Amazing food and drinks! We lucked out and got a table without a reso but most of the tables were booked up. Staff were attentive and took the time to give cocktail recommendations. Standout food choices are the puff pastries, xo chicken dumplings, char siu buns and definitely the warrior cage (spicy goodness!). Drinkwise, we liked the opium, courtier and belladonna. All were very savoury and robust. Would definitely come back in a heartbeat - the head bartender Claire is a gem! Yay Canadians Also burlesque shows every Friday and Saturday around 10pm #nippletassles. read more

Courtesan - Warrior cage and puff pastries - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

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I love me some dim sum. We arrived on a Sunday evening (I think) and it was really quiet. The place is beautifully lit and it makes the feeling cozy and mysterious. My husband and I ordered 3 different dumplings and 2 different buns. The dumplings were very yummy- salmon & seabass, magic mushroom, black prawn. They all had very nice flavour and were pretty! The two buns we got were fluffy and delicious, and I especially remember the pumpkin curry bun to be extra nice. Unfortunately I wasn't really a fan of my cocktail- cucumber elderflower- it tasted a bit too sweet and "fake" to me. Yes, it tasted fake, idk how else to describe it. Our server was not the brightest crayon in the box (when we asked him what something was he sort of made something up or said he needed to ask his colleague), but I think he was new, so I'll give him a break. ;) Overall it was a nice experience and I'd come back for the dumplings! read more

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We live in Brixton and we were looking for an alternative to the busy (amazing) Brixton Row and Brixton Village Friday night. We decided to try the Courtesan after reading an article in the Time Out. We were delighted by the look of the place. Definitly a great joint to hang with friends. The music was really good (mellow french oldies, Eric Satie...). We ordered two drinks (Sour Sour and Courtier). The drinks were good, but strong in flavors. I would suggest to have it before or after dinner, since the pairing with the food might be odd. Other than minor complaints (had to ask for water, only one dipping sauce, not enough space for all the dishes on our tiny table...), the service was fine. As for the food, some dishes were definitly worth the visit. The steamed wasabi prawn dumpling were amazing! (And, I have to say, looked way better than the picture of it that we saw on Yelp). The seaweed were good as well. The crab fritter and the jerk chicken (even though I didn't get what was "jerk" 'bout that chicken) were honest, but I wouldn't recommand it.The steamed pumpkin curry bun and the pork bun were the star of the dinner. The sweet bun dough was fluffy and moist, and the filling was flavorful. I am still a bit confused about the indian/caribean/asian flavors, but in a positive way. I can't say that the dinner was boring and every dish was challenging my brain with unusual mix of flavors I thought I was used to. Over all, we really enjoyed our experience. There is some things to work on to make it a "buzzing place" but, hey, If it's just a step away from being amazing, I wouldn't complaint about a "more than decent", not crowded, not too expensive, nice chinese-fusion joint in London. After a big week in London transit, it feels good to relax in a cozy place like the Courtesan without waiting to get in, or being pushed to get out. We'll definitly come back with friends. And, bonus point, the chinese chef is a woman! :-) read more

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You know the saying 'actions speak louder than words'? Well similarly, food speaks more volumes than the extravagant descriptions provided by Courtesan's menus. Following my second trip, novelty has worn off and I saw a decline in the quality of dim sum, plus I saw three different desserts and all were not as impressive as the menu would lead you to believe. read more

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I hope people start coming here. I know there is buzzing Brixton Village/Market just up the street and this place can look a bit dark from the outside, but the dim sum is surprisingly lovely. I grew up in a Cantonese family so can vouch that this (aside from a few fusion items on the menu) is the real deal! Their shrimp dumplings (har gow) have chunks of shrimp in them and the wrapper has a good slightly chewy texture. The rice wrapped in lotus leaves are yummy (nice sticky rice, infused with the flavour of the lotus leave) and the cheung fun is excellent (we tried the one with prawns wrapped in deed fried bean curd sheets - lovely contrast of textures). On top of the dim sum, you can also order an array of alcoholic drinks and get everything outside of the normal brunch/lunch hours of most dim sum restaurants. The one drawback is the price. It's quite expensive compared to other dim sum houses but it's worth the quality you get. A good addition to the area! read more

