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After traveling Europe for a month long we were craving our Asian food. Had a horrendous experience with Pho in Barcelona... (Yes...I know... WHY?!...out of desperation. That is why) I was pleasantly surprised to walk past this little Taiwanese restaurant. It is pretty small and a tight squeeze. It was a cold evening so it was okay to cozy up with another couple on the benched seating... as long as we were not stuck in the middle. I got the beef noodle soup. It was decent. Nothing too special but we were just happy to get some Asian food in our bellies :D Husband got the Gwa Bao but was happier with my food. The service wasn't too bad that night. We got water and food as needed.
Slightly hidden away from the main area of Chinatown, this restaurant serves up Taiwanese street food, so think rustic, hearty fare. Taiwanese food has some influence on Malaysian Chinese food, so I decided to give it a go Cold weather is the perfect excuse for one of my favourite genres of food - noodles in soup. I plumped for the stewed belly pork noodles. I found the fatty belly pork lovely for my taste but the soup could have done with more depth and umami I also had a side of oyster omelette. I had assumed it would be similar to the Malaysian version but what arrived didn't quite match. The sauce that covered the omelette pretty much dominated I've seen other dishes I want to try but for now, it's a 3 star rating from me
I was pleasantly surprised to find this little cafe located close to Chinatown; I've heard great things about its Golders Green location but since that's so far away... Anyway, I came here once every week or two last fall, and I really like the decor - it's a pretty small space with wooden benches instead of individual chairs, and a display of cakes and pastries lining the windows (reminding me a little of 85C.) The sesame oil chicken noodle soup is GREAT! Not sure if they also serve it in spring/summer (as I recall it was a winter-only dish...?) but I do recommend it. The fried foods were alright, a little overly salty. I also liked their bubble tea (especially the boba which was always the right consistency) but at that price I prefer going to Chatime for tea since they have bigger drinks for just ten pence more... The one thing I'm not too keen on is the staff - they're not outright mean or anything, but could do with more smiling and attentiveness. In all a pretty alright place for Taiwanese food in London.
Old Tree Daiwan Bee is little hidden cafe behind Chinatown serving affordable Taiwanese food in London. To be honest I don't blame it for it's low rating because the staff there aren't very inviting. Their seats aren't very comfortable for long seating, the place is pretty cramped, there are no toilets and they accept cash only too. But some might find this place cute and traditional to what it's like in Asia. But I come here for the food and it's reasonable prices. You can get a bowl of dan dan noodles to fill you up for £5. Preserved egg and tofu (cold) Genuinely surprised at how refreshing and satisfying it was. Soft silky cubes of tofu against a more firmer and springy texture of the preserved egg. That's before you hit the yolks which becomes the glue, binding everything in its fluffiness. The rich sulphur of the egg gives a lovely dimension of savoury next to the light soy dressing Stewed belly pork rice This never disappoints. Lovely fatty pieces of pork, melting soft and packed full of flavour from soy marinade its been stewing in. It's divided into smaller pieces to blend more with the rice and two fattier pieces so you can get a more feel of its texture and flavour. Not bad for £4.50 Old Tree's Taiwanese three cups chicken A wonderful dish that took on all the beautiful flavours of the garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. The addition of basil really addressed the heaviness of this dish by adding a nice strong herby note across it. Made from my favourite cut of the chicken, the thigh the meat remained succulent and tender. A fine dish! Spicy dry fried green beans I wouldn't exactly called these spicy but they were nicely blistered and charred, giving it a nice smokiness flavour against the green bean itself. A little heavy on the oil and not much flavours of the garlic but the light seasoning made it refreshing as a side dish. Taiwanese style salt and pepper fried squid Not very well spiced or the most fragrant ones I've had but they were still pretty good. The best part was probably how thin the batter was. It crisped so nicely it was almost non-existence so doesn't distract on how fresh and tender the squid was, that itself was quite plump in size. Very moreish. Cold noodles (summer only) Probably my favourite dish out the whole lot. Being cold you can really enjoy the bounciness of the noodles. The peanut sesame sauce was in the right consistency, thick enough to cling onto every strand of noodle was lovely and complex as you slurp away. The sweet, sour, savoury nuttiness combination was just so moreish, with mild spices in there to give you that nice kick of heat. Cucumbers to cool it down with it's heavy moisture content as well as giving it a lovely crunch in texture. Taiwanese steamed glutinous rice pudding with Chinese mushrooms and stewed pork Another comfort food at its best. Glutinous rice shaped into a dome and then steamed to perfection so it's incredibly moist and sticky in texture. Topped with lovely diced Chinese mushrooms and stewed pork for that deep rich umami flavour to blend in with the rest of the dish. Whatever that thick orange sauce was, it was very good at adding a nice rich savoury sweetness to the dish as well as keeping the rice extra moist. Boiled dumplings I wouldn't order these again to be honest. They weren't very memorable, skin a little too thick and dry. The meatball inside wasn't very flavourful either with only soy sauce given as a dip (I would have expected vinegar and chilli). Szechuan spicy hot beef noodle soup Another disappointment. The noodles were not cooked properly and clump together at times. Beef was quite tough and dense. The broth also lacked depth although it have quite a kick due to the sichuan peppercorns and chillis. The pickled greens helped give some complexity to the flavour though. For me the most annoying part were those szechuan peppercorn shells that added this sharp crunch against the noodles. Not my cup of tea. So the place is a mix bag. Essentially you are only paying for the good food, just don't expect service or much of an atmosphere. But I will going recommend this place if you're looking for a quick place to dine rather than to wind down as like I said, there are NO toilets. The reason why this place succeeds is because they don't really have m competitors other than Leong's Legend as there are not many Taiwanese restaurants in London.
