Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 14 and Version 10 of Manchurian Legends, WC2H 7BE

Version 14 Version 10
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Chinese restaurant in [[Locale Chinatown|Chinatown]]. It's located on Lisle Street, where Sushi Gaga (and before that [[Okawari, WC2H 7BE|Okawari]]) used to be, and it's owned by the Restaurant Privilege group, who also owned Sushi Gaga and who still run [[Leong's Legend, W1D 6AX|Leong's Legend]] and many other East and South-East Asian restaurants around London.
 Manchurian Legends was a Chinese restaurant in [[Locale Chinatown|Chinatown]], specialising in Dongbei (northeast Chinese) food. It has now closed; as of July 2012, Mr Noodles [https://twitter.com/eatlovenoodles/status/226675260303478784 reports on Twitter] that the premises are now occupied by a Cantonese barbecue restaurant.
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It's small and cosy inside, with a yurt-style fabric ceiling punctuated with hanging lanterns. A water feature trickles near the door, though on our June 2015 visit this sounded more reminiscent of a dripping tap than a mountain stream. Tables are wood-effect melamine, and there's a booth or two further in.
 The information below is retained for people who want to know what it used to be like.
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The menu primarily covers regional Chinese food from Dongbei (northeast China) and Xinjiang, though there are some set menus at the back offering a more Anglicised style of Chinese food. Vegetarian options are clearly marked, and there are enough of them to put together a reasonable meal.
 <div class="old_info">
Chinese restaurant in [[Locale Chinatown|Chinatown]], specialising in Dongbei (northeast Chinese) food.
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[[Kake]] and [[bob]] visited on a Thursday evening in June 2015. It was fairly empty when we arrived around 5:45pm, but customers started arriving very quickly after that, and it was basically full by 6:30pm. Music was playing, not too loud, but rather slushy in style.
 This is yet another opening from the Restaurant Privilege group, who also own [[Leong's Legend, W1D 6AX|Leong's Legend]] just opposite, as well as many other East Asian restaurants around London. After the previous occupant, [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4797921574/ C&#7849;m Ph&aacute;t], vacated the site, there were [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/5751088763/ signs] that a Hong Kong style place called Cafe de Chine would be opening up, but by July 2011 Manchurian Legends was firmly in place (although a month later, "Cafe de Chine" still appeared on their debit card slips).
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Chilled aubergine with mashed garlic (&#33948;&#33540;&#23376;; &pound;6) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18619734750/ photo]</small> was pungently garlicky with plenty of raw garlic; the aubergine was also handled well, neither undercooked nor overcooked. Grilled pointed green peppers with minced pork (&#34382;&#30382;&#23574;&#26898;; &pound;9) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18807449755/ photo]</small> were a good-sized portion, and the chilli skins were nicely blistered and not too tough. The sauce was quite unsubtle, but its saltiness worked well with rice. Pork belly and pickled cabbage stew with glass noodles (&#37240;&#33756;&#20116;&#33457;&#32905;&#29129;&#31881;&#26781;; &pound;10.50) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18807450335/ photo]</small> was a little bland, and the glass noodles were sadly overcooked, though the sourness of the pickled cabbage came through nicely. Rice was fine.
 The building is tall and narrow, with seating on three floors. When [[Kake]] and [[Sarah]] visited on a Tuesday evening in August 2011, the ground floor was full (this doesn't take much; it really is small) and we were led to the top floor, where we were entertained during our meal by the sounds of karaoke leaking out from the KTV rooms they have up there.
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Overall, the food was less impressive this time than on [[Kake]] and [[Sarah]]'s previous visit to its old location on Macclesfield Street <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6117964712/ photo]</small> (the old premises of C&#7849;m Ph&aacute;t and [[New Laughing Buddha, W1D 5BP|New Laughing Buddha]]), from which it [http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellaphon/7663227126/ relocated] to Lisle Street in mid-2012).
 Everything we tried was good. A cold dish of shredded kelp (&#28092;&#25292;&#28023;&#24118;&#32114;; &pound;4.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089154779/ photo]</small> was a very generous portion, and nicely seasoned. Cucumber with mandarin pork (&#32920;&#33457;&#25293;&#40643;&#29916;; &pound;4.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089738442/ photo]</small>, another cold dish, had great flavour, and although the texture of the meat was as interesting as pork knuckle usually is, we actually ran out of the cucumber part before the pork part.
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That time, on a Tuesday evening in August 2011, everything we tried was good. A cold dish of shredded kelp (&#28092;&#25292;&#28023;&#24118;&#32114;; &pound;4.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089154779/ photo]</small> was a very generous portion, and nicely seasoned. Cucumber with mandarin pork (&#32920;&#33457;&#25293;&#40643;&#29916;; &pound;4.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089738442/ photo]</small>, another cold dish, had great flavour, and although the texture of the meat was as interesting as pork knuckle usually is, we actually ran out of the cucumber part before the pork part. Pork and pickled vegetable dumplings (&#35948;&#32905;&#37240;&#33756;&#27700;&#39171;; &pound;5 for eight) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089718382/ photo]</small> were just as they should be, and plain rice (&pound;2/person) was fine. The highlight of the meal, though, was the braised pork with glass noodles (&#32005;&#29138;&#32905;&#31881;&#26781;; &pound;8.50); cubes of red-cooked pork belly, braised long enough that the skin was almost as soft as the fat, mixed with a tangle of thin, slippery, chewy potato starch noodles.
 Pork and pickled vegetable dumplings (&#35948;&#32905;&#37240;&#33756;&#27700;&#39171;; &pound;5 for eight) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089718382/ photo]</small> were just as they should be, and plain rice (&pound;2/person) was fine. The highlight of the meal, though, was the braised pork with glass noodles (&#32005;&#29138;&#32905;&#31881;&#26781;; &pound;8.50); cubes of red-cooked pork belly, braised long enough that the skin was almost as soft as the fat, mixed with a tangle of thin, slippery, chewy potato starch noodles.
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[[Kake]]'s verdict: I really quite liked the food on my first visit, but was a little disappointed on my second (and this time it also felt a bit expensive for what we got). Other reviews (linked below) also suggest some inconsistency in the kitchen.
 [[Kake]]'s verdict: I really quite liked the food here, though judging by other reviews (linked below) it sounds like there is some inconsistency in the kitchen and we may have been lucky in our ordering.
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Accessibility: Two steps to get in. Toilets are down a winding staircase with a non-continuous handrail on one side most of the way down.
 Accessibility: A couple of steps to get in, and much of the seating is up additional flights of stairs. The karaoke rooms are on the top floor.
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* Photos of the menu as of June 2015: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18621273249/ 1], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18621272649/ 2], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18619668888/ 3], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18802410492/ 4], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/18621269959/ 5]
* [http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/restaurants/manchurian-legends-w1--review-7426169.html Evening Standard review] (by Fay Maschler)
 * Photos of the menu as of August 2011: [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089578560/ 1], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089581492/ 2], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089039377/ 3], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089042981/ 4], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089103449/ 5], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6089651100/ 6]
* [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/review-23977349-manchurian-legends-w1---review.do Evening Standard review] (by Fay Maschler)
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* [http://web.archive.org/web/20130815185351/http://theskinnybib.com/2011/10/19/manchurian-legends-chinatown-london/ Skinny Bib review]
 * [http://natashahughes.com/?p=593 Natasha Hughes' review]
* [http://theskinnybib.com/2011/10/19/manchurian-legends-chinatown-london/ Skinny Bib review]
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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]] and [[bob]], June 2015.</div>
address='16 Lisle Street'
category='Chinese Food,Restaurants,Vegetarian Friendly'
edit_type='Minor tidying'
 <div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]] and [[Sarah]], August 2011.</div>
</div>
address='12 Macclesfield Street'
category='Now Closed'
edit_type='Normal edit'
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formatted_website_text=' class="external">manchurianlegends.com'
host='2a00:1098:86:4d:c0ff:ee:15:900d'
 formatted_website_text='manchurianlegends.com'
host='81.187.166.218'
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latitude='51.511576'
locale='Chinatown,Soho,WC2'
longitude='-0.130756'
major_change='0'
map_link='http://streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=529810&y=180839'
node_image='https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7948238328_32d95dec6a_m.jpg'
 major_change='1'
map_link='http://streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=529780&y=180887'
node_image='https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6117964712_f8fa49a26b_m.jpg'
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node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/7948238328/'
 node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/6117964712/'
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os_x='529810'
os_y='180839'
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postcode='WC2H 7BE'
summary='Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, specialising in Dongbei (northeast Chinese) food.'
 postcode=''
summary='Now closed; was a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, specialising in Dongbei (northeast Chinese) food.'