We popped in here by chance as we parked up to go to Fujiyama. We peered in to the spartan hardwood interior and it looked cool, whilst the menu looked exotic and more than tempting. We're happy to report that the food was exceptional, the service friendly and looking at the drinks menu I can't wait to bring some friends here of an evening on that rare occasion we manage a babysitter. Wholeheartedly recommended. read more

I'm a little torn. The decor is fantastic, and the efforts they've gone to keeping it candle-lit and intimate are commendable; even at their own expense I suspect - it always looks closed when you walk past! Not being able to see in, see other people enjoying this place, could well put you off entering in the first place. But if you do, you'll find a really good menu (with some curveballs such as jerk chicken dim sum) backed up by the execution. I enjoyed everything I ate here. It's not cheap mind. Their promotional business card that came with the bill was pushing the cocktail bar aspect of this place. Given that we were two of 6 people in here, all sat eating, I don't think they're succeeding on that front just yet. As such, the atmosphere was a little lacking. They were trying though - we had to ask them to turn down the blaring music. Friendly and efficient service otherwise. read more

tl; dr: mediocre food, bad service. It's gorgeous inside here. Really beautiful. They've put in a lot of thought and work on the decor. That's nice, but it's just a nice to have. Slightly worrisome is the menu. Some traditional dim sum, but they've got jerk chicken dumplings and tempura tofu. OK. I'm willing to go with that, but it's often of concern. Prices were OK, and there's a decent selection of teas and cocktails and beers, so that's nice. Then we sat for a while. Then they finally came and took our order, which was nice. The tea and the first round of food came out - lapsang souchang, just under half a pot, with a pinch of leaves. Almost enough, but not quite. Three dishes came out as well - chicken & coriander dumplings, fried calamari bits, and the frog legs. Now, the frog legs were the best thing we had, and they were good. Not frozen, i.e. tasted like frog, not chicken. Squid was OK, but a bit chewy & overcooked. Both of these dishes with a fine side of sriracha. Don't get me wrong: I love sriracha. It's great. It's all the wonder of ketchup with all the wonder of chili and better of all the flavours and textures squeezed into a little bottle of deadliness. But it was just sriracha. And we got our coriander and chicken dumplings. Those were OK. They came in a basket and they stuck together and fell apart when we took them out which is a sign that the kitchen maybe isn't sure how to put the rice paper together properly, but hey, not the end of the world. They were OK. Then we waited. And waited. Had a chat. And waited. Finished our tea. And waited. Finally we were asked if we wanted anything else. "The rest of our order, maybe?" Some inquiries later and we were asked what bits were missing. Uh oh. Then we waited some more, and began to question the wisdom of waiting in the first place, rather than cutting our losses and having some chips or something, before the food came. Sweet potato rolls. Not much in the flavour department. No stinging sweetness. Teriyaki tempura tofu. Tofu. Some squidgy wrapping. Batter, but more like breadcrumbs than tempura batter. Some sort of thick sauce that didn't taste of much. All that, plus 12.5% service: £32, and us not going back. I'll say again: You can screw up as a restauranteur, but you have to make it right. They screwed up, and they didn't make it right. Mediocre food, bad service. read more

Me and a friend decided to have dim sum for lunch on a Sunday, as is a usual tradition on a weekend, so we ended up venturing down South to Brixton to try out Courtesan. A bit of an odd location to go for dim sum, but we're always up to try something (not so) new. It was located about a 5-10 minute walk (depending on your speed!) from the station, and the exterior of the building looked quite old. The interior was made to look like the inside of a traditional Chinese house (or something along those lines...) In a way it was unique, although I'm not quite sure that I was a fan of the haunting painting of a woman's face on the wall... My friend had made a reservation, just in case, but really there was no need for it, as we were the first table to be seated, and even after a couple of hours there were only three tables filled... There were quite a few unusual looking dishes on the menu, but we decided to play it safe and ordered the typical dishes that we were familiar with. The pork and prawn dumplings were pretty decent, and the pinching crab dumplings had a nice, thin translucent skin. The xiao long bao was unfortunately slightly flimsy and broke each time we tried to pick one up. The king prawn with beancurd cheung fun was quite tasty, as well as the char siu buns. We tried the prawn pheonix nests as it sounded interesting, but really the 'nest' was not as 'refined' and delicate as we thought they would be - more like a prawn-ball with and outer coating of deep-fried flat noodles. A bit clumsy to be eaten with chopsticks, so we had to use our hands. We didn't really order much after that as the dishes that we had so far were pretty average. I suppose that, and the odd location doesn't really make it an ideal destination for dim sum. The waitress who served us that day was really lovely though and food was served quite efficiently. However, I think that I will stick to my usual places around Central London for now. http://dancing-in-high-heels.blogspot.co.uk/ read more

