Gouqi

I have written previously about the background to Gouqi. At this lunch visit we opted for the set menu at £59 per person. There was a full a la carte menu available as well, and a cheaper three course menu at £49. The dining room is smartly decorated, with well-spaced tables.

The meal began with hot and sour soup. This common dish varies considerably in standard from restaurant to restaurant and this version was top notch, this version with prawns and squid, the spicing lively but balanced (15/20). Scallop with glass noodles and a garlic and chill sauce was served on its shell. The scallop was of reasonable quality and cooked accurately, going well with the sauce, while the glass noodles were tender (14/20).

Peking duck was carved tableside. The skin of the duck was served first, crisp and delicate. The meat was cooked pink, served with ultra-thin pancakes along with the usual accompaniments of julienned cucumber and spring onion, hoisin sauce etc. The pancakes were so thin that when you laid one on the plate you could easily see the pattern of the plate through the pancake. The duck had very good flavour, and outside of somewhere like Made in China in Beijing, this is about as good a Peking duck as you will encounter (17/20).

Claypot chicken has pieces of chicken cooked on the bone, braised in a peppery broth with garlic, ginger, dried chillies and mushrooms. This was a pleasant dish (14/20) though I preferred kung pao prawn with dried chilli and cashew nut. This featured very good prawns, the nuts providing a pleasing texture contrast (15/20). Also very good was baby bak choi, the pieces lightly fried with garlic and being extremely tender (15/20).

Service was very good, and dishes arrived at a steady pace. The bill came to £85 per person, with jasmine tea and a little beer to drink. Gouqi continues to serve some of the best Chinese food in London.

Further reviews: 11th Mar 2025 | 17th Nov 2024 | 16th May 2024 | 27th Apr 2023