BaoziInn Borough - London Bridge, London

We've been big fans of BaoziInn for some time now, have visited both its Romilly Street and Victoria Market Halls locations, and are super pumped every time we pop in for their colourful dumplings and spicy, bracing Sichuanese and Hunanese cuisine, so we were doubly pumped to hear that chef Francis Law and company were launching a three storey flagship restaurant on Southwark Street in Borough.

Split over three floors, the room has been coloured a subtle slate grey that's easy on the eyes. Pendant bankers lighting in the Tom Dixon mode illuminate the walls and monochromatic paintings hung in an off-kilter fashion and the wooden tables underneath them. Upstairs you'll find a bar (great for a cold beer and dan dan noodles) overhung with a drinks gantry. The whole design is minimalist in essence - drawing ones attention to the food. 

We kicked things off with Chengdu jiaozi and jiaozi in XO sauce. The former was a punchy, peppery, piquant pork dumpling, while the latter was creamy, soothing and packed with prawn. Cherry wood smoked duck was nestled into a bed of glassy rice noodles, which went really well with garlic pak choi and a beer. The piece de resistance was the barbecue roast meat special, which brought together Hunanese and Sichuanese influences in a symphony of home style pancakes, multi-colour pickles, honeydew melon and chef's special sauce. 

Baozi Inn remains one of London's best dumpling spots and their flagship ups the ante for enjoyment.