Yming (Closed Permanently)

More often referred to as simply Ming, this accommodating and cosy corner restaurant just a stone's throw from Chinatown serves clean and above-average Chinese food, including a few items you'll not see on other menus. Not expensive, but not budget-friendly either. Ask for table number one (for four people), tucked away in the corner. Exterior is covered in a distinctive blue-green, with the tasteful interior the same, already setting it apart from your traditional Chinatown restaurant. Located diagonally opposite Soho's adored patisserie Maison Bertaux [see entry], just seconds south of Old Compton St. The Crossrail development would love to devour the parent building for its own purposes (a Shaftesbury Avenue entrance), but that's under negotiation.