As a huge fan of Taiwanese cuisine, it pains me to give any Taiwanese restaurant a bad review - and I thought long and hard about any redeeming factors that could allow me to at least give a pity 2*. But this place just doesn't serve authentic Taiwanese food, the prices are high even by London standards, and the service is poor to boot. To put it in perspective, my two Taiwanese friends I went with were even more disappointed than I was. Take the oyster omelet (oazen) as prime example - it is a completely nontraditional preparation (see attached picture). Here they take the oysters/vegetable/starch and quite literally wrap it in a fried egg, so that the egg is completely distinct from the ingredients. So the moment you try to split it up or bite into it, the oysters/vegetable/starch just fall out of the fried egg. This is one of Taiwan's most famous and recognizable dishes and the preparation here is just shameful. We also ordered the beef noodle soup and the three cup chicken. While the basic flavors and preparation were better (not that that's saying much, especially as it's pretty much impossible to screw up three cup chicken), we found both dishes rather bland - especially the beef noodle soup, which was barely spicy at all. Worst off, the service was at best indifferent and most of the time was just plain unfriendly. Considering all of the above and at about £9 per dish and very small servings, there's just no justification to visit here.
This establishment serves authentic Taiwanese food. There is an Asian street food feel to this place which is great. Unfortunately, although there is a feel to atmosphere wise, the food was not the same. This place is supposed to serve authentic street food but the taste and quality of them certainly do not feel like it. The oyster thin noodle is supposed to be silky smooth noodle with the most flavoursome gravy and fresh oyster. However the noodle was more hard and thick and certainly not smooth. The gravy lack the authentic taste. Oyster was also not fresh. If the food was good it was still forgivable but even the waitress was so rude and always keeps rushing you to order and leave. I feel extremely unelcomed here. Sorry not for me.
Great Taiwanese food, reminded me so much of home:) The place is quite small, so i wouldnt recommend groups bigger than 4. They have quite a selection of small plates, and a few mains with rice/noodles. The small plates can add up to quite a bill, so i would recommend getting a main, and a small plate to share. We had the pork schnitzel with rice and dan dan noodles, which were both amazing, and shared a small plate and a drink each. That, and a super yummy strawberry puff to share left us both super stuffed but sooooo satisfied! The bill came to £31 for 2, which i think is totally worth it for good food in London!
