The Blurb
“Xi Home Dumplings Bay is London’s most dedicated Chinese restaurant for authentic Northeastern Chinese dumplings, bringing the most genuine handcrafted dumpling experience to the city. We are committed to offering food enthusiasts the purest flavours of Northeast China, allowing you to savour truly authentic tastes as if you were in the heart of Dalian, right here in London.”
Xi Home is situated on Blossom Street in the heart of Spitalfields. The short walk from Liverpool Street Station will take you through Folgate Street, one of London’s most traditional Victorian thoroughfares that oozes Dickensian charm and is home to the sensitively restored, Dennis Severs’ House.
A hundred yards up the adjacent street, Xi Home, with it’s blue and red neon sign splashing colour across the wet pavement, cuts quite a different silhouette.
Style
Once inside, the space feels like an American-style 50s diner with a distinctive Chinese flavour. There’s a pop-art-style oceanic mural, blue and red lacquered seating, intimate booths and textured tiled walls. The lighting is slightly too harsh – but later, when I check my reel, I discover that the restaurant has been ‘lit for the ‘gram’ as the food looks phenomenal in all of my photographs.
To Eat
My guest for the evening is an East-Londoner and something of a dumpling aficionado, which comes in very handy because the menu is vast. The staff are helpful too and point us in the direction of the more traditional ‘Dalian-style’ dishes upon which the restaurant prides itself.
The Lobster Dumplings have been dyed with spinach and arrive juicy and vibrant with chlorophyll. The shell is delicate and the seafood filling fresh and succulent. The Stir Fried Chicken is well cooked and comes shrouded in feather-light batter and buried beneath an avalanche of crispy fried chilli.
The Dan Dan Noodles are freshly pulled and come with a variety of toppings, we opt for the beef which is well-seasoned and moreish – just as well, because the portion is huge!
The only slight misstep of the order is the Prawn Shredded Roll; deep-fried in an angel-hair casing, it lacks the punchy flavours present across the rest of the menu. Never mind though, because every table is provided with a jar of Xi Home’s signature crispy chilli oil (which is also available to buy). I feel confident that I’d consume my napkin if doused in enough of this heavenly stuff!
Vegans need not fear, as dietary requirements are well catered for. The Steamed Cold Noodles are sweet, fresh and peppery with Szechuan. The Vegan Dumplings are steeped in umami flavour and when all is said and done, despite it’s total simplicity, we unanimously agree that The Spinach Salad with its zingy sesame dressing, is our standout dish of the night.
In a Nutshell
XI Home offers all the salty, greasy indulgence of a dumpling joint but with a generous smattering of zesty fresh flavour. The dumplings and noodles are clearly made to order and the quality of the ingredients inside would rival that of any high-end London eatery.
Details
There are two branches of Xi Home Dumpling Bay in London; one in Chandos Place, Covent Garden and this one, the latest addition to the family, on Blossom Street, Spitalfields.
Prices start from around £20-£30 per head.
Xi Home Dumpling Bay, 10 Blossom Street, E1 6PL
