Orient London

The Best Dishes We Tried In August - London - The Infatuation

"Fried turnip cake with XO sauce “Growing up on Shooting Stars, the deranged late-90s Vic & Bob game show, means that it is physically impossible for me to read, think, or taste umami without saying it, uvavu-style. It’s a dreadful affliction for anyone who has the bad luck to be eating a meal with me. Fortunately I was alone when Orient’s steaming hot plate of fried turnip cake in XO sauce arrived at my table - so I kept my guttural stage whisper of ‘OO-MA-MEE’ to myself. In fact, I didn’t even say it out loud, because as soon as the turnip cake hit the table, it was in my mouth, singing the roof, and didn’t leave until the plate was empty. It’s got everything, really. Crispness and carb-like softness from the turnip cake. The crunch of beansprouts and carrots and spring onion mixed with gloops of egg. And everything coated in the seafood-laden, sausage-flecked, savoury-slickness of XO sauce. Moreish, yes. But, moreover, maybe the perfect plate of food.” - JM" - team infatuation