Wing Tai Restaurant - Review - Cricklewood - London - The Infatuation
"Just off a buzzing stretch of the A5 in Cricklewood is Wing Tai. It’s a truly unique London institution. Where else in the world can you sit in a huge pseudo-temple and eat dim sum while a soundtrack that exclusively consists of Westlife plays in the background? Who knew Westlife even had that many songs? Quantity over quality is the name of the game at this sprawling Cantonese restaurant. The peking duck comes on its own king-sized bed of prawn crackers, the big round tables are packed out with several generations, and you could feasibly spend half an hour reading the menu. The food ranges from serviceable (the aforementioned glistening quack) to the bad (sloppy shao mai). Keep expectations for a fantastic meal low and instead, settle for a very good time. The setting is fun and it’s a proper scene, albeit one that’s more spinning lazy susans and toasting bottles of Tsingtao than an all-out party. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Pause Unmute Food Rundown Deep Fried Doughnut Cheung Fun There’s a whole host of cheung fun available at Wing Tai and unlike the lacklustre roast pork version, these dedicated crunchers are worth an order. The fried dough is crispy, the dough is silky smooth, and together they’re a satisfying mouthful. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Steamed Shanghai Dumplings It would take an eviction notice for the warming, salty soup to leave these dumplings. Or, a very firm bite. The skin is extra thick, arguably too thick. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Chef Special Peking Roast Duck This is by no means London’s best peking duck, but the skin is lovely and bar a couple of moments of gristle, the tender meat is too. Also, the accompanying hoi sin is extra sweet and makes for fun dipping with the freebie bed of prawn crackers. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley" - Heidi Lauth Beasley