Manchurian Legends was a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, specialising in Dongbei (northeast Chinese) food. It has now closed; as of July 2012, Mr Noodles reports on Twitter that the premises are now occupied by a Cantonese barbecue restaurant.

The information below is retained for people who want to know what it used to be like.

Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, specialising in Dongbei (northeast Chinese) food.

This is yet another opening from the Restaurant Privilege group, who also own Leong's Legend just opposite, as well as many other East Asian restaurants around London. After the previous occupant, Cẩm Phát, vacated the site, there were signs that a Hong Kong style place called Cafe de Chine would be opening up, but by July 2011 Manchurian Legends was firmly in place (although a month later, "Cafe de Chine" still appeared on their debit card slips).

The building is tall and narrow, with seating on three floors. When Kake and Sarah visited on a Tuesday evening in August 2011, the ground floor was full (this doesn't take much; it really is small) and we were led to the top floor, where we were entertained during our meal by the sounds of karaoke leaking out from the KTV rooms they have up there.

Everything we tried was good. A cold dish of shredded kelp (涼拌海帶絲; £4.50) photo was a very generous portion, and nicely seasoned. Cucumber with mandarin pork (肘花拍黃瓜; £4.50) photo, another cold dish, had great flavour, and although the texture of the meat was as interesting as pork knuckle usually is, we actually ran out of the cucumber part before the pork part.

Pork and pickled vegetable dumplings (豬肉酸菜水餃; £5 for eight) photo were just as they should be, and plain rice (£2/person) was fine. The highlight of the meal, though, was the braised pork with glass noodles (紅燒肉粉條; £8.50); cubes of red-cooked pork belly, braised long enough that the skin was almost as soft as the fat, mixed with a tangle of thin, slippery, chewy potato starch noodles.

Kake's verdict: I really quite liked the food here, though judging by other reviews (linked below) it sounds like there is some inconsistency in the kitchen and we may have been lucky in our ordering.

Accessibility: A couple of steps to get in, and much of the seating is up additional flights of stairs. The karaoke rooms are on the top floor.

See also:

Last visited by Kake and Sarah, August 2011.

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