Hong Kong restaurant

You'll find yourself on Upper Street in Islington surrounded by the usual brunch spots and cocktail bars, but this is where you slip in for the real thing. Hong Kong Restaurant does the kind of Cantonese food that makes you understand why people queue round the block in Mong Kok. The dim sum trolley is the main event—har gow with prawns that actually taste like something, siu mai that melt, char siu bao with proper caramelised edges. Everything's cooked with the kind of care that comes from actually knowing what you're doing rather than chasing Instagram clout.