8.1
Great
Restaurants

Jason Allen 12/02/25


Ling Ling’s At The Bluecoats

If there’s a prime spot for a pop-up in London, odds are Ling Ling’s has already rolled in, taken over, and left everyone raving about it.

We’re talking everywhere from Bambi, to Papi, The PlimsollThe Dusty Knuckle, Mortimer House, Peckham Cellars, and many more. And somehow, she never misses. And as is the case with people who don’t miss, she’s once more struck the bullseye, or the treble twenty, or whatever Robin Hood would get on a lads night out with her latest residency at The Bluecoats pub up in Tottenham.

In case you’ve managed to somehow dodge all of those previous pop-ups, let us introduce you: Ling Ling’s is the brainchild of chef Jenny Phung and her partner James Shepherd. Together, they serve up what they call “no rules” modern Chinese food—always inventive, always changing, and always excellent. Yes, that includes a stunning Sunday roast, but we’ll get to that.

The Bluecoats itself is a lovely two-story spot in Tottenham, converted from a Victorian girls’ school (who, we assume, wore a uniform involving blue coats). It’s got a huge chalkboard behind the bar with the day’s pints hand-scrawled on it in exuberant landlord calligraphy. They take the beer relatively seriously, while still keeping room for things you actually recognise.

Ling Ling's

But it’s the food you’re here for, and it’s the food that you’ll remember. The tightly curated menu opens with poached king prawn, chicken & Thai basil wontons which are wrapped in delicate silky skins and packed with flavour; before moving onto Sichuan chicken wings, which will leave your whole mouth numbed and buzzing in the best way possible; the miso-glazed whole seabass (which is an adventure in deep umami and crisped-up edges); and there’s the Mala pork & beef noodles, which is like a kind of Chinese version of a spag bol, with thicker noodles, and a considerably punchier, spicier, more ferociously savoury sauce.

Ling Ling's

The thing that really seals the deal though is the Sunday Roast. And what a roast it is. Heaving plates of beef short-rib, five-spice pork belly or crispy-skinned chicken topped with ginger & spring onion oil are all served alongside sesame Yorkies, classic roasties, nori mustard, garlic panko, and a miso gravy you’ll probably dream about later. It’s like a cantonese-influenced fever dream of a Sunday lunch.

And thanks to the fact that this pub is basically sitting in the shadow of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, there are considerably more portable options on the menu, including ‘Mum’s spring rolls’, a Taiwanese chicken burger with red onion pickle & sambal, and the intellectual property grey area that is the ‘McLing fillet-o-fish’, with nori tartare and a potato bun.

Somewhere, a team of corporate lawyers just felt a shiver run down their spine. Hopefully, they never follow up on that.

 

NOTE: Ling Ling’s is open at The Bluecoats Wednesday to Sunday. To book, head to the online booking platform or check out the Bluecoats website.

The Bluecoats | 614 High Rd, N17 9TA


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Ling Ling’s At The Bluecoats


614 High Rd, Tottenham, North London, N17 9TA

8.1 | Great