1 year ago
Food is very bland! The Szechuan Spicy Hot Beef Noodles in Soup has 3 chill pepper signs on the menu but it is not even the slightest spicy. This place is cash only also. We felt rushed and stared at the whole time we were eating. Only came here because this was one of the only things open in the area. Would not be coming back here again. read more
Cash only (alert!). I hate places that only accept cash. Are they trying to dodge paying taxes? Food is ok (some dishes are more authentic than others). The restaurant is decorated with a nostalgic theme, but that means tiny, uncomfortable wooden stools. Not meant for a leisurely dinner. The highlights are the pork meatball soup and turnip cakes. NO RESTROOM! NO RESTROOM! Beware. read more
After traveling Europe for a month long we were craving our Asian food. Had a horrendous experience with Pho in Barcelona... (Yes...I know... WHY?!...out of desperation. That is why) I was pleasantly surprised to walk past this little Taiwanese restaurant. It is pretty small and a tight squeeze. It was a cold evening so it was okay to cozy up with another couple on the benched seating... as long as we were not stuck in the middle. I got the beef noodle soup. It was decent. Nothing too special but we were just happy to get some Asian food in our bellies :D Husband got the Gwa Bao but was happier with my food. The service wasn't too bad that night. We got water and food as needed. read more
11 years ago
Slightly hidden away from the main area of Chinatown, this restaurant serves up Taiwanese street food, so think rustic, hearty fare. Taiwanese food has some influence on Malaysian Chinese food, so I decided to give it a go Cold weather is the perfect excuse for one of my favourite genres of food - noodles in soup. I plumped for the stewed belly pork noodles. I found the fatty belly pork lovely for my taste but the soup could have done with more depth and umami I also had a side of oyster omelette. I had assumed it would be similar to the Malaysian version but what arrived didn't quite match. The sauce that covered the omelette pretty much dominated I've seen other dishes I want to try but for now, it's a 3 star rating from me read more
5 years ago
12 years ago
I was pleasantly surprised to find this little cafe located close to Chinatown; I've heard great things about its Golders Green location but since that's so far away... Anyway, I came here once every week or two last fall, and I really like the decor - it's a pretty small space with wooden benches instead of individual chairs, and a display of cakes and pastries lining the windows (reminding me a little of 85C.) The sesame oil chicken noodle soup is GREAT! Not sure if they also serve it in spring/summer (as I recall it was a winter-only dish...?) but I do recommend it. The fried foods were alright, a little overly salty. I also liked their bubble tea (especially the boba which was always the right consistency) but at that price I prefer going to Chatime for tea since they have bigger drinks for just ten pence more... The one thing I'm not too keen on is the staff - they're not outright mean or anything, but could do with more smiling and attentiveness. In all a pretty alright place for Taiwanese food in London. read more
Old Tree Daiwan Bee is little hidden cafe behind Chinatown serving affordable Taiwanese food in London. To be honest I don't blame it for it's low rating because the staff there aren't very inviting. Their seats aren't very comfortable for long seating, the place is pretty cramped, there are no toilets and they accept cash only too. But some might find this place cute and traditional to what it's like in Asia. But I come here for the food and it's reasonable prices. You can get a bowl of dan dan noodles to fill you up for £5. Preserved egg and tofu (cold) Genuinely surprised at how refreshing and satisfying it was. Soft silky cubes of tofu against a more firmer and springy texture of the preserved egg. That's before you hit the yolks which becomes the glue, binding everything in its fluffiness. The rich sulphur of the egg gives a lovely dimension of savoury next to the light soy dressing Stewed belly pork rice This never disappoints. Lovely fatty pieces of pork, melting soft and packed full of flavour from soy marinade its been stewing in. It's divided into smaller pieces to blend more with the rice and two fattier pieces so you can get a more feel of its texture and flavour. Not bad for £4.50 Old Tree's Taiwanese three cups chicken A wonderful dish that took on all the beautiful flavours of the garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. The addition of basil really addressed the heaviness of this dish by adding a nice strong herby note across it. Made from my favourite cut of the chicken, the thigh the meat remained succulent and tender. A fine dish! Spicy dry fried green beans I wouldn't exactly called these spicy but they were nicely blistered and charred, giving it a nice smokiness flavour against the green bean itself. A little heavy on the oil and not much flavours of the garlic but the light seasoning made it refreshing as a side dish. Taiwanese style salt and pepper fried squid Not very well spiced or the most fragrant ones I've had but they were still pretty good. The best part was probably how thin the batter was. It crisped so nicely it was almost non-existence so doesn't distract on how fresh and tender the squid was, that itself was quite plump in size. Very moreish. Cold noodles (summer only) Probably my favourite dish out the whole lot. Being cold you can really enjoy the bounciness of the noodles. The peanut sesame sauce was in the right consistency, thick enough to cling onto every strand of noodle was lovely and complex as you slurp away. The sweet, sour, savoury nuttiness combination was just so moreish, with mild spices in there to give you that nice kick of heat. Cucumbers to cool it down with it's heavy moisture content as well as