London UK Series: Gouqi Review – High-End Dim Sum That Didn’t Meet Expectations

Gouqi – Restaurant Overview

25-34 Cockspur St, London SW1Y 5BN, United Kingdom

Gouqi is a fine dining Chinese restaurant located in central London that has built a reputation for serving premium Cantonese cuisine, particularly dim sum. The restaurant has received considerable attention within London’s dining scene and is often mentioned as one of the upscale destinations for dim sum in the city.

Because of that reputation, expectations going into the meal at Gouqi were quite high.

Dim sum is one of the most beloved styles of Chinese cuisine, traditionally consisting of small plates such as dumplings, buns, and rice noodle rolls that are meant to be shared. In cities with strong Chinese food scenes, dim sum restaurants can range from casual tea houses to very refined dining establishments.

Gouqi clearly positions itself in the fine dining category. The restaurant’s interior feels elegant and polished, with a refined atmosphere that signals immediately that this is not a casual dim sum spot. The pricing also reflects that positioning—dishes here are noticeably more expensive compared to many traditional dim sum restaurants.

Service at Gouqi was very good throughout the meal. The staff were friendly and attentive, helping create a comfortable dining experience. Another positive aspect was the speed at which most of the dishes arrived. Many of the dim sum items came out quite quickly after ordering, which is something diners often appreciate when ordering multiple small plates.

With its strong reputation, elegant dining room, and attentive service, Gouqi certainly creates the impression of a restaurant aiming to deliver a premium dim sum experience.

Unfortunately, the food itself didn’t quite match the expectations that come with a restaurant of this reputation and price level.

While some dishes were enjoyable, several others fell short, which made the overall experience somewhat disappointing.

Given the high expectations going in, the meal at Gouqi ultimately did not feel strong enough to justify a return visit.

Would return? No.

BBQ Iberico Char Siu Puff

8/10

The BBQ Iberico Char Siu Puff from Gouqi was one of the stronger dishes of the meal.

The texture of the pastry was excellent. The puff pastry had a very nice structure with light layers that made it pleasant to bite into.

Inside the pastry, the Iberico pork filling was very tender and coated in a flavourful sauce that complemented the meat nicely. Char siu dishes often rely heavily on the balance between sweetness and savoury flavours, and this version achieved that balance quite well.

The combination of the flaky pastry and the rich pork filling worked nicely together.

Among all the dishes ordered at Gouqi, this was one of the items that stood out in a positive way.

This is definitely something that would be worth ordering again.

Order again? Yes.

Golden Fried Har Gau

7/10

The Golden Fried Har Gau from Gouqi was an interesting variation on a classic dim sum dish.

Traditionally, har gau is served steamed with a translucent dumpling wrapper that highlights the shrimp filling inside. In this case, the dish takes a different approach by frying the dumpling instead.

The fried version added a nice crispy texture to the dumpling. The exterior had a good crunch, which created a different experience compared to the soft wrapper of traditional steamed har gau.

Another notable element was the fried garlic mixed into the dish. The garlic added extra flavour and helped make the dumpling feel more aromatic.

The shrimp filling inside the dumpling was good as well, providing the familiar seafood flavour expected from har gau.

That said, while the fried version was enjoyable to try, the traditional steamed version is still preferable overall. The classic steamed har gau tends to highlight the shrimp filling more clearly.

Still, the Golden Fried Har Gau from Gouqi was a solid dish and something interesting to try if you want a different take on a dim sum staple.

Order again? Maybe.

Lava Custard Bun

6/10

The Lava Custard Bun from Gouqi was decent but somewhat underwhelming.

Lava custard buns are typically known for their rich, flowing custard center that bursts out when the bun is opened. The custard usually has a strong buttery and sweet flavour that makes the dish especially satisfying.

In this case, the custard filling lacked flavour. While the texture was acceptable, the taste itself felt quite mild.

The bun surrounding the filling was soft and well made, which helped make the dish somewhat enjoyable.

However, without a more flavourful custard filling, the overall dish didn’t stand out.

Considering how good lava custard buns can be when executed well, the version at Gouqi ended up feeling fairly average.

Order again? No.

Pork and Prawn Dumpling in Chili Oil

7/10

The Pork and Prawn Dumpling in Chili Oil from Gouqi was another solid dish.

The dumplings were nicely filled with a mixture of pork and prawn that was well packed inside the wrapper. The filling had good flavour and a satisfying texture.

The dumpling skin itself was also well made. It held the filling nicely without feeling overly thick.

The chili oil added some extra depth to the dish, giving it a mild kick of spice that worked well with the pork and prawn filling.

Overall, this was a good dumpling dish that delivered what you would expect from this style of dim sum.

Order again? Yes.

Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

5.5/10

The Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce from Gouqi ended up being one of the weaker dishes of the meal.

Dim sum pork ribs are typically expected to be very tender, often to the point where the meat almost slips off the bone.

Unfortunately, the ribs here were not very tender.

The meat required more effort to chew than expected, which made the dish less enjoyable overall.

The black bean sauce itself was good and had a pleasant savoury flavour. However, the quality of the ribs themselves is the most important part of the dish, and the lack of tenderness significantly hurt the experience.

Because of that, the Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce from Gouqi ended up being a dish that wouldn’t be worth ordering again.

Order again? No.

Prawn Cheung Fun

5.5/10

The Prawn Cheung Fun from Gouqi was another disappointing dish.

Cheung fun is a classic dim sum item made with soft rice noodle rolls wrapped around fillings such as shrimp or beef. When done properly, the shrimp should have a bouncy, slightly springy texture that highlights its freshness.

Unfortunately, the shrimp in this dish was overcooked.

The overcooking gave the shrimp a spongy texture, which is generally a sign that the seafood has been cooked too long.

This texture issue significantly affected the dish.

The rice noodle wrapper itself was actually quite good. The cheung fun was thin and smooth, which is exactly what you want from the noodle portion of the dish.

However, because the shrimp was overcooked, it ended up ruining the overall experience.

Another downside was that the Prawn Cheung Fun from Gouqi took significantly longer to arrive compared to the other dishes. Most of the dim sum items came out quickly, but this one took noticeably longer.

Given the wait time, the final result was particularly disappointing.

Order again? No.

Final Thoughts

Gouqi positions itself as a high-end dim sum restaurant in London, offering an upscale dining environment and attentive service. The restaurant’s elegant interior and friendly staff help create the feeling of a premium dining experience.

Several dishes were enjoyable, particularly the BBQ Iberico Char Siu Puff, which stood out for its excellent pastry texture and tender pork filling.

The Golden Fried Har Gau and Pork and Prawn Dumpling in Chili Oil were also solid dishes that delivered good flavour and texture.

However, several other dishes—including the Lava Custard Bun, Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, and Prawn Cheung Fun—fell short of expectations.

Considering the restaurant’s reputation and higher pricing, the overall quality of the dim sum did not feel strong enough to justify the cost.

While the service and atmosphere at Gouqi were very good, the food itself ultimately did not meet the high expectations going into the meal.

Because of that, Gouqi is not a place I would plan to return to or recommend, especially given the many strong dim sum options available in London.