Eight courses
Gouqi's Chinese tasting menu is eight courses, served in St James's for a minimum of two guests. A wine pairing matched course by course can be added. The restaurant is at 25–34 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5BN, near Trafalgar Square. Prices for this menu are confirmed when you book, rather than published here.
The eight courses
The menu moves from a raw opening through dim sum, soup, fish, beef and noodles, and finishes with a single dessert. The courses are:
- Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, Green Apple with XO Sauce
- Foie Gras Rice Crisp with Caviar
- Supreme Steamed Dim Sum Trio: Black Truffle Har Gau, Prawn and Scallop Dumpling, and Octopus Dumpling
- Double-Boiled Golden Soup with Fish Maw and Bamboo Pith
- Chargrilled Silver Cod with Chef's Special Sauce
- Stir-Fried Osmanthus A5 Wagyu with Aubergine
- Emperor's Gold Wonton Noodles
- Osmanthus Golden Bloom Mousse
It is a European-style tasting sequence, one progression for the table, rather than the à la carte sharing format. The à la carte is still there for guests who would rather build a meal around the royal dim sum platter or the Peking duck with Oscietra caviar, carved tableside and served three ways.
The kitchen
Gouqi is Chef Tong's return to the London restaurant scene after he left the Hakkasan Group in 2019, where he was Executive Head Chef. Under his leadership, Hakkasan, Yauatcha and HKK won Michelin stars. At Gouqi the cooking draws on techniques and ingredients from across China, served in the dining room on Cockspur Street.
Who the menu is for
The minimum is two, so it is a menu for a pair or a small table eating the same sequence. For a private room, the tasting menu is one of three seated options, alongside the three-course Signature Sharing Menu and a set menu drawn from the à la carte. Crimson and Ruby seat 12 and 10, or 22 together. Tell the restaurant about allergies when you book so the kitchen can say what can be adjusted before the first course leaves the pass.
Lunch service starts at 12:00 and dinner at 16:30, daily. The kitchen closes at 22:00 from Monday to Thursday and on Sunday, and at 22:30 on Friday and Saturday. A tasting menu takes the length of eight courses, so an early dinner sitting is the easier one if you are going on to a theatre nearby.
How to reserve it
Book by phone, by email, or through OpenTable on the reservation page, and say that you want the eight-course tasting menu. Add the wine pairing at the same time if you want it. The menus page lists this menu next to dim sum afternoon tea, the theatre menu and the festive menu. Afternoon tea is the set menu guests most often compare it with: a savoury sharing tea, also for a minimum of two, ordered 24 hours ahead. A tasting menu in Crimson or Ruby is arranged through the private dining enquiry. That booking takes a deposit of 50% of the minimum spend.
Reserve on the reservation page, call 0203 771 8886, or email reservations@gouqi-restaurants.co.uk.