Time's Table with... Geoffrey Leong of Dumplings Legend

Every now and then a meal becomes more than just a meal. It could be innovative and exciting – the kind that shapes your cooking going forward. But there’s something equally magic about the dish your mum used to cook you growing up, or even the reliable weekly staple you knock together on repeat.

In this new series, Time’s Table, we chat to people about the food that has left an impact on a time in their life – be it their past, present or future. Trust us, you can learn a lot about someone through what’s on their plate. 

Time's Table with... Geoffrey Leong of Dumplings and Leong's Legend

Geoffrey Leong is one of the icons of London’s Chinatown. 

Having moved to the UK from Hong Kong aged ten, his family have always been on the restaurant scene, setting up fine dining spots in Hampstead and Mayfair before taking on the city’s West End. 

First opening Leong’s Legend in 2008, the menu brought something refreshing and new to Chinatown at a time when many others stuck to Cantonese staples. The common thread in all of Leong’s restaurants is a desire to shine a spotlight on regional delicacies, provide a home away from home for Chinese expats and encourage Brits to try lesser known dishes as well as those they’re familiar with. 

Geoffrey Leong is a legend of Chinatown (Credit: Twisted)

With the likes of Taiwanese oyster omelette, Sichuan-style spicy wontons and xiao long bao soup dumplings from Shanghai, both Leong’s Legend and the later opened Dumplings Legend are born out of a sharing food culture that exists across most of China, and are a tribute to the diverse smorgasbord of dishes that make up the cuisine.

But what are the meals that define Geoff today? We asked the restaurateur to reflect on a nostalgic favourite, a present staple and a meal he’s had recently that’ll mould him going forward. 

Past - Xiao Long Bao

“Dim sum culture has always been a very, very important part of my memories. 

“Probably the biggest memory with my grandfather was going for yum cha, and growing up in Hong Kong, it’s what we would get together and eat for family occasions. 

“If you know your dim sum, cheung fun prawn, har gao, spare ribs, char siu bao… these were my go-to. If I had to pick one, though, it would be xiao long bao, which is a dumpling that’s folded around 18 folds, pleated at the top and filled with marinated pork and steamed with lots of jelly, so it melts [into] a soup.

Xiao long bao is the Leong family's calling card (Credit: Getty)

“It’s a classic lunch dish that was historically from Shanghai and Nanjing, then many of the Shanghainese traveled and took it to Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“The combination of the very silky, thin skin with a very strong, meaty soup is such a unique taste. Then, you dip it in vinegar with ginger slices, which adds that malty, sharp citrus. It’s one of the most addictive classic dumplings. 

“It was an education going to British boarding school at 10 years old and seeing dumplings on a menu only to realise they weren’t the same, they were basically lumps of heavy dough with no filling in them! 

“My friends and family would sometimes take me to Chinese restaurants [locally], but in the 80s, most restaurants outside of Chinatown never served dim sum. Still today it’s very rare, because you need quality chefs, quality ingredients and the know-how – which often takes generations of learning. 

“That's kind of the journey of how we came to having a restaurant where people can come and just eat xiao long bao, which [for many Chinese people], might be their favourite dish. 

“Leong’s Legend was our first foray into that. We didn't want to do a big Cantonese [menu] because the site was very, very small, so we picked the favourite dishes that we felt have a heritage of both Chinese and Taiwanese [cuisines]. 

“The success of that gave us the opportunity to look at other regional dishes, and today, the Dumplings Legend menu has evolved to become not only classic Cantonese dishes, but highlights of all the most renowned regions of China.

“Now, at Dumplings Legend, we also have a truffle version, a sichuan pepper version, a chicken version, vegetarian versions of xiao long bao… it’s very popular! 

“We were the first restaurant in Chinatown to do a dedicated counter, where people can see the chef making xiao long bao in front of them.

“It’s a very special dish to me.”

Present - Duck risotto 

“There's 400 dishes in Dumplings Legend now, and that’s because [in China] you don't eat the same dish every day. 

“You might have steamed rice and then the other things will be different every time. Meat, fish, vegetables, a soup…that’s typical of Chinese meals.

Chinese food is all about sharing culture (Credit: Getty)

“When it comes to my preference to eat at home, I have a very international outlook. I always like to experiment with different flavour profiles, but [like when I was younger] it’s never the same meal.

“I think it also comes from going to lots of international restaurants with my family, and trying lots of different foods. 

“Earlier this week I made slow cooked pork with soy, ginger, five spice, honey and mirin, and before that I made Galician beef (one of the one of my favorite meats) which is salt rubbed and cooked on the griddle. 

“I’ll make a stir fry, and I love to experiment with different soy sauce brands, sesame, Shaoxing wine.

Geoff likes exploring different sauces and condiments (Credit: Getty)

“Just last night I made a risotto with diced up garlic, onions, spring onion and butter – I didn’t have risotto rice but I had paella rice, so, [there was] a bit of fusion there. 

“Paella rice absorbs a lot more stock, so I added chicken stock from whole chicken bones I had been boiling, and then pan fried duck breasts.

“Very rarely people think, ‘let's eat fusion tonight’, because fusion is not seen as a category of food, but it often happens when you’re cooking. 

“Chinese [people] are eating Chinese dishes, but these days they’re also saying, ‘let's try Korean, or Vietnamese, or French gastronomy. Like I was saying, I think people should be adventurous.”

Future - Omakase 

“One of our recent investments has been Japanese omakase, which is the chef’s choice. We opened a restaurant recently called Iné, which is based off our Michelin-starred restaurant, Taku in Hampstead. 

“My first taste [of the menu] was a dollop of caviar with otoro – the fattiest raw sashimi style tuna, which is diced. Rarely you get to taste a whole spoonful of caviar with otoro, and, wow, it’s really a mouthful. 

Iné's omakase menu has inspired Geoff (Credit: Iné by Taku)

“My favourite dish was this citrus jelly with scallop sashimi. That was really quite incredible, how raw seafood can cut through so well. 

“That has really inspired me to look at Japanese food culture… the education of those top master sushi chefs and the level of execution and love that goes into the food. 

“You have that sushi understanding, but then you're also looking at the way that dishes are created using ingredients that are traditional but also modern and new. 

“The interesting thing that I took away from omakase is the flexibility. It's about allowing a chef to really evolve. You get to take your palate on a journey. You don't know what you're getting. It's all a little surprise. It's creative.

“We asked ourselves, what can we learn from that omakase style and [apply to] Chinese cuisines? Is there more we can do to push the boundary of Chinese set menus?

“One of the investments my dad made was supporting the first Japanese restaurant in Chinatown. In the 80s, there were only a few Japanese restaurants in London and it was a time when everyone said, ‘raw fish?’, but now it’s very popular. 

“Food is an experiment. It's an experience that really engages your palate like no other. It’s very interesting to think about how we grow to embrace different cultures. Could you go to a restaurant, pay x amount and have 20 courses of Chinese small eats? It’s certainly something to think about.

“A lot of people are very conservative about ordering Chinese dishes. I want them to be explorative… to go to a restaurant with an open mind.”

Featured image: Getty/ Twisted