Duddell’s is an authentic Cantonese restaurant in the historic St Thomas’s Church building right by Borough Market in London Bridge. Duddell’s started in Hong Kong and Duddell’s London is their first restaurant outside Hong Kong. We first became aware of Duddell’s London at Taste of London 2018 and it had both of my favourite dishes at the festival – Sweet & Sour Cointreau Berkshire Pork and Pecking Duck Tart. I checked the menu on the spot and there were a ton more intriguing dishes so I added it to the top of our list.

Duddell’s London is very beautiful. It keeps some of the aesthetics of the historic church and adds a lot of exquisite touches, from the décor, to the bar, the open kitchen, and the crockery.

The service is really professional and helpful, and guided me through my order as I was too excited and initially ordered three mains! Although to be fair to me, the menu has a section of Chef’s Recommendations, which aren’t exactly clear if they are mains or starters lol. But as Shiima said, “It’s clear. Look at the prices!” 😂

What we ordered

For starters, we ordered salt and pepper squid, pan-fried chicken dumpling, truffle spring roll, and Cantonese dim sum symphony. For mains, Shiima ordered Tea-smoked Cantonese soya chicken and I ordered sweet and sour Cointreau Berkshire Pork.

The Food

Starters

The salt and pepper squid were lovely. Perfect crunch, tasty batter and even tastier squid. It tasted fresh too 👌🏾.

The Pan-fried chicken dumplings were very good as well. The pastry was delicious and not oily at all, and the flavour of filling was well balanced. The sauce was a tad sharp, but ultimately complimentary; althoughI preferred the dumpling with the other sauces they provided – chilli sauce and chilli oil.

The Truffle spring rolls were awesome. Especially because I rarely enjoy spring rolls of any kind, and Shiima and are aren’t fans of truffles per say. The pastry was crisp and moreish and the truffle filling was deep but not overwhelming. Really enjoyed it, and went well with all the sauces.

The Cantonese dim sum symphony was all me because there well all seafood dim sums (Shiima only eats battered fried fish 😂). Dim sums of prawn, crab, and scallop & prawn. Truly, they all tasted fairly similar, which isn’t a bad thing as they were all delicious and the pastry was light and didn’t stick to the roof of your mouth (dim sum fiends like me would know exactly what I mean lol).

Mains

Shiima’s tea-smoked Cantonese soya Chicken was beautifully presented. And it was really surprisingly delicious too because it tasted a lot more flavourful than it appeared. It looked succulent and that it certainly was, but there were so many other delicate flavours to it, much more than just a smokey flavour. Impressive dish all round, which Shiima enjoyed with some steamed rice.

The sweet and sour Cointreau Berkshire Pork is the reason why I was so excited to visit Duddell’s London and I wasn’t disappointed at all. It tasted as delicious as I remembered and this time there was more to enjoy. Crispy pork pieces that are somehow still succulent with the perfect balance of sweet and sour. The best sweet and sour Cantonese dish I’ve ever had.

Dessert?

Some desserts were intriguing, but Shiima already had her eye on an ice-cream shop in Borough Market 😆.

Verdict

Our experience at Duddell’s London is one of the very best Cantonese dinners we’ve enjoyed in London. Every dish was really good, the restaurant was beautiful, the vibe was relaxed, and the service was very attentive. We’ll certainly be going back soon. We recommend Duddell’s London for a date (skirting romantic and casual), special occasion, meal with friends and family, and large groups are welcome as well because they have larger tables. Make sure to reserve though, and do consider that Duddell’s London is expensive.

Cuisine: Cantonese (Chinese)
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Shiima’s Star Dish: Truffle Spring Rolls
Amen’s Star Dish: Sweet & Sour Cointreau Berkshire Pork
Price: £40-£50pp
Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Duddell’s London
9 Saint Thomas Street
London SE1 9RY
Reserve at OpenTable,
or call 0203 957 9932