JM Oriental Review

Colindale might not usually be somewhere too high on your radar to visit but jump on the northern line and treat yourself to a meal at JM Oriental, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I was invited by The Restaurant Club to attend a media and influencer dinner, where we were served a delicious tasting menu. To start the evening, the chef Andrew Hung talked us through the inspiration for the restaurant and the food, and how the design and décor features authentic Chinese decorations and ornaments.

After being served wine and cocktails from their extensive list (I was the designated driver, so had a fruity mocktail instead), we were each served a trio of dim sum and we shared Crispy duck rolls with hoisin sauce, Prawns and Langoustines. As a non-pork or shellfish eater, the chef was quick to offer me an alternative to the seafood, and I was served fluffy vegetable dim sum with delicate flavours.

As tasty as the starters were, the mains were just, wow. And the presentation of all of them was unlike anything I’d ever had at a Chinese restaurant before. We were served Truffle barbecue roasted duck, Slow cooked beef short ribs, Crispy king prawns, Steamed Chilean sea bass fillet with yellow bean and pine nuts, Vegetable Singapore spicy vermicelli and Teriyaki chicken fried rice.

The beauty of a tasting menu and dining with a big group is that you get to try things you maybe wouldn’t usually order, and everything we tried was jam packed with flavour, and cooked perfectly, making it all really moreish.

I don’t think I’ve ever had enough space after Chinese food to have dessert, but this time I couldn’t resist….

I’m not usually a big fan of custard, but the Steamed egg custard lava bao buns were so light and fluffy, and surprisingly not too sweet. We were then served a Chocolate fondant with green tea lava and milk tea ice-cream and the unusual combination of flavours was a perfect way to end the meal.

JM Oriental has won multiple Golden Chopsticks Awards and after my meal there, I can safely say they deserve all of them. Add it to your list, and top tip – leave space for the Steamed egg custard lava buns!