The London-based restaurant chain Ping Pong is, like its signature jasmine tea which arrives as a dried ball then blossoms in hot water, a welcome culinary spectacle. And with ten locations in the city, the restaurant could border on overexposure if it weren’t for its reasonably priced, bite-size morsels of Chinese-inspired dim sum—snack food meant to be munched on throughout the day. What really arrives on the table is as close to Chinese tapas as you can get: honey glazed spare ribs, logs of sticky rice wrapped and steamed in leaves to bring out the woody flavor of the kernels and chewy, malleable dumplings.

Check sheet menus further affirm the tapas comparison, though Ping Pong’s soothing environment, which overlays classic ornate Chinese design onto a modern aesthetic, is more business-dinner and birthday-celebration than a rowdy fiesta. A rare example of a successful eatery whose cuisine actually merits its hegemonic presence in the city.