunch binge.
Strolling through Chinatown is such a buzz with so much vibrant energy. Gone are the days when Chinatown was a dingy place with second-rate restaurants dishing out mediocre food with terrible service. Today, London Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction and has been given a major facelift. Gerrard Street, the heart of Chinatown is pedestrianised, and all the grubby shops have been replaced with clean outlets with thought given to merchandise display.
New restaurants serving, great food have sprung up and services in all the outlets are noticeably more courteous and friendly. Even the notorious Wong Kei Restaurant dubbed the rude food of London', famous for its highhanded waiters, are now served by polite staff. As students in the 1970s, we used to patronize this restaurant because the food was cheap and the portions generous. It was worth the insulting and abrasive service. Another interesting change is that more and more Chinese from mainland China have set up business here. It is no longer the preserve of the Chinese from Hong Kong.
Chinatown will not be worth its salt if a Feng Shui master had not been consulted in its make-over. It has been carefully planned to capture the essence of positive energy. It is guarded by three prominent iron gates facing east, west and north with Dragon motifs engraved in each of them. The southern part of the street is occupied by a row of shops. The west gate protects it from the bustling Wardour Street, the east gate faces a big building block to combat the 'shar chi' or 'poison arrow' while the north gate faces Shaftesbury Avenue with its heavy traffic.
To combat the fast and furious energy from this avenue, two stone Kirins are installed to deflect the force. On the eastern end of Gerrard Street, a lovely Pavilion is erected in the square and this is where on Vesak Day, Buddhas birthday, the religious occasion is celebrated with a venerable ceremony featuring a giant Buddha statue worshiped by hundreds of devotees. Beautiful Chinese lanterns with auspicious calligraphy are festooned above the street to usher good fortune in and to liven up the place. During Chinese New Year, Moon Cake Festival and Wesak Day, and indeed for a spot of 'yum cha' or dim sum lunch and dinner, London Chinatown is an enthralling place to visit. To find out more, you can check out Chinese Restaurant London Chinatown.