To celebrate 20 years as one of London’s most cherished dining destinations, China Tang at The Dorchester announces a new literary supper club series in partnership with EA Festival.
Launching this October, the literary supper club will spotlight a line-up of critically acclaimed authors whose work explores Chinese identity, culinary heritage and historical legacy. Set within the restaurant’s elegant private dining rooms, each evening will pair a thought-provoking author talk with a bespoke dinner menu, combining China Tang’s signature Cantonese specialities with dishes inspired by the featured book.
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Love, Silence and the Language of Food
Author: Candice Chung
Book: Chinese Parents Don’t Say “I Love You”
In her moving and funny memoir, Glasgow-based writer and food journalist Candice Chung examines the silent codes of love within East Asian families, where affection is expressed not through words but through rituals, meals and quiet gestures. In Chinese Parents Don’t Say “I Love You”, Chung charts her attempt to reconnect with her estranged parents over shared dinners and cultural touchpoints. For one night only at China Tang, Chung will reflect on the power of food as emotional language, and how culinary heritage can bridge intergenerational silence.
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Shanghai Secrets: The Making of Wallis Simpson
Author: Paul French
Book: Wallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year
International bestselling historian Paul French reveals the little-known story of Wallis Simpson’s years in 1920s Shanghai, a time marked by scandal, opium, espionage and transformation. In Wallis Simpson: Her Lotus Year, French dives deep into a defining chapter of one of history’s most infamous women, cutting through gossip to uncover the complex realities of a woman remade by the glamour and chaos of Republican-era China. At China Tang, French will resurrect the vivid world of interwar Shanghai in an evening that promises intrigue, elegance and historical edge.
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Chinese Cuisine: A Culinary Re-education
Author: Fuchsia Dunlop
Book: Invitation to a Banquet
In her landmark book Invitation to a Banquet, award-winning writer and Sinologist Fuchsia Dunlop presents a richly layered exploration of Chinese culinary tradition, tracing the philosophical, regional and historical threads that shape one of the world’s most misunderstood cuisines. With characteristic clarity and depth, she dismantles long-held Western misconceptions and repositions Chinese food as an art form of remarkable sophistication.
Each event will take place at China Tang at The Dorchester, beginning with a 6:30pm arrival and welcome drink, followed by the author talk and Q&A at 7:00pm, and a curated dinner from 8:15pm. Tickets are priced at £108 per person and include the full experience: a talk by the featured author, a specially curated menu with paired wine and Chinese tea, and a welcome cocktail on arrival. Books will be available for purchase and signing on the night. Reservations can be made via SevenRooms at this link.
Since opening its doors in 2005, China Tang has earned its place among the capital’s most celebrated restaurants; a beloved destination renowned for its authentic Cantonese cuisine, distinctive 1930s Shanghai-inspired interiors and irreverent charm. Conceived by the late Sir David Tang, the restaurant has always served as a meeting place for ideas, culture and conversation. With the new literary supper club series, the restaurant continues to build on that founding spirit.
This initiative forms part of a broader cultural calendar created to mark China Tang’s 20th anniversary. Alongside a soft refurbishment of the restaurant interiors and a forthcoming collaboration with designer Huishan Zhang, the restaurant continues to honour the legacy of its founder, Sir David Tang, whose passion for craftsmanship, storytelling and hospitality remains at the heart of everything it does.
