14/20
Chinese$$
Man Tong Kitchen comes with its own warm-up act. a team of toqued chefs behind glass, industriously pleating dumplings. Fresh and fabulous, the xiao long bao are worthy of this third addition to the popular duo of HuTong dumpling restaurants. More glamorous than its older siblings, Man Tong is a smart casino newcomer of grey slate, enormous red lanterns and Oriental statuary. Its lengthy menu mixes well-known favourites - spring onion pancake, excellent barbecued pork, fluffy char siu bao with a sticky pork filling - with lesser-known regional dishes. Shredded chicken with a velvety slick of sesame oil exhibits the tongue-numbing effects of Sichuan pepper; thinly sliced, nicely textured tripe and ox tongue has its heat alleviated by cooling cucumber; and heavily peppered, tender beef eye fillet arrives in pleasantly bitter fried green tea leaves. Service can veer towards the unhelpful, but the fully fleshed wine list exhibits the love and care worthy of this restaurant group's Great Leap Forward.
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