First look at Canton Blue in The Peninsula London: showcase for dim sum and inventive Cantonese cuisine using British produce

The dim sum and char siu don’t disappoint, but chef Dicky To’s focus at fine-dining restaurant Canton Blue is on cooking British ingredients Cantonese-style

Forget fish maw, abalone and double-boiled soup – think lobster with English cheeses and rice cakes, or wok-fried Herdwick lamb chops with eight treasure sauce

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A chef prepares dim sum at Canton Blue in The Peninsula London. The focus at the newly opened Chinese restaurant in the luxury hotel is on British produce cooked the Cantonese way. Photo: Instagram/@cantonblue.london

Published: 12:45pm, 19 Sep 2023Updated: 4:27pm, 19 Sep 2023

After a 30-year wait for the perfect location, The Peninsula London has opened in the British capital. The luxury hotel has a prime spot on Hyde Park Corner in Belgravia – many of its rooms and suites overlook the gardens of Buckingham Palace.

The hotel group’s signature white lions greet you at the entrance, which open onto an airy lobby. Afternoon tea is in full service, with Londoners and visitors sipping on Earl Grey to the strains of a violinist and pianist. Close your eyes, and you could be forgiven for thinking you were at the group’s grande dame, the original Peninsula in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.

On the right is the entrance to Brooklands, a soon-to-open restaurant by French chef Claude Bosi. It features a changing roster of classic cars, while above hangs an original nose cone from a Concorde airliner – complete with mirror so you can take a selfie in it.

This will doubtless soon be one of London’s hottest dining spots – especially with its bar terrace and city views.

We are here, however, to see Canton Blue, The Peninsula London’s Cantonese restaurant, whose kitchen is headed by executive chef Dicky To.