Up until just a few years ago, London’s prevalence of Chinese food was confined to restaurants and takeaways serving a bastardisation of Cantonese food, made by predominantly Cantonese chefs arriving in England. Adapted to suit Western tastes, chow mein, fried rice and sweet and sour pork were top orders and any regional variations were restricted to secret menus and homesick home-cooks. Fast-forward to 2019: restaurateurs have noticed London’s appetite for heat and spice and, with more mainland Chinese arriving in town, regional cuisine from across China has become widely available across the city. It is often forgotten how vast China is, how cultures from Xinjiang through to Guangzhou vary – and so in their food, it shows.

Hailing from the Guangdong Province and the predominant cuisine of Hong Kong, Cantonese meals are based around dishes eaten with rice and noodles. Steaming and stir-frying are especially popular. Garlic, ginger and spring onion are key flavours and although offal is widely used, gamier meats such as lamb are avoided. Dumplings served as dim sum are one of Cantonese cuisine’s most famous exports.

• Dumplings’ Legend

15-16 Gerrard Street, W1D 6JE

Dumplings’ Legend serves the best value xiao long bao (soup dumplings) in town. They don’t have fancy flavour variations and can sometimes be rough-hewn, but they’re tasty, satisfying and importantly, consistent. The rest of their dim sum menu is well-made, the restaurant is bustling and the Hong Kong classic, fried beef ho fun, is smoky and full of “wok hei” – that coveted breath of the wok.

• Gold Mine

102 Queensway, Bayswater, W2 3RR

This restaurant is located in London’s second Chinatown, Bayswater. Glistening dark-golden ducks hang in the window; part of its siu mei (Cantonese barbecue) range, which, including crispy pork belly and char siu, is some of the best in town. Served on or off the bone and drizzled with sweet, dark soy and eaten over hot rice, the fatty, juicy duck is rumoured to be so in demand that Singaporean students often vacuum-pack it to take back home. Other Cantonese classics, such as clay-pot dishes and steamed egg custard are executed deftly. They also have a dim sum menu but don’t attempt to go after 5.00pm – this is a rule across all dim sum.

Fiery red chillis and the metallic numbness of Sichuan peppercorns are what the region is famous for. Located in the southwest China, often cold and wet, the heat of the food is said to dehumidify the body. The food is not just face-melting – fragrant, sweet and sour flavours are also prized.

• Shu Xiangge

43 New Oxford Street, Holborn, WC1A 1BH

10 Gerrard Street, W1D 5PW

Shu Xiangge is extremely popular, with branches both in Holborn and Chinatown. Offal is common with Sichuan food, and it is no exception here on a lengthy menu that also features wagyu beef, pork and lamb, seafood, noodles and vegetables. An interactive experience, you cook these yourself by simmering ingredients in a soup-filled pot built into the table. Make sure you get the ma la (numbing and spicy), a bubbling hell-broth that will make you see stars and sweat from the eyelids, and the milky herbal broth that will help quell the fire.

• Kaki

125 Caledonian Road, Islington, N1 9RG

kakilondon.com

Expect a huge menu here, covering not only Sichuanese food but also a short section on Huaiyang cuisine, from the Yangtze region, which, in contrast to the rest of the menu, is not spicy but is heavy in vinegar. It’s best to go with a group to try a range of dishes as the portions are hearty – the hot and spicy lamb ribs and dry pot dishes are especially great for sharing. Unusually for Sichuan restaurants in London, Kaki also has an extensive list of vegetarian dishes.

Located in the north of China, Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi province. The city is home to a range of cultures, and a strong Islamic influence means that lamb, goat and mutton feature heavily. Wheat is the staple grain, with bread and noodles ruling the dinner table.

• Xi’an Impression

117 Benwell Road, N7 7BW

xianimpression.co.uk

Sitting opposite Arsenal’s stadium, Xi’an Impression could be dismissed as a takeaway joint, but delve further and you’ll find traditional Xi’an street snacks, served restaurant style. The jelly-like cold skin noodles dressed in chilli oil are refreshing on a summer’s day. Ginger chicken is another great cold dish, cooling but spicy all at once. The dumplings are fried to a crisp lacy sheet, their ends open, and the hand-pulled noodles are so good they inspired their sister restaurant, Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles.

• Murger Hanhan

8A Sackville Street, Mayfair, W1S 3DF

murgerhan.com

With its sleek, dark wood décor and subtle frontage, Murger Han Han belies the hearty portions and riotious chilli seasoning of their dishes. Its namesake speciality is the murger, unleavened bread stuffed with a spiced beef, or pork fillings with varying levels of fattiness. The handmade-noodle menu is vast, and comes in a range of heat levels – even medium will inspire a nose-running, shirt-soaking slurp-fest.