Five things Fay Maschler ate this week

1. Dim sum lunch at A Wong included a deep-fried prawn ball with abalone and chilli vinaigrette (pictured), one of Andrew Wong’s poetic dumplings sold individually — which is all the better for exploration and obviating sharing scuffles.

2. At the recently opened Assado, attached to Hampton by Hilton Hotel in Waterloo Road, lamb xacuti was the best dish tried from a basically Goan menu that has yet to find its feet.

3. After intensive action in the shoe shops of Neal Street, a soul food Reuben burger with pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles, Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese at Mishkin’s.

4. In Barnyard, the just-launched no-bookings offshoot of (Ollie) Dabbous, the stall reserved for “pig” provided uncommon home-made sausage roll with piccalilli. Cabbage with clover was clever.

5. New owners at the historic Soho restaurant L’Escargot in Greek Street (est 1927) had us visiting to eat… what else but snails?