Restaurants: DimSum delights

Royal China

13 Queensway, London W2 (0171-221 2535)

Magnificent black-and-gold restaurant whose dim sum is renowned both for quality and imaginativeness. Fried snacks at their best.

Harbour City

46 Gerrard St, London W1 (0171-439 7859)

Cramped and dark downstairs, light and airy upstairs, with excellent versions of the more common snacks and a good selection of weirder delicacies.

Local Friends

28 North End Rd, London NW11 (0181-455 9258)

Cheap, local and popular. A rare place where vegetarians can fill up, too.

New World

1 Gerrard Place, London W1 (0171-734 0396)

The other place for trolley service. Busy and fun on a weekend.

Shanghai

41 Kingsland High St, London E8 (0171-254 2878)

One of the few restaurants that do dim sum in the evenings. Former eel- and-pie shop, with tiles intact.

Harvest

7 New College Parade, Finchley Rd, London NW3 (0171-722 8474)

Low-loss restaurant which tries hard and often succeeds.

SM