A Lunar New Year Guide to Chinatown
by Bimble
Tomorrow marks the Lunar New Year — 2022 is Year of the Tiger 🐯 and things are about to get wild. Come behind the scenes with us and join our brand lead Choong Chu, expert brand and product strategist, trained psychiatrist and lover of East Asian food. Let’s ring in the Lunar New Year in one of his favourite neighbourhoods: Chinatown.
I caught up with Choong to learn more about what makes Chinatown so special and to get the lowdown on all his tried and tested favourites to share with our community.
“So when I first arrived in this country as an immigrant, I was 17–18 years old and coming from the East (Malaysia), it’s natural that you gravitate towards the food of your own culture. So that’s where it all started and Chinatown, even in the 90s, was very much the hub for East Asian food. It’s still important to me today.” For Choong, in a city as diverse as London, there’s great East Asian cuisine to be found far beyond the borders of Chinatown, be it authentic Vietnamese places on Kingsland Road, great Thai food in Shoreditch and spicy Sichuan food across the city, but somehow Chinatown has endured and reinvented itself.
It’s apparent to any passerby in Chinatown that there’s a real mix of the old and the new. Not only within the boundaries of the great gates, the surrounding area has also seen a recent boom in East Asian businesses. For example, new and trendy spots have been popping up all along Shaftesbury Avenue and Charring Cross Road, like Taiwanese bubble tea places, Japanese dessert parlors and Korean beauty and grocery stores (where you can even pick up K-pop albums). But equally, these exist alongside legendary places that have a long-standing heritage and history here in London; family-run businesses that have been passed down from generation to generation and that are proud members of a community here.
For Choong, finding this community was a way of connecting to his culture. “I found a lot of my favourite places by stumbling upon the ones which felt like home.” Word of mouth recommendations from close friends with the same tastes, friends that he trusts, also played a part but for a long time now Choong has been quite the expert himself for giving recommendations. Being here regularly is a massive part of that. “As I’m in and out of Chinatown at least once a week to do my grocery shop, you pick up on the new places to try out. I know Chinatown well, it’s one of my neighbourhoods really.”
In our conversation, there’s also clearly a sense that it’s important to support these businesses, not least because of COVID-19 and the difficulties that the hospitality industry has faced over the last 2 years. Choong points out that the adjoining areas like Leicester Square and Soho have meant that rents have also become exorbitant for the business owners. “I hear these concerns because I sit and chat with them when I go out to eat. There is a sense that you’re not just a customer, but also part of the community.” This is where Bimble’s heart lies.
“Speaking of being part of the community, are there any on the Bimble list you’ve shared with us that are long-standing favourites of yours?” “Yes, I’d say Four Seasons. It’s been around for a few decades and it’s very well known among Chinese locals for its special roast duck recipe.”
Finally, Lunar New Year is coming up and 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. Choong lets us in on some of the festivities people should check out in Chinatown. Since this will be the first time since 2019 that people can come together and celebrate properly, it will be special. Think lanterns, firecrackers and lion dances. You’ll also find that most of the restaurants will have a special Chinese New Year menu. These meals are often enjoyed with family or friends and consist of 5–10 courses, like a banquet, with special dishes like Yu Sheng that are said to bring you good luck and prosperity for the New Year.
Choong’s Bimble list is real gold dust and it’s our gift to our community this Lunar New Year. Go check out his list over on the Bimble official page and experience Chinatown through his eyes to feed your inner tiger.
Lastly, quick fire questions:
Bubble tea or bubble wrap:
- Bubble tea for me. But it’s got to be the real type, the one with herbal jellies.
The go-to for dim sum:
- Plum Valley. It’s always on the top of everyone’s list.
Time for dessert: matcha ice-cream or Japanese layer cake?
- Depends on the time of year haha.
Late night snack: Taiwanese fried chicken or roast duck
- Taiwanese fried chicken. Spicy and crunchy, it always hits the spot.
If you have a story you’d like to share about a great little place or other bimbling experiences, get in touch with us at hello@bimble.com
