Ping Pong’s branch right near Selfridges is a haven for shoppers, office workers and dim sum lovers of every type.

The Venue
This Ping Pong location is perfectly located for a spot of Selfridges shopping – especially if you’re the type who knows that a wander around the food hall is a perfect appetite stimulant. The top floor is made up of a small square room, with large windows along the walls and a bar towards the back. Seating space is at a premium, and though tables don’t feel close together you might be expected to share with another group. The round table in the middle is the perfect example of this. The decor is very simple and minimalist, with lots of black and slightly heavy tables and chairs.

Downstairs is more of the same, small two person tables lined up amongst the wall. Watch out if you’re looking for the toilets though, because the doorways are very, very low. And in case you can’t read the hard-to-spot signs, it’s women on the right and guys on the left.

The Atmosphere
This branch gets absolutely packed even on weeknights, and thanks to its just-off-Oxford-Street location its filled up with shoppers and office workers. There’s a nice buzz of conversation, although sometimes you may have to raise your voice a bit to be heard over the crowd (and around the stacks of dim sum baskets). Service is really friendly and very good at recommendations – be sure to trust their drink picks.

The Food
Ok, it is a chain, but it still has only seven locations – that hardly brings it up to Starbucks level. And unlike other restaurants that claim to specialise in dim sum, at Ping Pong everything tastes incredibly fresh and the little parcels stay exactly how they’re supposed to be, whether that’s crisp or doughy. No need to worry about your dumpling getting embarrassingly gloppy and hitting the table instead of your plate.

Out of the massive menu, which includes signature Chinese dishes, soups and vegetables on top of the aforementioned dim sum, the staff recommends that each person orders three to four plates each. Most of the dim sum dishes come with three pieces, so hopefully the person you’re dining with will let your snag one for your own. The prices are good, too – at £3 - £4 for most dishes you can spend as much or as little as you can afford.

From the steamed dumplings, the rich and well seasoned pork shu mai is a classic that shouldn’t be passed up. Meanwhile, both the spicy pork and spicy chicken dumplings have a decent kick to them which is countered nicely by the slightly sweet steamed dough casing. From the list of fried dim sum, the crispy hoi sin duck spring roll is highly recommended – the duck is wonderfully tender and the hoi sin dipping sauce that comes along with it is thick and sweet. The spinach and beef dumpling is great as well, with the spinach and beef ground into a thick, seasoned paste and encased within a crispy dough shell. Unfortunately, the crispy Thai chicken spring roll tastes spongy in the middle and tastes odd with the thin, crisp outside. The char sui bun is a must try – a thick, puffy steamed bun that looks not unlike a snowball is filled with chopped strips of chicken in a thick, tangy brown sauce. It looks odd, but it tastes fantastic.

On the non-dumpling front, the honey glazed ribs are coated with a sweet sauce and the meat is succulent – and there’s an enormous amount of it. The chilli squid in sambal sauce is nicely spiced, but the squid is a bit too stiff. A good side dish is the pickled vegetables, which has a good combination of veg (cucumber, carrot and daikon) in a sweet, vinegary sauce.

If, after all that, you still have room for dessert, keep it simple and light. The fresh, bright yellow pineapple with chocolate sauce is a good balance of sweet and slightly bitter, but unfortunately the mango pudding has a strange, wobbly texture and a slightly sour aftertaste. Go for the fruit instead.

The Drink
Their signature cocktail is the Ping Pong, a mix of MARTINI Bianco, white wine and lychee juice. Although it seems like it would be slightly dry because of the wine, the drink is surprisingly sweet and refreshing. The addition of green grapes in the glass is a nice touch that gives it a slightly fruitier hint. The Ginger and Limoncello Caipirinha is sharp and potent, whilst the Vanilla, Peach and Rum cocktail is silky and sugary. The Vanilla, Lemon and Vodka cocktail is a good balance of flavours; it tastes like it’s quite strong but goes down smooth.

If you’re in the mood for a post-dinner tea then you definitely shouldn’t pass up the flowering teas. Hand tied dried teas that look like little gifts (or, in the case of the Flowering Osmanthus, a little mushroom) are dropped into a glass of hot water. The dried flowers then open up slowly, revealing beautiful coloured leaves. In order to see the flowers, you’re served these in a tall glass – unfortunately this makes the tea hard to drink because the glass gets almost too hot to touch.

The Last Word
A great venue if you’re a dim sum fan and an absolute must-try if you’ve never sampled dim sum before – you’ll be holding other dim sum restaurants up to Ping Pong’s standard.

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