Thursday 28 July 2011

Restaurant Review: Ping Pong Dim Sum.
"Chinese Jim... But Not As We Know It"

Last weekend, an uncharacteristically romantic Mr Cow, treated me to a surprise break in our nation’s capital. Not one to waste an opportunity to Scoff, I insisted that whilst there, we donned our critical caps and resumed the hunt for the ultimate in ‘dining out, without filling out.’

Although Nottingham holds the crown as the UK’s most restaurant dense city, it hardly sits on a par with London in terms of health fads and cosmopolitanisms.
Having heard so much in recent weeks about the Chinese low-fat delicacy, Dim Sum, I decided that this was the ideal opportunity to give it the 'Scoffing Cow' treatment.

Despite originating in China, the term ‘Dim Sum’ is actually Cantonese, and used to refer to any Chinese dish which is served in small and individual portions.
Like Tapas and Meze, the Dim Sum label is used rather loosely. Nonetheless, from a healthy eating perspective, it is the frequency of steaming and griddling in its preparation, which has served to propel it as a favourite amongst dieters.

As an avid advocate of the Spanish and Greek counterparts, I was giddy to see what all the fuss was about, and after a quick Google, set my targets on the London Dim Sum chain, 'Ping Pong'.

Not only did this place specialise in the very food I was hankering after; it also advertised a dedicated ‘Healthy Fix’ Menu.  Bingo. (Or is that Ping Pong?)

Once again baffling my loyal companion with a promise of Chinese food and plentiful ball sports (!), we trotted off to Soho in order to see what all the fuss was about.