The decor is great. The pork and chive dumplings were good Xiao long bao with lamb stew was a good variation on the classic. However they didn't give us spoons to eat it with. Remember to get a spoon otherwise your tongue or the roof of your mouth will burn. read more

I walked past here for more than a year, and always thought it looked dodgy, or just closed. Then I read reviews, and after moving away from the Brixton area, came back just to try it. And boy did I regret not coming here before! Standout, amazing dishes: roast pork puff, taro croquette, mango chicken (not authentic, but delicious), mushroom puff (if you like mushrooms), Fine, but wouldn't get again: soft shell crab, roast pork bun, black sesame balls. Nothing was bad, but I've had better. Eh: red bean bun dessert. The steamed prawn dumpling and cheong fun were disappointing, because they should be so easy to get right. I mean, I've had worse, but the prawns were just a little tougher than they should be. We also got the handmaid's noodles, which were very much not what we expecting, so it's hard to judge. It wasn't the most popular dish, though. Service was a little slow, but friendly. Which is to say, British, rather than Chinese (which would be somewhat quicker, but brusque). All that being said, I would go any day of the week just for the standout dishes I named. i would go right now. The owner is not Chinese, but the chefs are. I wish there was a slightly larger variety of dishes (chrysanthemum tea was lacking!), and for Sunday lunch we were the only table the whole time we were there, so I also hope they stay in business! For 6 people, it was about £17 each. read more

Abysmal. Dumplings tasted like they were frozen and heated into the microwave. Service was even worse...the waitress was incredibly passive aggressive, seemed annoyed when we asked for soy sauce. There are much better places to go in Brixton. This place is not worth the price The empty seats are a pretty good sign ... read more

This place was okay... If it was around the corner from my house then I'd probably go there again, but we traveled 30 minutes on a bus to give it a try and I don't think I'd do that again. Food was okay but not amazing, the place was completely dead so we kind of felt like just eating and getting out of there. Service was OK. read more

Excellent variety and a creative drinks menu. Courtesan opened about a year ago, but its understated location (about 5 mins walk from the Ritzy cinema) means it gets fewer customers than it deserves. I'd recommend the steamed prawn dim sum, the chicken & mango, and the rose chocolate truffles. Courtesan has also been the site of my friend F's late-blooming alcohol experimentation - prosecco and Old Fashioned cocktails come highly recommended. I look forward to trying the Iron Goddess of Mercy tea on my next visit. read more

Was taken here on Friday for a birthday dinner. We were there incredibly early so the restaurant was empty- no their fault! Service was good, not particularly friendly and with such a vast menu we would have appreciated some recommendations. The food that came was great, but I think I prefer other places for dim sum, as it didn't seem as "fresh" and wasn't presented as prettily as I've seen before. However it was very good value and tasty! read more

Considering the less than stellar reviews, I thought this was a great dinner. The cocktails were fantastic, and my meal (the bittersweet affair, I believe it was called?) was delicious. The atmosphere was great for a date, the restaurant was quiet and candle-lit. Additionally, the service was very friendly! read more

THey accommodated our large party of 17. Food was nice and tasty for newcomers to dim sum but not entirely authentic. Overall, great atmosphere and the service wasnt too bad. read more

An exciting new addition to Brixton, like the other review I really hope people start going more often and that the market, although brilliant, doesn't eat up all the business in the area. It gets rather crowded in there nowadays... Really enjoyed the old school chinese decor, and the spookily beautiful painting of the 'Courtesan' herself, painted by a Brixton local apparently! The food was fresh and delicious, really nice to eat something thats rich but totally not greasy, aside from the steamed options, even the deep fried Taro Croquette was light and crunchy and felt healthy! Recommend and hope for the best for this place. read more

