Jin Bao — Restaurant in London

Update:

Thank you for your genuine reply. Apologies, we probably both misunderstood our intent in terms of the extra pan fried dumplings. Wishing all the best for your shop!

It was a bit of a disappointing experience, as I had high expectations after reading the reviews.

We dined in and expected fresh, pan-fried dumplings, but they were premade and microwaved. They weren’t crispy at all, and the skin was dry and stiff. We told the staff that we expected crispy bottoms for pan-fried dumplings, but they explained that this is a fast-food style restaurant and they don’t have time to pan-fry each order. They offered to make a fresh batch, which would require a 15-minute wait, but we declined as we didn’t want to spend more money. They mentioned that next time we can request fresh dumplings when ordering. It was frustrating that the shop expected us to know the dumplings would be microwaved because of their fast-food setup — I had no idea we were supposed to understand their business operations beforehand.

The bao tasted good, but there was no juice. The wonton noodles weren’t very good — the soup was bland and the noodles were the kind you can buy at an Asian supermarket.

I didn’t want to leave a negative review, but since we voiced our disappointment at the shop and felt it wasn’t resolved, I thought it was...

The worker practically attacked me and snatched money out my hand whilst I was outside and told me to leave and that she wouldn’t serve me. The service and attitude here was absolutely appalling. I tried to order 5 of their signature pork bao, which came to a total of £11.80. I gave the lady a £20 note and she gave me only £8 change. My mum then said she didn’t give the correct change and the lady started arguing saying she gave us more than she was supposed to - which she did not as she was short 20p. 20p isn’t the problem, the problem is her attitude. She then shoved £1 into my hand and told me to just take it. I told her it was fine, but she insisted, so I went outside to wait for my food. She then suddenly came out and snatched the £9 out of my hand and shoved a £20 into my hand and told me she wasn’t gonna serve me. I don’t know why she thought that was professional or polite to do. I don’t recommend purchasing from here, not only is it overpriced, the service...

The second jewel on the otherwise dull wrong side of the tracks at the Kew Gardens station, next to Cafe Yukari. We stumbled upon the place accidentally, owing to an inexorable sudden rail/tube suspension. The small venue lies a few metres west of the station. Just tried the buns, and they were fantastic, mouth-watering, unforgettable: we've just come home, had our dinner proper, but are still thinking about those buns and crave for more! The place looks extremely down-to-earth-authentic, a pleasant change after a parade of high-maintenance specimens of car manufacturing parked by the houses on the other, Kew side of the tracks. The food was prepared and served by two adorable ladies; the sign says, they've been there since 1858, but I would not grant them a third of this age. One more reason to come back to Kew Gardens, we're going to try the celebrated Wonton soup next time...