CCC occupies a space in the reception of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blackfriars. Named in honour of the Chinese National Cricket team, the restaurant has now been open since 2009 and promises a mouth watering range of Sichuan delicacies (with the obligatory twist).
The reception of the hotel is not the warmest, it has to be said, but once
inside the restaurant we were met with warm staff, subtle decor (there are
some hints towards the name and I can confirm there are no pictures of any
Australian cricketers) and a surprisingly comfortable atmosphere. As you
can imagine the clientele are mainly guests of the hotel, and whilst the
dining room was quiet the atmosphere was relaxed as opposed to sterile.
Guided through the menu by the avuncular manager Tony Chan, we were treated
to the Hot and Numbing Chicken from the Cold Plate section – a
breast of perfectly tender chicken floating in a red sauce made from
yellowbean paste, rice wine and szechuan peppercorns. It really lived up to
the name (Mr Chan kindly told us he had given us a version that was, shall
we say, “modified”, for Western tastes. I would not recommend the
traditional version unless your tastebuds are about as subtle as Graham
Norton’s costume designer), with bursts of salt hitting the palate, a truly
unique dish.
From the Hot Plate section, we had Soft Shell Crab with Chilli
Mayo – the crab was perfectly cooked and the chilli mayo coating
was very well balanced. We also ate from the Dim Sum menu, namely Club
Lobster Dumplings – sweet, translucent parcels of perfection, and
Black Cod Gow Gee Dumplings – enough fish inside without being
“fishy” (if you know what I mean) and some lovely textures alongside the cod itself.
After a faultless starter, we were eager for our mains. Whilst Hunan Lamb with Scallions is a commonality amongst most Chinese restaurants, CCC could teach them a thing or two – the lamb was incredibly succulent, the blackbean sauce reassuringly thick and the peppers and spring onions balanced the other flavours perfectly (this was so good that one of the cricket bats on display was nearly used to decide who had the last bit).
We also ordered Twice Cooked Pork – thin strips of pork belly, poached and then fried in the wok, accompanied by crisp sugar snap peas and a fiery sauce flavoured with chillies; as well as Jumbo Prawns with Ginger – sweet prawns coupled with bite sized pieces of asparagus and chilli. The delicate flavours of the prawn dish did have trouble competing against the strong flavours of the other two mains, so, to appreciate the elegant subtlety of the prawns, on a second visit we would reconsider ordering these dishes together.
To go with the mains we ordered Dry Sauteed Green Beans – brave and simple, green beans fried with garlic and coated in a light soy sauce. A dish this simple needs to be cooked perfectly, and thankfully this was.
Somehow managing to find room for dessert, we chose the Coconut Custard wit Mango Coulis to finish. It was pleasantly light, the coconut not too overbearing, and the coulis not too sweet.
If we were to search in vain for fault with CCC, we would perhaps mention the pricing of some of the dishes (£20 for a main is reasonable, but the starters all approached or exceeded the £10 mark – £8 for beans?!). Having said that, we left so delightfully full and impressed by the quality of our food that it was easily forgivable.
Everything was cooked to absolute perfection, the flavours were exciting
without being over the top and the Sichuan heat was present without being
overpowering. We look forward to returning.
Written by Martin Canavan
Date posted: 16/02/2012
