Festival Terrace
Southbank Centre
SE1 8XX
Tel: 020 7960 4160
It’s summer time and that means it’s time to head off to the river, the Southbank in my case. The many eateries along that stretch of the river are always tempting but we chose to go to an old family favourite, Ping Pong.
The casual dining with a tapas style menu always works for us. It’s perfect we can each choose just what we want. They also had some new dishes to tempt regulars with something different.
We were sat in a bright long room off the main dining area that was quiet and cosy. The staff didn’t forget we were there and kept our orders coming. The way it works at Ping Pong is you get what you ordered when it’s ready.
Crispy duck rolls and a variety of dips kept us quiet for a while as did the excellent cocktails. They have a broad range of non-alcoholic options for little ones and drivers who don’t want to feel left out. The basil lemonade, made with fresh limes, ginger, fresh basil and lemongrass cordial really hit the spot with my 9 year old. My vanilla and chilli sidecar was a martini to remember, warm, slightly sweet and with a kick on it like a mule it went down very well.
The Southbank really comes alive at the weekend with families promenading and enjoying the weather. There is much to do as well, plenty of shops including the excellent BFI shop where you can buy the most obscure and hard to find DVD’s.
Marta, our waitress guided us through the dim sum menu perfectly. It does seem a little daunting at first but all the staff were well versed with the food and how much to order. Other stand out dishes included coriander and prawn dumplings, spicy chicken dumplings and beef and chilli parcels.
The new additions to the summer menu include beef and black pepper shu mai, an open-top wonton pastry with asparagus, carrots, marinated beef, topped with fresh black pepper and goji berries.
There is a citrus squid and carrot salad, which is served in a lime and chili dressing, making this delicious salad burst with flavour.
Ping Pong fans can rejoice at the return of crispy squid – squid in a light, crispy coating with hints of lemongrass and chili Sichuan dusting, served alongside a spicy mango sauce. Also on the menu are the chingkiang seafood skewers, made with squid and prawns alongside soya beans and black fungus, topped with chili bean sauce.
For lovers of all things sweet, Ping Pong have introduced two new delicious flavours of a desert classic – mango and yuzi mochi – soft rice pastry ball with an ice cream centre.
On Sundays Ping Pong offer an incredible deal from their set menu called a lazy Sunday (they have a lazy Sunday child as well). For £21.95 and £10.50 respectively, you can order as much as you want.
After you have filled up on the great dim sum pop along to the BFI shop and buy yourself a copy of the 1937 classic Street Angel, set in Shanghai depicting all of life you will be transported back to Ping Pong albeit in a black and white way.
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