Hutong, the award-winning northern Chinese restaurant on Level 33 of The Shard, has introduced a selection of new dim sum and à la carte dishes. Perfect for sharing or for those simply wanting to enjoy a lighter meal as summer approaches, the delicate new dim sum dishes demonstrate the intricate cooking methods used for this much loved Chinese delicacy, while the à la carte dishes showcase the fascinating variety of flavours found in the North of the country.
Available at lunchtime, the dim sum dishes have been created by Hutong’s highly-skilled dim sum Chef Qui Xin and Head Chef Bing Luo. The menu offers a range of elegant meat, seafood and vegetable dim sum, either steamed, fried or baked, including XO sauce crystal prawn dumplings, which combine the gentle heat of fresh chilli with dried scallop and shrimp. Delicate King crab and courgette dumplings allow the subtle flavours of the ingredients to sing through, while the Cod and seaweed dumplings with tobiko are given an unusual pink colour from Hutong’s homemade chilli sauce.
From the fried and baked section of the menu, Chef Qui Xin has added a modern twist with Black cod rolls. These are made with Dragons Beard, which is a shredded pastry that provides a crisp contrast to the delicate cod within. Moreish fried Wagyu beef buns complete the new additions and are made with a fermented bread that is first steamed and then pan fried to give a crisp outer layer to the soft pillow-like dough.
The new à la carte dishes celebrate the authentic ingredients and flavours of Northern Chinese cooking, which have been brought up to date through Bing’s unique style. Starters include Crispy prawn with wasabi, where the unusual addition of hot wasabi is muted with mayonnaise, as well as a classic Won-ton dish served with garlic-chilli sauce.
Traditional Poached monkfish in lamb broth follows, which, although an unfamiliar combination for the Western palate, is a dish commonly eaten in the morning in Northern China. Rich in umami, the hearty soup is simmered for four hours and has a surprisingly fresh taste, reflected in the dishes name where the Chinese symbols for lamb and fish when combined mean ‘fresh’.
From the seafood selection, a spectacular centrepiece of Hunan-style whole lobster sautéed with Sichuan pepper, chilli and mushrooms is slowly stir fried for fifteen minutes to ensure the lobster absorbs all of the dry spice. Whole de-boned turbot with pickled chilli sauce provides a totally unique flavour where the turbot is stir fried and accompanied by a complex sauce made with guaiwei, a seasoning mixture popular in Sichuan cooking that also means ‘multi-flavoured’, finally another Sichuan style dish, the Ma La beef tenderloin with bell peppers, chilli and black bean sauce. Ma La literally means ‘numbing spice’, and this contrasts with the rich flavours of the beef to create a sumptuous mouthful.
Hutong opened on Level 33 of The Shard in June 2013. Since then it has received critical acclaim from the press as well as winning a number of prestigious awards and taking a spot in the National Restaurant Awards’ ‘Top 100’ list (2013 and 2014). The restaurant continues to attract visitors eager to sample some of the best Chinese cuisine in the Capital.
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