Saigon Saigon Dim Sum Restaurant

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Expect the unexpected at Saigon Saigon. The area upstairs that, for the past five years, served up a Chinese buffet, was converted into a typical Chinese restaurant in January 2008. However, this isn't the biggest surprise: its reputation as a buffet venue may set expectations low, but the quality and variety on offer in the downstairs dim sum restaurant is a well kept secret. Tables are tightly packed with a mainly Chinese clientele, giving a good indication that the dishes on offer cater for the Chinese palate. But don't be put off by the rather lurid photos on the menu because, when the dim sum baskets arrive, the food looks too good to eat. Translucent prawn dumplings revealing emerald flecks of chive will make your mouth water. Crab and pork dumplings are a successful Chinese take on surf and turf, marrying a meaty texture with the delicate flavour of crab, and seriously good spring rolls are packed with duck, pork, prawns, beansprouts and shitake mushrooms. For bigger appetites, go for hand-made noodle dishes such as beef ho fun, which combine soft, thick noodles and tender slices of beef. It's time to shake off your preconceptions because, despite some erratic service, Saigon Saigon's dim sum is worth seeking out.

• High point: Delicious dim sum
• Low point: Diffident staff take their time with service