The Best Winter Warmer Soups to Seek out in Chinatown

Brrr! It’s cool out so warm up fast with these ultra-yummy, stomach-insulating soups.

As the mercury plummets, there’s nothing better to warm your innards than a piping hot bowl of sumptuous soup. Rich, aromatic broth loaded with tender meat or seafood and a generous tangle of noodles: delicious. When in Chinatown London, raise your core body temperature with one of these sensational, nourishing soups.

Winter melon soup with pork ribs – Jinli

‘Isn’t melon a summer fruit?’ We hear you cry. Yes and, in China, no. Winter melon is an Asian gourd, named as such because it’s harvested in autumn but lasts all though winter. A traditional Chinese dish, winter melon soup is made with slowly cooked pork broth, soy, ginger and cubes of winter melon. At Jinli, it’s served with unctuous pork ribs.

Bak kut teh – C&R Café

This is a popular Malaysian-Singaporean soup that literally translates to ‘meat bone tea.’ It looks like a simple clear broth but is loaded with complex spices and seasons; star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and garlic. Bak kut teh is sweet, strong and oh-so versatile – it’s eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Find it at C&R Café.

Rare Beef Pho – Viet Food

Delicate, light, fragrant and piled high with slippery rice noodles along with fresh mint, holy basil, chilli and coriander, pho is the ultimate Vietnamese soup. This popular street food staple can be found in myriad variations at Viet Food but their rare beef pho is something to behold; wafer thin slices of pink beef that slowly cook in your hot soup.

Pork stomach and chicken soup with black pepper – Little Four Seasons

For the adventurous gastronome, this soup stars a lesser-eaten cut of the pig. Chinese have been nose-to-tail eating long before Fergus Henderson made it cool and needless to say you can find dishes in Chinatown using many-a body part. Pork stomach soup features the liver and intestines infused with spices. It’s believed to have many health benefits. Little Four Seasons’ has the added bonus of chicken too.