Please note, New World has now closed. Time Out Food editors, January 2019.
Having closed in 2011, New World has had a kitchen refit and is back in business. A banqueting restaurant of the old school, it’s got the lot: dining rooms over several floors; red and gold rooms adorned with hanging lanterns; and a melting pot of clientele, from tourists to entire Cantonese families. It’s also one of the only remaining places to offer a traditional dim sum trolley service, where everything from sliced roasted duck to egg custard tarts is on offer.
Cooking, however, is inconsistent. On our visit, dishes off the trolley were often tepid, or brittle: the pastry of our cheung fun fell apart on contact, though the pieces of char sui it contained were excellent. Plates from the à la carte were equally mixed: ho fun was an overcooked, starchy mass topped with beef of dubious quality, yet the crispy noodles were exceptional, seeing a base of soft chow mein with crunchy fried edges layered with a light oyster sauce and al dente pieces of Chinese broccoli, straw mushrooms and fresh (not tinned) bamboo shoots.
Service, always efficient, veered from pushy to gracious, but costs remain low, making this iconic spot still worth a punt.