Chop Chop at The Hippodrome

Four Seasons in Chinatown has long been my go-to for Cantonese roast duck. It is, quite simply, the best. Now my favorite fowl is also available at what many call the UK’s number one casino at Leicester Square.

Gambling has never appealed to me but I’m fascinated by the world of never-ending-night and its atmosphere of life on the edge. It’s such a far cry from the monastery where I normally reside in deep meditation! [Fact checker please have a look at this – ed] I have however, reviewed several restaurants at the Hippodrome over the years and did so happily again last Monday. The joint was jumping and as we strolled past the tables, the beautiful blonde on my arm commented, “I feel naughty!”

Chop Chop is the latest addition to the gaming hall. On the lower ground floor next to a neon-lit “alley”, it’s reminiscent of old Hong Kong. Sleek and cool, it offers a reprieve from the mayhem upstairs. We sat in a lovely large booth in luxurious space and privacy.

As the name suggests, service is quick. Several lovely servers had our orders within minutes and our drinks and starters arrived promptly. Perhaps too quick. 8 signature pork and cabbage dumplings (£15.80) were stone cold. Even so, they were delicious. Silky dough and a good ratio of filling to pasta.

Salt and pepper prawns (£12.80) were excellent and fresh out of the fryer. Crisp, salty and a wonderful mix of chopped chilli, garlic and scallions on top.

Roast Cantonese duck is definitely the star of the show here and is every bit as good as Four Seasons. We chose half a duck off the bone (£23.80) as the tastier on-the-bone version gets a bit messy! The skin is crisp, the fat perfectly rendered, the meat succulent and the soy based sauce a savory delight.

Crispy pork belly (£18) doesn’t achieve quite the same standard but is still a good and very ample dish. A side of Chinese broccoli (£13.80) was excellent, the greens perfectly al dente and the generous slivers of ginger added both flavor and heat. Egg fried rice (£6.50) provided a tasty foil to sop up all the sauce.

I had spied a Chateau St. Michelle Riesling on the wine list. It’s a good vineyard from Washington State and I always give preference to US wines when I can. Sadly, it was out of stock. I ordered a glass of Australian Pinot Noir instead, and of 3 red wines by the glass, this too was not available. So one large glass of Malbec (£10) and one Sauvignon Blanc (£9) had to suffice, and suffice they did.

Our table was quickly cleared with the help of “Toppy”, an R2D2-like bot that arrived at the command of our server. Fabulous! After that, nobody approached our table again. After 30 minutes and several fruitless attempts at flagging down a server, we gave up and left without pudding.

You win some, you lose some, but my buck’s on the duck every time!

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