Jianbing is a Chinese breakfast classic especially as a street food breakfast item. Something you can munch on while on the go. Perfect for that quick breakfast without sacrificing on taste. What is it? It is a savoury crepe with a number of different of fillings/toppings (e.g. eggs, coriander, spring onions, lettuce and youtiao (fried dough)). Essentially, it is a vegetarian dish, but of course the fillings you choose can make it something more meaty. When in Beijing, I witnessed numerous Jianbing spots around the city and they are usually hole in the wall type of spots. Humble, warm and cheerful. You walk up to the hole, order, watch it being made in front of you and then enjoy. This is the complete Jianbing experience. Typically, it is had for breakfast as mentioned as before, but it is often available throughout the day so you can have it for other meals or as a on-the-go kinda snack, which is perfect if you ask me.
Halal Jianbing in London
Jianbing is nowhere near as common or readily available as it is in China in London. There are a handful of spots in reality. There’s Pleasant Lady in the Old Spitalfields Market (who stated they don’t use separate utensils for the vegetarian version) and then a couple in Chinatown: LinLin Crepes and Chinese Tapas House. We didn’t visit LinLin, so can’t comment on their halal suitability status, instead we opted to visit Chinese Tapas House, which is located right next to the uber popular Ji’s Chicken. We asked them about the cross contamination and they confirmed that they do wash/clean the Jianbing utensil/stove when preparing the vegetarian Jianbing. And they did so in front of us too. So, the vegetarian Jianbing from Chinese Tapas House is inshaAllaah suitable for the halal diet.
Chinese Tapas House
Now, that we’ve established that they do a halal friendly Jianbing, let’s talk about our experience. Experience of the service and more importantly the taste of the Jianbing itself. I read a few negative reviews on Google and they primarily were surrounding the issue of customer service. I had already assumed it may be due to a language barrier and culture difference. But thankfully, we faced no issues whatsoever. We were greeted with smiles and they understood and dealt with our question and request with open arms as if it wasn’t the first time they had heard of the request (i.e. about cross contamination). So, positive thus far. We even stood over the girl making the Jianbing and at times blocking the entrance (not on purpose), but not once did we get “told off”.
Let’s now talk about the taste. I had tried Jianbing once before and that was in the country of its origin itself! So, you may think my standards were set high. Unfortunately, not. The one I did try didn’t blow me away and maybe there’s a reason why despite being in the country for 14 weeks, I only tried it once. However, this one… wow… this one completely changed my views on this street food breakfast classic. From the very first bite to the very last, the flavours were just popping and impressively getting better and better as we worked our way down to the bottom of the Jianbing. The bottom had gathered the juices and made for amazing final bites. Final bites that would make you go back to order another one! We got ours with the usual toppings mentioned in the introduction plus an addition of spicy tofu, which I think elevated the dish to top tier level. So, most definitely get that! It’s such a great snack/ quick breakfast dish – the flavours are humble yet complex. You got the egg, crunchy youtiao, fresh lettuce and coriander all wrapped in a wonderful crepe. Can’t go wrong!
Overall, a great place to visit when in Chinatown and an absolute must try dish when in the area. It isn’t something that will fill you up, so it ain’t a meal, but it is something definitely to start of your day. There’s always crowds of people outside this shop, but unfortunately it is for Ji’s Chicken and not this place. People do take a look inside or from afar, but never really venture in. Do not be intimidated by the humble look of the shop. Go in, order and you won’t be disappointed!
Getting there:
Nearest station: Leicester Square
Nearest mosque: Muslim World League Goodge Street (10 minute walk)
Parking: Ossulston Street – free evenings and weekends – plenty of parking spaces on Sundays – about 20-30 min walk from Soho/Chinatown, but it is just outside congestion zone
