Restaurant review: Chinese Cricket Club, Blackfriars
Chinese Cricket Club is a restaurant located on the Ground Floor of the 5* Hyatt Regency Blackfrairs, a stone’s throw from the tube station and opposite the unique London pub, The Blackfair.
The hotel’s central location near the Thames is a great base for walking and discovering the city and is very much in the working part of London hence it serves well as a business hotel. The hotel is in an impressive Grade II-listed building on the former grounds of King Henry VIII’s Bridewell Palace. The hotel is not on anyone’s hot and trendy list but is a slick, elegant modern, well-appointed business hotel. Having worked for Hyatt International in my other life I know their hotels are welcoming, well-oiled establishments who train their staff well and the in house restaurants and bars hold their own.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c9534c4af4683461d462c6b/ae55fe78-6152-4d1c-a084-fa178314bad8/Hyatt-Regency-London-Blackfriars-Chinese-Cricket-Club-Authentic-Chinese-Cuisine.jpg)
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket Club Authentic Chinese Cuisine.
FloLondon was keen to give this restaurant a try in an area where there seems to be a dearth of good Chinese restaurants. Personally, having grown up in Singapore I am always in search of excellent Chinese Restaurants in London. Their chef Tony Troung has excellent pedigree having worked at the Royal China Queensway, eventually becoming their head chef. In the day it was reputed to be one of London’s top restaurants with excellent Dim Sum, a place we used to enjoy as a family almost every Sunday. He then went on to helm Mei Ume at Four Seasons, Trinity Square.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c9534c4af4683461d462c6b/37127fdc-1546-4fdb-be4f-8473af6ae54b/Hyatt-Regency-London-Blackfriars-Chinese-Cricket-Club-Main-Dining-Area-Dinner-Space.jpg)
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket-Club Main Dining Area Dinner Space..
The Chinese Cricket Club is smart enough for a business lunch and there were indeed many businessmen dining here but encouragingly there were also many Chinese people dining here which is always a good sign, albeit a cliched one. The decor is East meets West with wooden floors and uniquely shaped oriental paper ceiling lamps and hanging metal wall sconces which I am sure in the evening gives more warmth to this light filled room. The room has the din of a hotel coffee shop which could perhaps benefit from some carpeting to absorb the sound.
A must order is their Smoked Peking Duck specialty. Its presentation adds some drama to the meal arriving in a clear glass cloche from which swirling smoke appears when lifted. Accompaniments are the usual pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber, and leek but with the addition of sweet and tangy pineapple batons which lift the dish. The duck is lightly smoked, tender and with a delicate, light, crisp skin.
Xiao long bao (soup dumpling) is the dish to order when trying to ascertain the general quality of a dim sum restaurant and these were certainly better than most I have found in London but not quite as good as my absolute favourite worldwide found at Din Tai Fung (a Taiwanese restaurant chain with branches in London at Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road or Selfridges). These soupy dumplings should be served with a ceramic Chinese soup spoon which assists in capturing the soupy goodness and not spilling when you bite a hole in the top to add your ginger vinegar sauce. The ginger in the vinegar was lacking in bite as it appeared too thinly grated and perhaps dried out before adding. I personally prefer the ginger finely julienned. We also tried their Black Caviar Lobster dumpling, a rather sexy dish (I’ll let you guess what my plus one said it looked like). It was both a visually stunning dish and extremely delicious. The remaining dim sum selection looked inventive and thoughtful, and we would be keen to try the Pear Dumpling (chicken shrimp, bamboo shoots, pear), Parma Ham Sui Mai and the Red Oil Chicken Dumplings on another visit.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c9534c4af4683461d462c6b/74ef277b-bbc4-43e4-9bd6-84ed9d84bd35/Hyatt-Regency-London-Blackfriars-Chinese-Cricket-Club-Dimsum-Imperial-Wagyu-with-Red-Wine.jpg)
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket Club Dimsum Imperial Wagyu with Red Wine.
We tried two main dishes: Shanghai Style 24 Hour Slow Cooked Pork Belly and the Wok-Fried Beef Fillet with Black Pepper Sauce. The beef was the winner and was packed with flavour. While the Pork Belly was beautifully presented and tender it didn’t quite hit the mark for us flavour wise.
