Keelung, Chinatown, Soho
These days, Chinatown seems to be divided between two major players – the Bar Shu people and the Leong’s Legend people. Both restaurants have been building on the success of their initial ventures and expanding in the neighborhood. Presumably there’s a rivalry in there somewhere, and if so, I side with the Leong’s contingent (having felt that Bar Shu’s food was very mediocre and expensive and that in contrast, LL’s serves reliably-good dim sum at very good prices).
In light of my LL fan status, it should be no surprise that a few weeks ago, despite several highly-negative reviews (see e.g., Jay Rayner’s Guardian review here and Charmaine Mok’s TimeOut review here), I had dinner at Keelung, the latest offering by the Leong’s gang.
I’ve been to Taipei six or seven times, and several of those visits were two- or three-months long. While there are certain dishes I remember eating a lot of (and loving) in Taiwan — for example, pan-fried baozi at the Shilin nightmarket, oyster omelets, xiao long bao, beef noodle soup, and a fajita-type thing called ren bien — if you asked me what characterizes Taiwanese food, I’d have no good answer. I’ve always thought of Taiwan as the culinary melting pot for Chinese food. The place to get great versions of food that originated in the varied regions of mainland China.
Which is all to say that I didn’t go to Keelung expecting to eat some definitive list of Taiwanese classics, notwithstanding Keelung’s description of itself as a “Taiwanese restaurant.”
Jon and I started with one of our LL favorites, the crab xiao long bao. They were fine, but not as great as I’ve had them at LL’s on weekend dim sum outings. Perhaps they’d been sitting around too long before being steamed. (That said, I feel obliged to note here that Jay Rayner’s dismissing xiao long bao, generally, on the basis of having to eat them in one go is silly. Any xiao long bao lover knows that the trick is to use your chopsticks to lever the dumplings into your soup spoon and take small bites, letting the steam out while collecting the soup in your spoon).
chili garlic prawns at Keelung
But things picked up with the seafood dishes we ordered. I liked that Keelung was generous with the chilies, generally, and the chili garlic prawns we tried were wonderfully tender-yet-firm and packed with flavor. It was a simple dish using large, sweet-tasting prawns. Perfect with plain white rice.
crispy pomfret at Keelung
From the many-fish-served-many-ways matrix, we chose a pomfret and asked for it to be served crispy. And it was good stuff. Lots of firm white meat on the pomfret, lightly-battered skin, and lots of chili and scallions to lighten up the soy-sugar-based sauce. No gloppiness in sight.
pork belly in steamed bun at Keelung
The pork belly served in a steamed bun was a monster and really should have come sliced thin to avoid the meat tasting relatively dry. Sliced thin, I’m convinced the fat-t0-meet ratio would taste better, even if the actual ratio stayed the same. Maybe next time I’ll slice it thin myself, because the dish did offer well-flavored pork belly, which can’t find a better partner than the plain steamed man tou accompanying it.
choi sum
Our biggest disappointment of the evening was a side of choi sum we ordered in a misguided attempt to be healthy. The choi sum was sadly flavorless despite the chilies and preserved veg it was served with. Then again, it’s a steamed vegetable. How exciting could it have gotten, really?
Service was attentive; the decor was surprisingly nice for Chinatown. And unlike other reviewers, I didn’t mind the classic rock soundtrack or memorabilia on the walls. In a way, it’s nice to visit a Chinese restaurant that doesn’t feel obliged to play pentatonic everything in the background.
Tab for two people, including a few beers, totaled £45. It wasn’t the best Chinese food of my life, but it was far from the worst. So I’ll definitely be returning to Keelung to try its other seafood dishes. Keelung seems an ideal place to go for reasonably-priced, good Chinese food served in a comfortable, feel-free-to-linger space.
Keelung, 6 Lisle St, WC2H 7BG, 020 7734 8128; closest Tube station: Leicester Square.
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I passed Keelung the other day (on my way to HK Diner!) and from initial glances, it seems to market itself more as a seafood restaurant than a Taiwanese one…or is that just the impression I got? Anyway, it looks like the seafood dishes you ordered were the real winners!
Yes, I’d agree that Keelung is def a seafood-focused place. Unfortunately, all the reviews I’ve read make a “thing” about Keelung’s being Taiwanese, and I assume those reviews are getting that impression from statements/releases by the restaurant. While I could tell the place wasn’t Cantonese, it’s also not clear to me what would make a restaurant identifiably Taiwanese (other than the name). In any event, I’d suggest getting past the labeling baggage and try the various seafood dishes on offer.
Mmm I love crispy fish. I like how you can pick and choose how to have your seafood – I agree on your xiao long bao point too.
Keelung makes but superficial nods to Taiwanese cuisine… you’re right in thinking that the press releases have a lot to do with it, as I can tell you that they also bigged up something they called ‘Taiwanese street tapas’ a lot. Very lame, considering there were so few concessions to actual authentic Taiwanese street food it was pretty laughable. I wouldn’t go back, but am guessing from your experience that the seafood really should be their main selling point.
Oh Jay… have come to expect that from him now regarding oriental restaurants!
I went to Keelung with a Taiwanese friend for lunch (no photos because they were lost on laptop, which means no post thankfully!) and wasn’t that impressed with the food even though she selected ‘authentic’ dishes. I’ve had the pork belly kebab before at Leong’s, but apart from that, you and I ate completely different dishes. Perhaps I should return for the seafood one evening…
Lizzie – I agree. Crispy fish, when it’s done right, is *really* good.
