Gouqi — Restaurant in London

Ever since hearing of the opening I was interested in paying a visit to the restaurant. Given the chefs past experience I was intrigued to see how it will pan out.

Walking in without a booking and I was greeted by Ashton who was very friendly and welcoming from the first moment. I mentioned it’s my first time and he made sure we were comfortable. Going even further than that he took the initiative to show us around the restaurant and explain some of the features.

The interior is very contemporary and modern whilst not being intimidating. I especially liked the chopstick holder.

The mocktail I ordered was the dark horse. I wasn’t a fan of it originally but it grew on me. An extra point for a metal straw.

Johnson was our server and from the first moment he was very attentive. Anytime I had a question about a dish he was able to answer the question with ease. On top of that, he would make sure our drinks were topped up, table was cleared (including crumbing down). With every dish he asked if he wanted any chilli oil or sauce to go with it. The part that showed me a high level of service is when he saw my friend struggling with chopsticks on one dish so he brought over cutlery without us even thinking about it. This was anticipating our needs and going above and beyond. The service also never feels rushed. They really let you enjoy the food give you plenty of time between courses.

For the food, we had the pleasure of speaking to the restaurant director, Alan. He was very friendly and was happy to run through the menu. We went for all of his recommendations and they were all as he described it.

The seafood spring roll melted in my mouth and had an incredible flavour. The salt and pepper squid was amazing. The texture and flavours were amazing. The chicken and chive dumping was also really good. I like the different textures that came on that particular dish.

The Angus beef with black beef sauce was extremely tender and had a lot of flavour. The kung pao chicken was out of this world. The chicken melts in your mouth. I don’t know how they do it but I would return just for this dish.

For dessert we had the golden sesame balls. It wasn’t my favourite filling but that’s just down to personal choice. But it was a nice and warm, if you’re a fan of custard then it’s right up your street.

Overall I can only highly recommend Gouqi. From the moment you come in you are looked after and the food is some of the best Chinese food you will find in London. The chef has done an incredible job on the menu. The service is some of the best I have experienced and I’ve been to many high end restaurants in London. As mentioned in the title, this is a Michelin star quality restaurant in every aspect and it has a great future ahead of it. Kudos to the chef and...

The high-end Chinese food next to Trafalgar Square in London evokes the atmosphere of the Tang House, which is both delicious and delicious! Today I came to this restaurant adjacent to the north of St James Park to have a non-vegetarian meal. I have always heard that their chef is very good! Let me briefly share with you today’s experience~

First of all, great thanks should be given to Mr. Bradley for serving us with smile politely and patiently! Excellent experience!

The black truffle shrimp dumplings have black truffles on the top of the dumplings, and the shrimp meat is so delicious, and the middle is super layered!

Scallops and shrimp are full of protein! It's tender and chewy after one bite, and it feels like a feast. It's such a blessing to be able to taste the freshness of shrimp and scallops!

The spinach and shrimp green spinach dough is a surprise! The spinach flavor of the filling will be very delicious, but it does not feel astringent at all. The shrimp and spinach together are another kind of sweetness!

Crispy Shrimp Fried Wonton Today is the shrimp dim sum feast! The golden-brown fried shrimp wontons stand on the tray. They are crunchy and crunchy when you take one bite. The shrimps are also filled with lots of meat!

The shrimp wontons are made using the red oil recipe. The pork is added to make the taste softer and more elastic! Red oil soup base plus spicy pork yyds! Too delicious to stop eating!

The fried eel rice rolls on both sides are the only snack that is not shrimp. The thin rice roll wrapper is wrapped in crispy fried dough sticks, and inside is the soft and fragrant grilled eel. It melts in your mouth. I really love it!

Casserole with tofu and braised pork belly is really delicious! The pork belly is crispy and very tasty! What’s even more special is the tofu and shiitake mushrooms. You can taste the super delicious soy sauce flavor in one bite, and the tofu and shiitake mushrooms are especially fresh! My friend showed off five pieces of mushrooms and tofu, it was amazing!

Stir-fried cloud fungus is a very light and fragrant vegetarian dish. It contains fresh cloud fungus, lily, shiitake mushroom, colorful pepper, cabbage sum and yam, as well as sugar-coated fried walnuts as an extension, enriching the taste. It's amazing!

Danzi Mushroom Fried Noodles Wow, their mushrooms are also delicious! The mushrooms absorb the spices of the fried noodles, and the bean sprouts and eggs are also paired with it. It is so satisfying!

Overall, their dining experience is great~ Whether it's the park or the restaurant, the service is also very meticulous! like! The location is right next to St. James Park, so families...

Took my pops out for an early Fathers Day lunch here. Almost empty despite being a Saturday but this added to the charm. Very laid back relaxed atmosphere. Front of house were all terrific. Particularly Michael. He attended to our table. Genuinely courteous. Made some suggestions. Was respectful to my folks. Tick tick tick.

So on to the food. Well it’s expensive. Very expensive. But I knew this. So I was hoping, indeed anticipating, to be slapped about with flavour bombs. The prawn Cheung fun was just adequate. Prawns were juicy. The dough slightly thicker than I was hoping and the soy perfectly salty but with an oddly bitter after-note. Sweet and sour Iberico pork again tantalised the taste buds but again no fanfare. I was getting a little concerned. Beef ho fun at a hefty £35 per serving was going to save the day, surely. Sadly no. Perfectly acceptable but if I wanted perfectly acceptable I’d spend £15 on a larger portion in nearby Chinatown. To create a fine dining experience the chef has seemingly veered away from the raw intensity that comes from flash frying in a seasoned molten hot wok and transferring steaming hot dishes to the table. The dishes thus far were pacified safer versions of what they should be. No bueno.

Thankfully all was not lost. The salt and pepper squid stuffed with minced prawns were wonderful spicy moorish parcels of seafood yumminess. Back on track. And now for the showstopper. The humble roast duck. We hadn’t been prepared enough to order their Peking duck 24 hours ahead. This was the plainer barbecue roast duck. But wow oh wow this was absolutely delicious. Best Chinese roast duck I’ve ever eaten. Fat rendered to perfection. Skin glistening yet snap in half crispy. It made me smile with each mouthful. And a quick mention for the steamed rice. Cooked on just the soft side of al dente. Thumbs up.

So if you’ve a couple of hundred quid spare for lunch or dinner, should you go? Yes you should. Would I go again? Probably yes. Would I go again if I had a chance to go to Yauatcha Soho instead?...