We live walking distance from Lotus and are so glad we have finally found a place for authentic cheap dim sum without needing to travel all the way to Chinatown!

From its mundane unlit appearance in the afternoon and tinted windows which prevented us from seeing inside, we always assumed it was a novelty joint either failing miserably or completely abandoned, until we walked in last week at lunchtime and realised it was buzzing especially with the office crowd from Canary Wharf!

All the steamed dim sum classics are well executed- fluffy white char siew bao (BBQ pork buns), har gau (prawn dumplings), siew mai (pork dumplings), beef tripe with ginger etc, and we were surprised to find good Ma Lai Koh (Malay steamed sponge cake) on the menu too which is the first time I've encountered it in London!

We ordered two varieties of cheong fun (steamed rice sheet rolls)- char siew and fried dough- and loved both, highly appreciating the fact that the sauce for the fried dough version was served in a separate saucer for dipping instead of drizzled over, to ensure the filling remained crispy.

The fried/baked dishes also got the thumbs up all round- gorgeous little egg custard tarts with a flaky pastry, light and not-too-greasy wu kok (yam puffs with meat filling) and crunchy salad har (fried prawn dumplings with salad cream).

The only thing we regretted ordering was the plate of dry-fried beef hor fun, which was rather bland and oily and not worth the £6.50 price tag.

Although I haven't tried any of their other noodle dishes, I would say it's a safer bet to stick to the dim sum classics.

Service was typical of a Chinese restaurant (none too friendly, civil but indifferent), but with most of the dishes priced at £2 (the most expensive ones being £3.50) and a lovely waterfront view to boot, I will definitely be back at Lotus over and over to satisfy my dim sum cravings! :)

I was so disappointed by this restaurant. For the simple reason that the gorgeous setting (a boat on a lake) implies a certain standard. A standard which is immidiately lowered by the food!!!!!!!!!!!What a let down. You pay inflated prices for 'dressed up' fast food. The standard of the food was no better than at a Chinese fast food restaurant, it was very greasy and sticky. My partner and I did not enjoy the experience one bit, and wished we hadn't fallen into the trap of making assumptions about a restaurant based on it's appearence.

If you are looking for a great meal with excellent service (3/4 waiters per table at some points!) and a delightful setting then this is the place to come.

It is by no means the best Chinese food I have eaten and the Christmas menu (a couple of years back) was un-inventive and around £20 per person not including the drinks. However it was of an excellent quality and a nice mixture of 'favourite' dishes so everyone enjoyed the meal.

My best experiences have been with the dim sum menu and taking risks on food I hadn't tried before. I am not a great fan of shellfish but think that the salt and peppercorn scallops are fantastic and would highly recommend their standard crispy aromatic duck.I have never had anything I didn't like but found chicken satay a little dry and on the chewy side.

They cater for large groups and couples alike - it is always busy so best to ring and reserve. Just try to request a river view table as this adds so much to the experience.