Gigi Gao's Favourite Authentic Chinese

You're done with sweet and sour everything and fluorescent orange curry sauce masquerading as Chinese food. Down in the Maritime Quarter, tucked into Anchor Court, this place actually respects the cuisine it's serving. The menu reads like a love letter to authentic Sichuan and Cantonese cooking, with proper mapo tofu that'll make your tongue tingle and dim sum that doesn't taste like it's been sitting under a heat lamp since breakfast. The dining room feels refreshingly unpretentious — no dragons on the walls or generic red lanterns, just decent lighting and tables where you can actually have a conversation. Service moves at a clip, and they're not afraid to recommend the spicier dishes if you can handle them. At around £12-15 for mains, it's fair money for food that actually tastes like it comes from someone's kitchen rather than a factory freezer.