Desserts of Coconut Tapioca Pudding and Matcha delice were both of a high standard. The Tapioca pudding is served with sorbet and an orange tuile it is the lighter and more refreshing dessert of the two. I do love a bit of matcha in my life and the layers in this cake like desert were a wonderful mix of flavours using a complimentary black sesame crmeux. Service overall was well paced and friendly and the only hiccup was our missing coffee order at the end of the meal which was promptly rectified upon asking again.
Matcha delice. Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars Chinese Cricket Club. Photo by Natascha Milsom.
We dined a la carte but there are set lunch and more elaborate set menu options which appear to be good value as well as a Weekend Dim Sum offering. Also worth noting is their good vegetarian of vegetarian menu items. Chinese Cricket Club is worth a visit for a business or casual lunch. In the evenings it makes for a convenient post work dinner spot before heading home in the evenings as it is just a hop, skip and step across the road and onto the tube.
Location: 19 New Bridge Street, London EC4. Nearest Station: Blackfairs.Instagram: @chinese.cricket.club. hyattrestaurants.com.
Words by Natascha Milsom
Slice teams up with Yard Sale Pizza for free Pizza on the 24 September at their Hackney Road Store….
The exhibition ‘MARY MARY’ will feature sculptures by nine women artists on the roof terrace above Temple tube station from October 2024 to September 2025…
Hayu FanFest will make its debut in London on 26 October, featuring exclusive panels, star-studded meet-and-greets, and a special appearance by Andy Cohen…
London's bustling art week returns next month, with Frieze London and Frieze Masters launching at The Regent's Park from 9 to 13 October 2024. During this time, several other art fairs will also be taking place across the city…
Queen’s Park is set to bid farewell to summer with a vibrant street party on Lonsdale Road, scheduled for Friday, 13th September, from 4-10pm. This exciting event will unite the local community with a lively set by Hed Kandi DJ John Jones …
London Podcast Festival 2024 · Birkenstock 250th Anniversary Exhibition · Rolf Hind: Sky in a Small Cage · Totally Thames 2024 · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival 2024 · Cornelius + Ichiko Aoba · The Marriage of Figaro, The Royal Opera · Rooftop Book Club · The Vinyl Factory: REVERB · Ernest Cole: House of Bondage · Roger Mayne: Youth …
A significant piece of London’s nightlife history is making its way to the new London Museum, set to open in 2026. The iconic sign from the renowned nightclub fabric, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, will be featured in the museum’s permanent installation…
Babur is a respected family run restaurant in an unassuming neighbourhood which opened back in 1985 and has clearly stood the test of time. The kitchen is led by two talented chefs (formerly of the renowned luxury Oberoi Hotel Group) head chef Jiwan Lal and sous chef Praveen Kumar Gupta, who both helped Babur receive London’s Best Asian Restaurant at the Asian Restaurant Awards in 2022.
One Tree Hill Nature Reserve offers a peaceful retreat from busy London. Located in Honor Oak It can be reached by the Overground train arriving at Honor Oak, a small reserve of 7 acres with interesting history, wildlife and stunning panoramic views towards the city.
Lumen Studios present NONOTAK’s ECLIPSE in London with a 1,000-square-metre immersive light and sound exhibition.
Shifters, currently on at The Duke of York’s Theatre following a sold-out first run at Bush Theatre, is the story of Dre and Des: two childhood friends who reunite at the wake of Dre’s Nana after eight long years apart.
Kinnari Saraiya is a London-based Indian artist, curator, and researcher whose work focuses on trans-altern and post-humanist ideas from the Global South. She is currently a curator at Somerset House and has held positions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Frieze Art Fair, and Bowes Museum....
Arte Povera at Bourse de Commerce · retrospective of Jackson Pollock’s Musée National Picasso-Paris · Barbara Crane’s photography at Centre Pompidou · Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann & …, at Fondation Louis Vuitton · Petit Palais Palais de Tokyo…
Berlin, Berlin: 20 Years of the Helmut Newton Foundation · Alexandra Pirici and Nama Tsbar at Hamburger Bahnhof · Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: The Soul Station · Luis Roque: Estufa · Galli: See How You Get On · Akinbode Akinbiyi: Being, Seeing, Wandering · Frans Hals: Master of the Fleeting Moment · Dream On—Berlin, the 90s...
