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- Nearest Transit:
-
Queensway (Central)
Bayswater (Circle, District)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12:00 - 23:30
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
£££
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Children:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
7 reviews for Mandarin Kitchens
All Reviews
Mandarin Kitchens
5/5/2010
The best Chinese seafood in London. Which isn't that grand a claim, since there's not much competition. The lobster noodles are probably the best thing on offer here, though recently it seems they're using less ginger. This upsets me. You literally cannot have enough ginger in any dish involving either noodles or lobster. With a dish consisting entirely of noodles and lobster it would take the entire ginger output of a small nation to reach the optimal amount in my eyes, so possibly take this advice with a pinch of salt.
The small scallops are masterful, the larger scallops less so but worth eating if they're claiming to have run out of the wee ones. They haven't, they're just hoarding them for the staff to eat when the place closes. I'M ONTO THEM.
The drunken chicken is also worth a mention.
Mandarin Kitchens
23/3/2010
Have been a fan of this restaurant for quite some time since I arrived in the UK back in 1996. However, the last time I went before recently was around 2001 and since then there has been a change of management. The head chef, owner and general manager have all left and although the menu is the same and the restaurants' initial look hasn't changed, the food certainly have.
The famed lobster noodle is no longer as good as it used to be. From gastronomical, it has turned ordinary. To be exact, the lobster was overcooked and the "Jian Mian" noodles its cooked with isn't texturally as good as it used to. Also, the restaurant's old decor might have been good in the 90s, but now it just looks tatty and rather dreary. The other seafood are still pretty good. If you go, go for the seafood as the typical Chinese meat dishes are all too common.
Food 7/10
Value 6/10
Location 5/10
Atmosphere 7/10
Service 6/10
Mandarin Kitchens
6/2/2010
1 photo
I'm glad that my friends from Sin took me to Mandarin Kitchens for dinner and is my first visit to Chinese Seafood Restaurant. I strongly recommended the Lobster Noodles, is the biggest lobster i've had in London, very tasty and the sauce was perfect !
After that, we had Almond Fruit Curd and Red Bean Pancakes as a dessert. The Red Bean Pancakes was just alright for me as i'm not a red bean fan. I love Almond Curd not too sweet just my taste.
Mandarin Kitchens
23/2/2010
One thing I missed about London: the lobster noodle from this place!
Generous portion of lobster, and its meat is juicy and fresh.
I have been to many places in the US,UK, Hong Kong, China, yet have never tasted anything better than their lobster noodle and this is not an exaggeration.
Mandarin Kitchens
22/7/2009
Enter a realm of superior seafood, where lobster and other shellfish of exquisite freshness and expert preparation will boldly take you to worlds where no humans have gone before!
After 4+ miles of fun-filled sightseeing and urban hiking from the London Eye, we were so glad to see our destination: dinner! We love seafood and were like sweet-toothed kids in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! The heavenly and varied selection of crustaceans, bivalves, mollusks (sea cucumber, abalone), and fish made us uncharacteristically indecisive--but in a good way.
Our server recommended the lobster, and after seeing a neighboring couple savor it, we were sold! Normally, we enjoy our seafood as pure and simple as possible, so we were considering to have it raw or just steamed. Our server seemed a bit more than suggestive in getting us to order it with ginger, scallion, and noodles--a popular choice--which we were really glad we did :-D
To start, we had Phoenix Prawns with Chili and Scallions. At first, it was a sight to behold: each prawn was BIGGER than most lobster tails! The accompanying sauce appeared to be strong, but served to complement the incredibly flavorful crustacean.
Then, the lobster arrived and we were stunned by how incredibly flavorful it was: totally superior, cleaner, and more succulent than any of its Maine relatives served at $$$$+ restaurants!
The ginger and scallions complemented the meat incredibly well, and the noodles were just perfect texture and seasoning as a complementary component for the star crustacean.
Not only could you taste the pristine freshness, it was clearly visible as the meat was plump in every crevice right down to the tiny swimmerets. Another point that stuck was how easy it was to extract the meat from the shells.
When we asked our server how the lobster was so tasty and so fresh, he pointed out that they get them straight from the Scottish Sea and the chef is an expert in carving up the lobster so that all of the pieces cook perfectly and the patrons have an easy time eating their meal.
By that time, we were quite satisfied but curious to try dessert. Since our server was perfect so far, we asked him to select our dessert: a hearty and palate balancing red bean pancake.
All in all, this was a seafoodie's dream. I understand how the service can be perceived as brusque to efficient (the bus persons are a bit blunt), but showing an earnest interest in the restaurant and having a great server made for a wonderful evening of food and service.
When we stayed in London, the currency exchange rate was far more disadvantageous for Americans--everything seemed to cost double. The exceptions to the rule were with Starbucks (everything was half the quids as supposed dollars, and their sandwiches were amazing!) and Mandarin Kitchen, which proved to be a relative value for such a memorable experience (~47 quid for 3 amazing courses).
I just wish I could teleport to Mandarin Kitchen every now and then :-P
Listed in: Best Restaurants of the Yelp…
Mandarin Kitchens
23/1/2009
By the end of my three week trip to Europe I actually had a yearning for Chinese food. The only other Chinese meal I had in the previous three weeks was at Crispy Duck on my second night in London. So here I was back in London on my final night, and my cousin suggested Mandarin Kitchens.
I was told that Mandarin Kitchens is one of the higher end Chinese restuarants in London with its white tablecloths. I soon found out they charge pretty high end as well. For our party of three we had a Fish Soup, Steamed Seabass, and Lobster Noodles. The soup was flavorful yet pretty standard, the steamed seabass was good, and you'd be hard pressed to screw up a dish that's laced with a whole lobster. While I know we may have ordered some of the higher price items on the menu, I never would have thought three items would cost 65 bucks. Oh waaaait, it was 65 quid. And back then that equated to $130. So there ya go, $130 for a three item meal for three.
Listed in: Cheerio England...
Mandarin Kitchens
9/1/2009
Delicious seafood, fresh soups, and perfectly cooked noodles are just a few of the pros about Mandarin Kitchen. The service is quick and efficient, but seems to be more of a team effort and it can become difficult to know exactly which one of the employees is your server. I feel like we had 10 different people bringing things to the table and such.
A good meal very close to the tube station.
