Chop Chop

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £5.50 (set lunch)
   £16 (evening meal)
• House wine: £9.85 per bottle
• BYOB: £5 corkage

• Hitlisted
• High point: Delicious north-eastern Chinese cooking straight from the heart
• Low point: Canteen-like surroundings lack finesse
• Food served: Tue–Fri noon–2pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Sat/Sun 5p–11pm
• Open since: 2006
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of main courses), Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access, Takeaway

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

'Authentic' may be an over-used claim on many menus, but at Chop Chop it's entirely appropriate. Don't be fooled by the garish red and yellow façade: it might look like any other takeaway, but Chop Chop is the real deal. Genuinely charming and knowledgeable staff explain chef/proprietor Jian Wang's ethos: serving the north-eastern Chinese food that the Chinese people eat. Diners are encouraged to order three or four small dishes, each to be shared among the whole table. In fact, in the informal, almost canteen-like surroundings, accompanied by a chilled Chinese beer, it's the only way to eat. Jian's specialty dumplings are unmissable: boiled or fried and plunged into dipping sauce mixed to taste by the diners themselves, combinations such as pork and chive and beef and turnip are bursting with flavour. The simplicity of the dishes belies a flavoursome pay-off: a deceptively cool glass noodle salad delivers a fiery chilli kick, and crispy shredded potato with coriander, spring onions and sesame seeds is a mouthwatering delight. Chop Chop has built a loyal following since its 2006 opening and, with food like this, deservedly so. As their flyer asks: 'Can a billion people be wrong?'