Great little place to try authentic Chinese dishes that you can't normally get in China town. The food was well cooked and not over spicy and I was happy with the amount on offer on the menu. Only disappointment was the size of the dishes as I felt the prices were a little high. The breakfast menu looked appealing too so will need to return!
So Islington’s Upper Street really is on the up food wise; you’ve got Oldroyd, Bellanger, Galley, MEATliquor. And now there’s Chinese Laundry. Everything about the place feels cool but not in a try hard way. There are two small “dining rooms” at the front and out the back with a small bar in the middle. It felt like we were perching on stalls in the back of some Chinese Granny’s flat. I wasn’t sure I would but I totally loved it.
I’m a fan of any restaurant that has the word “Laundry” in its name. Prior to Chinese Laundry, my like of Laundry restaurants was 100%. (Granted I’d only ever been to one restaurant with the word “Laundry” in its name before this, and it’s pretty much the best restaurant ever.) So when an offer came up on The Nudge for a prix fixe dinner for two, I jumped at the opportunity. I called up Vicky from the Bunch as she’s my go-to expert in Chinese food, and we headed over to give it a try. (One small problem: Vicky is from southern China. Apparently the food there isn’t very spicy, so she always gives me a bad time about the food we share as I lean the other way on the spice scale.)
Chinese Laundry is a casual dinning room inspired by 80s Chinese family life and food.
And one of my new favourites for a slightly different, non-egg-Benny-focused brunch!
The menu focuses on the fewer known delicacies from Northern Mainland China, with a couple of clever Anglo-Chinese fusion dishes thrown in as well...
We were welcomed by quirky music and awesome 80s Chinese decor. The music at Chinese Laundry ranged from 80s chinese classics to the theme from Street Fighter – odd and wonderful. The retro table displays and painted mirrors on the walls, made the restaurant really unique and charming. We were interested to see how this menu differed from your typical Chinese selection with dishes being inspired by Northern Mainland Chinese cuisine.
The food was good quality, unique and delicious. The dining experience felt more like Chinese style tapas, as you don’t really get huge portions. You need to order multiple dishes to make an evening here worth while. Dining was therefore a little bit too expensive for the amount you receive. However, it was lovely to see someone experimenting with Northern Chinese cuisine. So, if you are in the Islington area, pop into Chinese Laundry if you want an unusual, quirky experience, as this place is worth a visit!
Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and say to myself, “I wish I could have Chinese food for breakfast.” I consider heading to Chinatown to see what’s open. I know Royal China on Baker Street opens at 11 am on Sundays but that is too late. Enter Chinese Laundry on Upper Street! They will be open from 8:30 am during the week! And they’ll serve Chinese breakfast! Like Chinese pancakes. And buns! This seems like the answer to my prayers, but yet…only MY prayers. Will other people want to eat Chinese pancakes so early in the day? (Particularly the denizens of Islington?) I am not so sure. I would love to see the market sizing on this one.
Excellent and unique brunch. Service can be a bit spotty, but food makes up for it. Not a huge variety of options, so recommend checking out the menu, as it's not your traditional brunch selection.
Very cozy atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food. I love that they have such special slow cooked dishes. Highly recommended!!
One of my favs in Angel.
Cool interior and excellent food.
Service is a bit hit and miss depending on who's serving.
What a great place! This is authentic, imaginative Chinese food that will delight the most sophisticated palate. We took the recommendations of the very helpful waitress (Ellie) and her advice was spot on. Supposedly simple green beans were exquisite and, although I've never been a fan of tofu it was melt in the mouth heaven! The cocktails packed a punch and the retro decor gives a warm and cosy feel. Service was excellent, genuinely friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Have already been twice - and I will be back again!
What a nice surprise! A pine and chocolate infused cocktail... Some delicious crispy lamb... Fantastic, spicy hot tofu and cockles... Melt-in-your-mouth fried chicken... A healthy and flavoursome cabbage salad... Some excellent cuisine was shown there and I will definitely go back.
Really enjoyed the experience at Chinese Laundry. Chicken carcass in their dinner menu is my favourite. The savoury tofu curd vs sweet tofu curd is a must try with very interesting culture story behind, also their cocktails are amazing...mixed with Chinese spirit Baijiu. Tried the Old Friend and Follow me, they were really tasty. Definitely will recommend it to anyone who's visiting or living in London!!
Honestly very surprised to read bad reviews of this place. Had dinner here on Saturday and have nothing but great things to say. We had the set menu and The food was excellent and beautifully presented, the cocktails were delicious and very unusual and the service was very friendly and non intrusive. Though I would agree that this place is pricey, we got more from our experience at Chinese Laundry than from most equivalently priced restaurants in the area.
The level of artistic competence creating the aesthetic of this place is admirable to say the least. To disregard it as simply Chinese Kitsch themed is actually an injustice.
Would highly recommend to a friend and will definitely come back again.
Decided to visit on a whim after seeing that this had opened on Hot Dinners.
Didn't think we'd get a table as the small place was packed but we manage to squeeze in. Really lovely staff (got a decent tip) and delicious more-ish food - had some really nice and reasonably priced wines too.
Highly recommend the pork belly and the fried tofu.
Decorated like a slightly shabby 80s Chinese dining room...but in a good way! Quite small tables so got a bit squished when all of our dishes arrived. Can't wait to come back when they're really found their feet.
I love the century egg and tofu, its one of the best I've ever had. The pork belly is delicious and is served in a large portion, perfect for sharing. The restaurant has lovely interior atmosphere too!
The menu had quite a lot of nice options and our choices didn't disappoint.
The buns are literally just fluffy bread rolls so I would only recommend ordering one between two.
The food was slightly over priced but it's in a prime location so can't complain.
The staff were very hit and miss, they had a lot of people working there but few wanted to get involved with taking orders or serving.
Delicious lunch with incredibly friendly staff. Good size portions. Dishes are well thought out. So happy to have this original restaurant style in my neighbourhood. Will return many, many more times. Thank you CL
The lunch menu here is truly excellent! It's very value for money and we enjoyed all the food tremendously. I highly recommend the dumpling omelette, pork belly baozi, and the bacon and egg pancake!
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