Hainan House Islington
Chinese Food with Character.
Located off China’s southern coast, the province of Hainan is appreciated for its tropical climate, making it a magnet for tourists, and many of those will be looking for its celebrated dishes. Hainan House Islington offers a taste of the style of food found there.
Hainan comprises an array of islands and its cuisine takes advantage of its tropical ingredients. The foods from this region are a little different from those you would normally encounter in a UK Chinese restaurant. They tend to be less highly seasoned, lighter and less oily, making for healthier dishes but delicate and delicious flavours.
Hainan House Islington is a little gem. There is plenty of competition along the length of this restaurant-heavy high street, but Hainan House seems to be attracting plenty of regulars – and some of those were Chinese. Those folks will undoubtedly know more about this food than I do, so that is a wonderful recommendation right there.
The staff here are friendly and well-informed and will be able to explain the dishes to you. We ordered Tiger Skin Quail Eggs and Steam-Grilled Aubergine as out starters. The aubergines had a mouthwatering char with the sweet soft flesh being complemented by the house-made soy and vinegar dressing. This would also make a delightful side dish to many of the main menu items here.
Tiger Skin Quail Eggs with Papaya Chilli was a unique little plate and made addictive by that spicy house-made papaya chilli jam. Hainan House should bottle that: I would buy a year’s supply. It has a kick with plenty of exotic fruit flavour.
Claypot cooking is a big part of the offerings here and they are well worth trying. We ordered Aromatic Beef Claypot Stew. This was a bubbling pot of braised meat in a rich, flavourful broth with aromatic spices, carrots and black fungus served in the traditional claypot for which it is named. The meat was succulent and laced with those warming spices. Think more Christmas spice than fiery chilli. This is comfort food rather than a culinary sparring match. It’s the kind of food your Nan would make – if you were lucky enough to have a Hainanese Nan, that is.
House-style Poached Cornfed Chicken is a must-try here. I have tasted this before in both Singapore and Malaysia. Hainanese people are the fifth-largest Chinese-dialect group in Singapore, and those immigrants brought their culinary traditions with them. This was a plate of delicately poached Hainan-style chicken which was served at room temperature with a slight pinkness in the bones. This is quite correct and makes a light and refreshing meal in warm climates, although it was still tasty on a wet Islington afternoon. It was accompanied by soy garlic dipping sauce. The Chicken Rice was also authentic and a classic pairing for the aforementioned chicken. Jasmine rice cooked with chicken stock and dressed in poultry fat is a must-have.
Our chosen side was a stunner and presents me with likely the only occasion when my dear reader will hear me rave about lettuce! Soy Garlic Lettuce is baby gem lettuces stir fried with aromatic garlic. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it was a preparation new to me and one which I will shamelessly replicate. This should be a signature side dish here.
And then there was dessert. Banana Fritters served with Condensed Milk was my guest’s choice. The batter was light, the fruit sweet and that milk was rich and creamy. It’s an ingredient that is popular in southeast Asia, and with those of us of ‘a certain age’ in the UK. This dessert was pronounced first class by a man who loves his sweet treats.
Handmade Yi Bua Sticky Rice Cake was my dessert. It was a winner and once again took me back to Singapore and Malaysia. Sticky Rice mochi was filled with sugar, papaya and desiccated coconut and wrapped in a banana leaf before being served hot and steamy. It was traditional and the perfect end to a rather good meal. We will return and likely book a ticket to Hainan China. They have good food there if Hainan House is any example.
Hainan House
88 Upper Street
London
N1 0NP
Opening Hours
Monday – Sunday
12:00 – 9:45pm
