Grand Imperial Restaurant - The Grosvenor Hotel (Victoria)

• I had Cantonese afternoon tea at the Grand Imperial and was extremely impressed
• The combination of eastern cuisine with traditional British elements was a delight something niche and different in a sea of London afternoon tea
• The duck spring rolls were moist and delicious
• We went for dinner on a Friday night atmosphere was about right
• Usual staples were as one would expect but the meat dishes were superb
• Situated within the Grosvenor Hotel at Victoria station and is well hidden in plain sight of the road
• A little cruel perhaps for what is a perfectly acceptable interior
• Light batter with a crisp chilli
• This was so good it had people battling to scoop up the last of the garnish long after the crab was demolished
• Firstly as you might expect with the standard accompaniments of pancakes
• I personally felt the flavour of the duck was lost in translation with this method
• The crispness of the lettuce cups was completely over powered and instead of feeling fresh
• Were quite rich so a small portion was in fact plenty
• The stir fried vegetables and chicken were ordinary fare and I didn't note any special flavour or ingredients to set them apart from one might expect at a quality takeaway or standard restaurant
• I'm partial to the Red Bean flavour and these were hot and had a melt in the mouth centre
• Our friends Chris and Emma invited us to celebrate Chinese New Year with their friends over a dim sum/yum cha feast this weekend
• The big lunch was in the elegant private dining area at Grand Imperial restaurant in the Grosvenor Hotel
• Eating dim sum at a restaurant is known as yum cha which means &lsquo
• T exactly a new year tradition but there is just something about a long
• Lazy lunch with a large group that makes it all feel so festive
• Our friend Chris mentioned that prawns and noodles are a traditional staple on Chinese New Year with prawns representing happiness and noodles
• Our grand dim sum prix fix menu was a winner in both quality and quantity
• The selection was never ending
• Braised noodles with mushrooms along with Hong Kong style &lsquo
• Fried rice were a tasty supplement to the generous dim sum feast and just when we thought it was all done
• I suppose that is okay though as it is technically February now
• One of my fondest memories though is bearing witness to the preparation of aromatic and Peking duck
• Partly because it is an interesting process but mostly because I love me some duck long time
• Chinese style roast duck is serious stuff
• Course my decision was swayed heavily by the prospect of decent duck and I wasn&rsquo
• Ve had a fair few in my time so all I can speak from is experience
• From the moment the duck was presented to the table and I saw the skin glistening under even low lighting
• I could tell I was in for a treat
• In addition to how clean the bone was after he was done
• This process highlighted the tenderness of the duck which is a key outcome of the cooking method which calls for it to first be marinated with spices
• The protein was served with the traditional accompaniment of cucumber
• S all about the duck and it was gooooooooooood
• Those childhood tears were starting to well
• Course there were other dishes to the meal but they were reduced to a supporting role for the main event
• Sweet and sour pork and vegetable fried rice were perfectly palatable and solid dishes but nothing overly spectacular
• Well we had come this far in the meal so it would be remiss of us not to finish it off strong with a healthy order of dessert with the deep fried ice cream
• Apple fritter with ice cream and swan pastries with chocolate being our poison
• The overwhelming winner here was the swan pastry which looked every bit as beautiful as the name suggests with the other dishes again proving fine though unspectacular
• Having been to Grand Imperial before and been impressed with their Peking Duck (see my blog for an older post https
• I can safely say this is my go to place for duck in London
• It really is fantastic and not too expensive considering the generous amount of duck you get (a whole duck is easily enough for 4 and sets you back £
• My husband mentioned his stomach was hurting at 3 and by 5 pm began vomiting
• My guess was it was the dim sum plate
• I wasn't impressed with my dish of fried noodles with mushrooms as it tasted mostly like frying oil
• My husband has a cast iron stomach and has had food poisoning about 29 years ago and it was also Chinese food
• My knowledge of how to identify quality in those used for Asian cooking was non existent
• An eight course Chinese feast hosted by Lee Kum Kee Sauces was an excellent way to learn a little more
• Our tutor took us on a guided tour of the shops in Chinatown and was keen to point out that not all Soy Sauces were the same
• Lee Kum Kee was the recommended brand
• Bachelorhood is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse
• Please forgive me for starting with a pithy one liner but the conversation which revolved around the dining table dwelt on this theme for a not insubstantial amount of time
• One of our number was sadly without his other half

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