Chop Chop Hippodrome review: great Chinese food underground

The listed theatre opened in 1900 as an indoor circus with elephants, seals and lions - and a swimming pool in the basement.

Restored and renamed the Hippodrome Casino a few years ago, it now has three casinos, a dedicated poker floor, a Baccarat lounge, nine bars, and in the basement, where I was heading, the award-winning Chop Chop Hippodrome restaurant.

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My companion was late and so I waited outside on the pavement, Leicester Square heaving with life, and all kinds of people entering the casino.

This is a playground for the wealthy and the wannabe wealthy, some smart, some casually dressed, while others carried plastic carrier bags.

History lines the walls when you walk into the Hippodrome Casino, including Houdini's straightjacket (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Once inside we walk past walls that are like a museum of the Hippodrome's past, with memorabilia including Harry Houdini's straitjacket.

Chop Chop Hippodrome, a Cantonese Chinese restaurant, is run by the Four Seasons Group and can be found hidden in the basement - where that swimming pool once was.

The small sign welcoming you to Chop Chop by Four Seasons at the Hippodrome, hidden in the basement (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Promisingly the restaurant won the Golden Future awards at The Golden Chopstick Awards in April, which suggests quality.

Inside, it has mood lighting and the walls have an aquatic feel, with neon koi carp behind glass.

A booth in Chop Chop by Four Seasons at the Hippodrome, with its neon fish (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

I started with the Chop Chop Cocktail, tangy, slightly effervescent with delightful bursts of boba - think bubble tea - while my companion opted for a Tsingtao lager.

There is an extensive menu and it is not easy to choose.

We ordered spring rolls, which had a satisfying crunch, and crispy duck, which was a revelation.

Crisp, fresh vegetables paired with succulent duck and a strip of soy, the pancake was thin enough to allow the flavours to come through but also thick enough to hold it all without collapsing.

One portion of crispy duck at Chop Chop by Four Seasons was enough for two of us to share (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

The delicious salt and pepper squid was accompanied by a salad with a strong presence of garlic, chilli and ginger.

I tried one with the hot chilli sauce and never again. My tolerance is too low and my mouth was on fire.

Crispy meaty salt and pepper squid at Chop Chop (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

After this, the pork and prawn dim sum acted as a welcome palate pleaser.

Despite a great choice of mains, from lobster to crispy pork belly, we went for the signature Cantonese-style roast duck, with a dark shiny skin that peeled easily from the plump and tender meat beneath it.

Cantonese roast duck at Chop Chop had a sweet salty soy sauce that went well with boiled rice (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

We could choose thin noodles or rice to accompany it and chose the latter, which perfectly absorbed the dark, sweet soy sauce.

We shared a yuzu cheesecake, extremely creamy but not quite a mousse, as you could feel and taste each individual layer.

Yuzu cheesecake is creamy like mousse and so light (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Given its proximity to Chinatown, if you're not going for game of roulette or to watch Magic Mike in the theatre, you may not even consider Chop Chop.

But I'd say you should definitely go - perhaps several times to try different things off the menu. You will be pleasantly surprised.