Charmaine – I actually don’t mind the resto’s use of the phrase “Taiwanese street tapas.” It conveys the idea of small snacks served on the street. But you’re right that I didn’t see much of those goodies on the Keelung menu. Maybe they’ve given up trying to sell it (which would be too bad). Not related to food at all, but I have to confess, no matter how long I’ve lived in London, the widespread use of the word “oriental” in the UK makes me cringe a bit (bc it brings to mind the “bad old days”). That said, I know “Asian” doesn’t mean the same as it would in the US, so I suppose “oriental” fills that need.
HYLP – I’m very curious . . . what did your Taiwanese friend consider “authentic Taiwanese” food? [Random aside, but one thing I always found amusing about the Taiwan dining scene is how highly-regarded Japanese food is in Taiwan. It's like Stockholm syndrome played out in restaurants.] In any event, there’s a lot of great seafood in Taiwan, so I don’t think ordering the seafood at Keelung and trying to stay “authentic” are mutually exclusive.
Great review, but I have to say I formed part of the Rayner / Mok school of thought on this place. The sauces were all gloopy, the soup an improbable murk with bits of bone floating around in it, the service laughably inhospitable, and the loos like something out of the 1940s.
It all comes to the matter of HONESTY. The food, environment and service are all right, however when I received the bill I found two items were listed wrong, the price of soy bean milk and lychee drink are different from the prices we originally saw from the menu and there’s a 38% difference.
I called the waitress for some enlightenment and was told the menu we saw might be an old one with considerable difficulty. Since the difference was small I paid the price they asked for but nevertheless was left wondering, first of all it’s their mistake and they didn’t even bother to mention we should pay for what was previously shown to us, secondly, although the food lived quit to my expectation, I think they lost a score here for honesty and I am not unreasonable to believe that they could have hidden some other things. Therefore I would hesitate to go there again.
Hi there, just discovered your fab blogs. I am a fellow foodie traveller… and am off to Keelung tonight. I’ve already warned my 4 dining companions that I will (as usual) commandeer the ordering. I will report back! I also hope to contribute to comments in future… xx Mike
Here’s my two-cents worth on Keelung. I will definitely head back for a second time in order to try even more dishes, which, on the whole were delicious. We were a group of 5 big eaters, and with beers, the total was about 30 pounds per person.
First, the debate on whether it’s really a “Taiwanese” restaurant.
The owner is from Hongkong, his wife from Taiwan (perhaps from a mainland family; I didn’t ask), staff from Hongkong and Malaysia. No idea about the chef(s), which is what counts, isn’t it? In any event, Taiwanese food is basically a blend of food from Fujian and northern China/Shanghai. What matters is the quality, and on first visit it seems this restaurant gets it right.
The dishes…
Pork xiao long bao: excellent, though they should really be steamed atop a cabbage leaf, which sadly was missing. The dumplings here did have the requisite combination of a thin-but-gummy skin, scalding hot broth, and correct consistency of minced pork with ginger flavouring.
Crab version: bland; wouldn’t recommend it.
Razor clams (steamed) with spring onion & ginger: as could be expected – a bit chewy, fresh tasting.
Pigs trotter in “clay pot”. Tender bits of not-too-chewy trotter (without bone) in a rich sauce that wasn’t cloying. Very good. Main gripe is the “clay pot” description. Ok, so it was served in a clay pot (atop a small burner). But it was not cooked in a clay pot. Big difference. Nonetheless, I can recommend this dish.
Oyster omelette. A winner, though I think they cut up some of the oysters into smallish pieces, which was a shame.
Whole prawns Szechuan style. I can’t remember the exact name of this dish, which was excellent. 4 pieces per order. The prawns must have been coated with a bit of flour/cornstarch (not too much) before being crisp fried with lots of dried peppers. A hint of sweetness. Reminded me of chilli prawns out in HK/Taiwan years ago. One blogger has complained that the heads came off too easily and therefore the prawns weren’t fresh. Happy to report heads stayed on, though considering that most large prawns in UK travel all the way from Brazil or the Arabian Gulf, you have to give them some slack.
Tofu with plum sauce. Another winner. Bite sized tofu topped with a sauce that wasn’t overpowering.
Fried green beans with minced pork. Very disappointing in that I think those horrible, thin, imported Kenyan beans were used, not seasonal UK beans, which are thicker and tastier.
Fried beef ho fan noodles. Excellent. Andrew, the manager, recommended this and he was right. Beef was tender, just right amount of sauce and flavouring.
Mike – thanks for sharing such a thorough and detailed write-up of your meal. I, too, enjoyed those chili prawns and was disappointed by the crab XLB (which is odd, because I recently had them again at Leong’s and they were still very good there).
Next time I’ll try the tofu and beef ho fan on your recommendation.
I’m still undecided about Keelung. The Time Out review was a bit savage although I wouldn’t set much stall by anything Jay Rayner writes on Chinese food.
Mr Noodles – I just read your post on professional reviewers and Chinese food, and I laughed when I saw that someone had ordered the corn-soup-set-menu and reviewed on that basis. Thanks for your comment.
[...] on Eat Noodles Love Noodles (an excellent blog written by “Mr. Noodles”) that Keelung restaurant (which I’d enjoyed despite its drubbing by the pros) had reinvented itself as a Szechuan [...]