This year, Park Chinois was the one to celebrate Chinese New Year in the most opulent manner, by hosting a swinging party at their one and only sumptuous venue located at 17 Berkley Street, right in the heart of Mayfair.
To welcome the year of the rooster, JPR Media booked a table for my colleague Mr Unbreakable and I, bang in the Salon de Chine amongst the lavish red velvet décor and the live jazz band. It was a real treat to be welcomed on this special occasion in the best Chinese spot in London, Alan Yau’s most celebrated victory.
As we sip on our dirty martinis, we start off with a great selection of steamed dumplings accompanied by salt & pepper squid with green papaya salad. The dumplings melted in our mouths with a delicious scallop and prawn stuffing that was truly a delight to the senses.
Being from Chinese heritage myself and having sampled many Chinese restaurants across London, I can honestly say that the food is delicious and the service is impeccable, as the white gloved waiters glide through the restaurant inconspicuously eyeing the customers, ready to tackle any situation on this bustling night.
In the distance, I am baffled to see a fully costumed Domino’s pizza delivery man offering slices from a genuine pizza box to the seated diners. I want one! Soon after a beautiful belly dancer turns everyone’s head as she strikes a pose on stage only to start back flipping along the center of the dancefloor at a amazingly fast pace. The music is loud the crowd is vivacious and I feel that I am taking part in this glamorous show… this is the place to be.
We order a glass of crisp Sancerre each, to go with our mains: stir-fry Wagyu Bavette beef with ginger and spring onion as well as Norwegian King Crab, 5yr Qing Hu rice wine, homemade rice noodles and some sautéed Chinese vegetables. Mr Unbreakable and I are chatting away and getting to know each other even more outside of work, it is a enchanting evening. As dinner draws to a close, we spot a couple of familiar faces making their way towards the glamorous bar at the entrance of the Salon de Chine, we pay the bill and decide to join the fun crowd.
It turns out that the whole of London is trying to get on the list for Club Chinois downstairs which is tucked under the splendid spiral staircase at the entrance, and will turn into a fully fledged club evening to celebrate the New Year! Park Chinois is a unique experience in that it is a fine dining establishment upstairs and a decadent club downstairs.
We were lucky enough to be able to enjoy both with the downstairs club open until 5am. The club’s style follows the theme of the restaurant with red curtains adorning the walls, much like a French Chinoiserie. My friends introduce us to a couple of their accomplices at the bar, and lucky for us we are invited to congregate at their table in the club downstairs. The lights have been dimmed, the music has pumped up and the night is young. With a fantastic assortment of electronic tracks the venue inspired by The Great Gatsby came to life. I would love to return to Park Chinois to sample more of their exquisite menu which provides some of London’s finest cuisine. Park Chinois is not just a restaurant, it is a fantastic venue for a date especially with my handsome colleague, who escorted me throughout the night and proved to be a great networking champion.