Wilhelm Sasnal: Painting as Prop at Stedelijk Museum · Matthew Wong: Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort at Van Gogh Museum · Point of View at Rijksmuseum…
On the last Saturday of August, Tate Modern Lates will present a unique collaboration with the acclaimed rapper, singer, and actor Little Simz, who will curate an exclusive evening of music, conversations, workshops...
Classical Music Opening Weekend Southbank Centre · CelebrASIA Festival at Battersea Power Station · Rooftop Book Club · Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION · London Design Festival 2024 · Totally Thames 2024 · Open House London · Art Exhibitions · Voyages Extraordinaires at Gothic Bar · Waterworks Festival · The Last Night of the Proms · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival…
National Prosecco Weekend · Fiddler on the Roof · Hospitality In The Woods · All Points East Festival · Hogarth’s House · Afternoon Tea Week 2024 · Wellness in Nature · Homelessness: Reframed · Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent · Hockney and Piero: A Longer Look · Banksy’s in London · POoR Collective: Together We Rise…
Andi and Miquita Oliver introduced Wilderness Festival goers to a selection of European cheeses, sharing culinary tips and insights during a live podcast with special guest Matt Tebbutt….
Marc Quinn: Light into Life · Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere · Roger Mayne: Youth · C. Rose Smith: Talking Back to Power · Rheim Alkadhi: Templates for Liberation · REVERB by The Vinyl Factory · Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection · Design Discoveries: Towards a DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN · Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 · Francis Alÿs: Ricochets · Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence …
We were keen to receive an invitation to tour this year’s 13th Edition of Sculpture in the City. There is something about public sculpture, which is extremely appealing, with each sculpture displayed with its own unique back drop…
Official Team GB Fan Zones · King’s Cross Fan Zone · Battersea Power Station Fan Zone · Grosvenor Square, Mayfair Fan Zone · Old Royal Naval College’s Summer Big Screen · Bishops Square, Spitalfields · Hammersmith Summer Festival · Lower Marsh, Waterloo · Summer in the Square, Marylebone · Summer Screens, Canary Wharf · Summer by the River….
José María Velasco: A View of Mexico · Noah Davis · Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism · Christina Kimeze · Citra Sasmita: Into Eternal Land · Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo · The Music Is Black: A British Story · Kiefer/Van Gogh · Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350 · Kerry James Marshall · A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle · Mickalene Thomas: All About Love · RA Summer Exhibition 2025…
Southbank Centre reveals exciting line-up for London Literature Festival 2024, co-curated by rapper Ghetts and featuring exclusive book launches and poetry events…
Cocktails in the City‧ Somerset House Summer Series‧ UEFA EURO 2024: England v Netherlands‧ BST Hyde Park‧ Wimbledon‧ Kew the Music‧ You Belong Here‧ Kaleidoscope Festival‧ Come As You Really Are‧ Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024‧ Barbie: The Exhibition‧ Joy Labinjo: We Are Briefly Gorgeous‧ Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream)‧ Old Royal Naval College’s Summer Big Screen‧ Rucola rooftop restaurant‧ The Literacy Pirates
Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail · Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence · Naomi: In Fashion · Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection…
Explore Taylor Swift's fashion journey from country beginnings to global pop phenomenon with 16 iconic looks at the V&A this summer…
Everyman Cinema returns with free outdoor screenings at two spectacular waterside venues, Kings Cross and The Brentford Project, this summer 2024…
Lonnie Holley: All Rendered Truth · Barbie Exhibition · Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024 · Joy Labinjo: We Are Briefly Gorgeous · Minoru Nomata: Continuum · Eliza Kentridge: Tethering · Ablade Glover: Inner Worlds, Outer Journeys · Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent · Postgraduate Fine Art Shows 2024 · Lottie Cole: A Commonplace Collection of Paintings · Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream)…
Koyo Kouoh is the Chief Curator and Executive Director of Zeitz MOCAA…
![Kintampo Apron](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c9534c4af4683461d462c6b/1651510867445-3LSY5UA4YMJSHTATCQ7T/IMG_0759.jpg)