I've got a business in the Village and so my lunch or dinner choices are usually within there or around the Market and Atlantic road. I've been a frequent and loyal customer to Courtesan and they were always amazing and so was the food. Reading the reviews below about authenticity or slow service - yes, you can go to Camberwell or China town and be served in seconds an authentic (sometimes good, sometimes bad) dim sum and be thrown as fast out of there as soon as you finish your meal. You may even pay a few pounds less, but the décor is hardly reaching anywhere close to the Courtesan's. That said this is not a Michelin star place and they don't pretend to be either. This is a small new business that made it bigger than thousands of other restaurants in London and somehow gets the attention and criticism of a place like Galvin at Windows etc. They really must be doing something right, no? Some of the Courtesan's staff is a little unexperienced, that especially shows at the very busy weekend times, however they are always very polite and friendly and you can see they care. In a way I feel sorry for them, as I know how hard it is to get a good reliable staff. But then, I don't really expect a 5 star service for a £20 meal including my drink. - And their drinks are good, they definitely don't cheat on their cocktails, they are very inventive and strong. Worth the wait. Hope they pick up on the speed and the amount of week day customers. It would be a terrible unjust if they didn't. Be back again! read more

Went here for Valentines and had the BEST cocktail ever! Their tiramisu martini is deadly good. The food was fun, we had squid ink dumplings and frogs legs among other things. However it was lacking in atmosphere, they didn't open the nicer room downstairs and it wasn't very full. Probably a better place for a quick group meal than a nice dinner. read more

Some friends and I dropped by late one evening to sample some cocktails. The decor is very nice, and there was a very laid back vibe, which was exactly what we were looking for. Once seated we took a look at the menu and asked to put our order in. We were sitting at the the bar, so made our order directly to the bar woman who would be making the cocktails. I am very partial to a good whisky sour but I always order it without egg white as it tends to make me a bit queasy otherwise. When I placed my order, and my friends and I were very surprised and taken back by the staff behind the bar, who blanketly refused my simple request for a whisky sour sans egg, in a very aggressive and condescending way. They told me that if they took the egg white out, it would just be whisky, lemon and sugar, which would be unthinkable. They insisted I order a different whisky sour they had on the menu which was (a) more expensive and (b) had less sugar and was much more sour (they called it a whisky sour sour). I could not understand why they were being so difficult, and why they were being so aggressive to clientele who were nothing but polite to them to begin with. One of the staff (a blonde woman who seemed eastern European) told me she wouldn't even know how to make a whisky sour without egg, and looked at me funnily when I told her she just didn't have to put the egg in. For peace, I ordered their whisky sour sour, which turned out to be exactly what the name suggests, too sour. I have never in my life encountered this type of attitude and certainly won't be returning. You could say that the entire experience left me bitter, and with a somewhat sour taste in my mouth...... read more

This is the best Dim Sum I've had (and I eat it in Chinatown a lot). I love the Brixton twist Jerk Chicken Dim Sum!

Just wanted to say we had an absolutely lovely meal out there last night. It wasn't overly busy, but the fact they had candle lights nearly everywhere made it feel very romantic and special. I liked their Damsel cocktail infused with lychee and the one with cherry liquer, surprisingly not too sweet. My husband drank the Curious ale and couln't praise it enough. And the food? - Mouthwatering. Tasted very fresh as everything prepared on the day and looked delightful also. It took approx 15mins for the first dishes to arrive. For us the dishes to remember were pork buns, puffs, prawn and leek dumplings, the king prawn canneloni and an amazing sea bass. I would imagine this is one of the few places for special dining in Brixton. Without the drinks, we spent around £13 each on 6 dim sum dishes in total.. I'd say that is very reasonable for the quality and amount you receive. We visited a couple of dim sum restaurants in China town before, in a not so pretty environment, with an ok food and were asked to leave the moment our food was finished. Here we could peacefully soak in the atmosphere, really enjoy our meal and sip our drinks for nealy two hours without being disturbed. We would love to vistit Courtesan again. read more