giving it a lovely crunch in texture. Taiwanese steamed glutinous rice pudding with Chinese mushrooms and stewed pork Another comfort food at its best. Glutinous rice shaped into a dome and then steamed to perfection so it's incredibly moist and sticky in texture. Topped with lovely diced Chinese mushrooms and stewed pork for that deep rich umami flavour to blend in with the rest of the dish. Whatever that thick orange sauce was, it was very good at adding a nice rich savoury sweetness to the dish as well as keeping the rice extra moist. Boiled dumplings I wouldn't order these again to be honest. They weren't very memorable, skin a little too thick and dry. The meatball inside wasn't very flavourful either with only soy sauce given as a dip (I would have expected vinegar and chilli). Szechuan spicy hot beef noodle soup Another disappointment. The noodles were not cooked properly and clump together at times. Beef was quite tough and dense. The broth also lacked depth although it have quite a kick due to the sichuan peppercorns and chillis. The pickled greens helped give some complexity to the flavour though. For me the most annoying part were those szechuan peppercorn shells that added this sharp crunch against the noodles. Not my cup of tea. So the place is a mix bag. Essentially you are only paying for the good food, just don't expect service or much of an atmosphere. But I will going recommend this place if you're looking for a quick place to dine rather than to wind down as like I said, there are NO toilets. The reason why this place succeeds is because they don't really have m competitors other than Leong's Legend as there are not many Taiwanese restaurants in London. read more
As a huge fan of Taiwanese cuisine, it pains me to give any Taiwanese restaurant a bad review - and I thought long and hard about any redeeming factors that could allow me to at least give a pity 2*. But this place just doesn't serve authentic Taiwanese food, the prices are high even by London standards, and the service is poor to boot. To put it in perspective, my two Taiwanese friends I went with were even more disappointed than I was. Take the oyster omelet (oazen) as prime example - it is a completely nontraditional preparation (see attached picture). Here they take the oysters/vegetable/starch and quite literally wrap it in a fried egg, so that the egg is completely distinct from the ingredients. So the moment you try to split it up or bite into it, the oysters/vegetable/starch just fall out of the fried egg. This is one of Taiwan's most famous and recognizable dishes and the preparation here is just shameful. We also ordered the beef noodle soup and the three cup chicken. While the basic flavors and preparation were better (not that that's saying much, especially as it's pretty much impossible to screw up three cup chicken), we found both dishes rather bland - especially the beef noodle soup, which was barely spicy at all. Worst off, the service was at best indifferent and most of the time was just plain unfriendly. Considering all of the above and at about £9 per dish and very small servings, there's just no justification to visit here. read more
This establishment serves authentic Taiwanese food. There is an Asian street food feel to this place which is great. Unfortunately, although there is a feel to atmosphere wise, the food was not the same. This place is supposed to serve authentic street food but the taste and quality of them certainly do not feel like it. The oyster thin noodle is supposed to be silky smooth noodle with the most flavoursome gravy and fresh oyster. However the noodle was more hard and thick and certainly not smooth. The gravy lack the authentic taste. Oyster was also not fresh. If the food was good it was still forgivable but even the waitress was so rude and always keeps rushing you to order and leave. I feel extremely unelcomed here. Sorry not for me. read more
12 years ago
Great Taiwanese food, reminded me so much of home:) The place is quite small, so i wouldnt recommend groups bigger than 4. They have quite a selection of small plates, and a few mains with rice/noodles. The small plates can add up to quite a bill, so i would recommend getting a main, and a small plate to share. We had the pork schnitzel with rice and dan dan noodles, which were both amazing, and shared a small plate and a drink each. That, and a super yummy strawberry puff to share left us both super stuffed but sooooo satisfied! The bill came to £31 for 2, which i think is totally worth it for good food in London! read more
Really good food, we had the chicken with rice and it was really nice, but they should say it comes with pork on top. One of my friends ordered the "famous famous lamb noodles" which were again really nice. As starter we asked for the dumplings and were really surprised to see they came with no sauce or anything. The bubble tea is also really good. Why 3*, then? The staff is so, so difficult. It took a while to get the soya sauce and we ordered a lemonade only to be told with a nasty face they didn't have lemonade. We were really confused after seeing all the staff cutting lemons like crazy and when we looked at other table and we pointed at a lemon looking drink, she said: that's lemon juice! and rolled her eyes. Seriously, can't you just tell us you have lemon juice instead, darling? We did not take long to decide, we knew what we wanted but we did have to wait a good five minutes for you to stop cutting lemons and do what you are supposed to do and take our order. Would I go again? Maybe, but I having passed a couple of times, I decided to go somewhere else instead. FYI- there is no toilet. read more
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More info about Old Tree Daiwan Bee
26 Rupert Street
London W1D 6DH
United Kingdom
Chinatown
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020 8458 4112
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10 years ago
