Mel meets Mr Lau

Lunch out on a weekday can be difficult sometimes. You can’t fully relax and have a few glasses of wine, nor can you take your time as you’re on the clock. However, if you've had a nice weekend like me, the thought of eating a supermarket sandwich at your desk on a Monday is as appealing as well....eating at your desk.

Cue a shout in the office. LETS ALL GO OUT FOR LUNCH. Quick, look on the website, who does a good offer? Mr Lau’s......Mr Lau’s.......Mr Lau’s – every single person shouted this out. It was decided.

Basically, they do 5 dim sum dishes for a tenner on a Monday. That’s five tapas sized plates all for £10. With a menu consisting of over 50 different choices split into nibbles, steamed, fried, skewered, and so on, it’s fun way to dine and try lots. You simply tick off the ones you want then the incredibly nice and helpful waitress runs off to the open kitchen with half the menu to order as quickly as possible.

Quite a task that. Somehow though, the chef did it. Not one dish was wrong, not one was a bad choice. All THIRTY DISHES were marvellous.

The only way I can review this is by going through the 5 I chose. By the way, I'm not sure you’re meant to look at it as a challenge and to order 5 each, maybe order 20 – eat those, order 10 more. Problem is, the staff at Onionring wanted to eat lots. Anything to put off going back to work (and we like our jobs).

I had:

Char Siu Bao: beautifully light and sweet buns filled with rich roast pork in a sticky BBQ sauce. Two in a serving, it was more than enough to give you your steamed bun fix. As good as I've had them elsewhere.

Stuffed Chillies; I've longed for stuffed chillies for a while, and usually they’re just filled with a bland cream cheese. Not these. Imagine a prawn wearing a chilli as a coat occasionally jumping in a chilli/soy bath. It was outstanding and I’ll always order these when I go back.

Rump Steak Cantonese; three skewers full to the brim with sweet beef. If you've a sweet tooth you’ll love this dim sum.

Lu Yu Sea Bass Fillet; by far my favourite. An entire sea bass fillet on a skewer sitting on a wonderful mayonnaise. The fillet was cooked perfectly, skin crispy and was fantastic value in this deal.

Lau’s Famous Salt & Pepper Tiger King Prawns; another outstanding dish. These battered prawns were sweet inside the tempura, then salty and spicy on the outside. Went well with the Healthy Boy dipping sauce on the table for an extra salty/spicy hit.

One thing which stood out for me was value. I expected at least a third of the menu to have a supplement charge (fillet steak/tiger prawns/duck).

All six of us were in and out in an hour, just £12 lighter (but a couple of lbs on) and beaming. Granted I've just woken up from my post-lunch snooze, but that’s not the point.

The point is Mr Lau’s Dim Sum Bar and Restaurant is brilliant.

I will be back for this again and again and again. Well done Mr Lau.

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Posted: Monday 30th March 2015
ID: 10062 - 1303