Pot and Rice — Restaurant in London

‼️⁉️Our experience at Pot and Rice (Elephant Park, SE17 1FY) was extremely disappointing and frustrating！！！

We waited nearly 30 minutes from ordering to receiving food, with no water provided and no updates from staff. It was only when we asked that they mentioned a system issue—despite the fact I had already verbally confirmed the order with the waitress.

There was more than one person dining — but we were only given one teacup... No plain water was offered throughout the entire meal.

Regarding drinks, while we understand the no outside beverages policy, the staff member handled it rudely. Instead of politely saying “Could you please not bring your own drinks?”, she just grabbed the bag and said, “We don’t allowed…” — an unprofessional and disrespectful tone.

Additionally, the paper bag provided was very unprofessional and not suitable for carrying drinks. As a result, my drink spilled entirely inside the bag due to instability.

At checkout, a 12.5% service charge was automatically added. When I refused to pay and expressed my dissatisfaction, the staff cancelled it but blamed it on a colleague, saying “I wasn’t aware.” This kind of excuse was even more disappointing.

The food was also underwhelming: – The crab roe shrimp rice roll was poorly wrapped and completely fell apart. – The claypot rice, supposedly their signature dish, was far worse than the central London branch (16A D'Arblay St, W1F 8EA), which offers much better food and service. I’d recommend going there instead.

Overall, we felt ignored, disrespected, and...

Hong Kong style fusion food for new tasters, not the UK Chinese takeaway or China town food for visitors. The ingredients' quality and the chefs' cooking technique were good, and this is a good place for you to explore new combinations of ingredients and flavours.

I ordered the toblko and prawn cheung fun, chicken and mushroom pot rice and olong lemon tea. I like the pot rice most. Remember to scratch out the caramelised sauced rice crisps from the pot's bottom. The flavour of the chicken and mushroom were balanced and excellent. I suggest the chef to separate or cut a bit the stalk of the mushrooms to infuse the flavours. It is hot enough to a Hongkonger British but I am not sure other people may need wait a while. (For myself it can be more steamy like a volcano😜)

The cheung fun is the not the teahouse type which I prefer from the child time. This is the one roll and pull with cloth. The taste of the prawn and rice was good as expected and the texture was surprising and worth a try. Good to have new try.

The lemon tea was full of lemon slice, which is most appreciated. I like it very much.

The place and seats were clean and tidy, especially the toilet was good. The service was good. It was a good dining experience. Surely I will come back for another pot rice and try...

First of all, service and atmosphere are not reasons to visit. The staff looked like they were falling asleep. The interior design was more brutalist, with the aluminium ventilation tubings exposed, which would have been fine for me had the floors not been practically covered with black shoeprints and had the toilet I was sitting facing towards not been in full view for everyone to see.

Now, for the food. I chose to indulge myself with the rather pricey foie gras claypot rice with chinese sausages and an additional egg. The food came sizzling hot. As I removed the lid, I was greeted with a fantastic aroma from the assortment of meats that laid beautifully presented. The portion size was great and I could taste bits of crispy rice in each bite. I was also provided with plenty of this sweet and umami-rich sauce to pour over, which added even more oomph to the dish.

The foie gras, however, was not quite as melt in your mouth as you'd expect - it had the consistency of tofu with a hint of fattiness; not too bad, but not worth double the price for. Their 'world famous' Phoenix Oolong Tea also unfortunately fell short as it left an unpleasant bitter aftertaste.

Despite this, I would still choose to visit again and try out...