The best restaurants for dim sum in London

Are you a dim sum daredevil, tempted by ducks' tongues, tripe and finest chicken feet? Or a play-it-safe type who prefers familiar barbecued pork, spring rolls and prawn toast? Whichever you may be, you'll find London's thriving dim sum scene has something for you.

Based on Cantonese tea and dumpling tradition "yum cha", dim sum is now a London obsession. From hungover brunch to late-night snack, we now want our dumplings all day every day, with cocktails, loud music and lashings of glamour.

Yet sometimes we want them old-school style, served from trolleys in a cavernous Hong Kong-style restaurant with neverending pots of tea.

Whether you're a traditionalist or a modernist, an old hand or a novice, we've the place for you.

New World
One of the last of a dying breed, this vast Chinatown institution still serves its dim sum from trolleys. Mostly helpful, sometimes harried, waitresses wheel them round piled high with bamboo steamers, barbecued meats and jellified puddings in strange brightly coloured shades.

Trolley service is great for novice dim sum eaters who just want to just point and eat - but you may inadvertently order a plate of tripe. New World may not hit culinary heights, but for cheap and authentic Hong Kong-style fun it's hard to beat, attracting queues so long you may have to take a ticket and wait at weekends. Dim sum is served all day, but the trolleys do their last round around 5.30pm.
1 Gerrard Place, Chinatown (020 7734 0396)

Ping Pong
The clue's in the easy-listening soundtrack: this is dim sum at its most populist. The polite welcome, easy set menus (from £10.50) and all-day offering make this seven-strong dumpling and cocktail chain the entry-level option, the very opposite of an authentic Chinatown experience.

Menus have a pan-Asian slant and nary a webbed foot in sight. Even the tea experience is sexed up: "flowering" jasmine tea in tall glasses. But there's a reason for the queues out the door - Ping Pong gives good glamour at a great price.
45 Great Marlborough Street, Soho (020 7851 6969)

Pearl Liang
A year-old challenger for best dim sum in town, Pearl Liang pairs exotic looks with authentic Cantonese cuisine. Ordering's easy: tick what you want on the menu from popular favourites such as barbecued pork puffs (£2.50) or prawn dumplings (£2.80) to acquired tastes like chicken feet in black bean sauce (£2.50) or steamed ox tripe with ginger and spring onion (£2.50).

Though the Paddington Basin setting is quiet at the weekend, inside Pearl Liang, it's teeming with families and cool young things. The weekday set lunch is a steal at £9.60. Dim sum available 12-5pm.
8 Sheldon Square, Paddington, (020 7289 7000)

Royal China Club
A new-school eaterie from an old-school brand. There's only one place to see and be seen on a Sunday, and it's the Royal China Club where, every weekend, dumpling-mad glamourpusses wait in line for a table with champers, fresh juices and a wodge of Sunday papers.

This sleek joint specialises in top-notch dim sum and sparkling ingredients, such as Dover sole cheung fun (£4.80) or lobster dumplings in yellow wine sauce (£5.80).