Shaanxi cuisine specialist Guirong Wei launches third London restaurant

Following a quiet soft launch in mid-February, the Dream Xi’an is now fully up and running in a bright, modern space in Tower Hill, offering the Shaanxi dishes she has become known for as well as a number of new options. 

Both Xi’an Impression in Highbury and the more recently launched Master Wei in Bloomsbury introduced many Londoners to the regional cuisine of Shaanxi, especially the hand-pulled noodle dishes for which the north west Chinese province is famous.

Whereas those restaurants were bound by small kitchens, Dream Xi’an is a far bigger space with a 70-cover dining room and large kitchen, which has allowed Guirong to offer a greatly expanded menu. 

Among the new dishes on offer is a selection of intricate steamed dim sum, which are all made by hand on site. Guests can choose from the Xi’an empress dumplings, filled with chicken, prawn, and carrots; the Xi’an special steamed dumpling, filled with pork, cabbage, and spring onion; the vegetarian special, with wood ear mushrooms, glass noodles, and egg; and Wei’s xiaolong bao, with pork, preserved vegetables, and soup. 

Also new and exclusive to Dream Xi’an are several classic Xi’an street foods, including a special fried bao, a thick-skinned dumpling filled with beef and onion; and paomo soup, a hot stew of chopped up bread that is cooked with sliced beef and served in a rich beef broth.

More familiar to fans of Master Wei are the smacked cucumbers in sesame and chilli oil; cold beef tendon in spicy sauce; and the cumin beef and pulled pork ‘burgers’, served in homemade leavened flatbreads. 

“My previous restaurants gave me the chance to bring my hometown food to London, and with Dream Xi’an I’m so lucky to be able to offer many more special dishes,” says Wei. “I hope people will love it as much as I do, it means a lot to me.”