Stick & Bowl

This was memory lane for me and my wife. The stick and bowl soup still a favourite of mine with a dash of soy sauce and loads of pickled green chilli’s, mmmmmm. Still reasonably priced.

Decent chinese food for London standards. Given the area, it is a little on the expensive side.
My friends that live here rant and rave about it, but I personally think they’ve been out of Hong Kong/​San Francisco/​Los Angeles too long to even make that call!
Not my go-​to spot, but good enough. Crispy pork over rice is my favourite dish, it’s actually tasty. It has the right amount of sauce, has a slight crisp, and isn’t dry. I wouldn’t come out of my way for this place unless I had a serious craving.

Standard food, but with the curse of Kensington — of being too expensive!
I have mixed thoughts on this one, I usually love canteen style restaurants, however this one felt grimy and I really didn’t enjoy watching the movement of wash cloths around different surfaces behind the counter and things being stacked one over the next — It seemed like a cross contamination nightmare.
The staff were very abrupt and didn’t seem that friendly (although it was the lunch hour rush).
The food itself wasn’t that special for the price, and although my the beef of my Beef Chow Mein was very tender and it was ordered without sauce, I wasn’t that impressed.
I definitely wouldn’t dine in here, but there is little incentive to take-​away as they don’t reduce their prices.
Reasonably quick, however I just didn’t feel this place. If you can’t find anything else in the area fine, otherwise if you can I suggest you avoid this place!

I dunno why this place gets a 3 star review it’s a cool take out joint and for the money very good regular here

This place has pretty standard Chinese food, but with some western touches on the food. I ordered the bbq pork rice and the wonton noodles. The bbq pork had this weird oyster sauce-​like thing on top of it, which threw me off. It didn’t taste bad though and the actual taste of the bbq pork wasn’t bad. Not nearly on LA, SF, or China level though. The wonton soup was also super weird because the noodles were different! It’s nearly always the yellow thin noodles, but they gave me a thick white round noodle… It was so strange. Changed the entire taste of the dish and I ended up not finishing the noodles and just eating the wonton The actual wonton dumplings were awesome! Lots of flavor and tasted like they normally do. They even provided me with some vinegar to add onto my wontons :)
My friend ordered the house special seafood fried rice and he really liked it! It smelled really garlic-​y and seemed to have a good amount of seafood.
Overall, I’d recommend going here if you’re craving asian food while traveling or even if you live in London and in the Kensington area. Great prices make it easy to become a regular.

We were in the mood for a local Chinese food joint and came across this while exploring. I have to say this place has quite the extensive menu and fast service. The seating area may seem small but I found the space to be just enough for the two of us. Be warned, if you are the type that is not a fan of community seating I suggest ordering it for take away. The wonton soup was my favourite as well as the crispy duck. If you are in the mood for a quick fix I suggest stopping in for a bowl.

My company put us in a hotel around the corner from the Stick and Bowl for almost a month. Some nights I could just deal with the food we ate at work but other days I just wanted Chinese food or something that wasn’t pizza or chaffing dish food. I decided to walk it over to S&B for a try. The food wasn’t terrible but It certainly is a far cry from home style Chinese food or even second rate Los Angles Chinese food and way sub par San Francisco Chinese food. I may have gone in with my expectations set a little high.
While the food wasn’t the greatest thing ever it was a welcome change and I did end up eating here quite a few times. The price was right and the service was OK. I don’t expect to be back to the UK anytime soon but if I had to be in the immediate area again I would stop by to at least change up the food choices I made.

Maybe in London this qualifies as good Chinese food, but in the US, this falls below even quick serve Panda Express. If you are a tourist from the states reading this, beware this will fall short of your expectations big time.
The house special buff fried rice is a brown colored mess with a few pieces of beef. The hot and sour soul is super spicy with little other flavor. The duck on rice is just covered in soy sauce.

It’s ok, and that’s as far as I (or anyone with a vague idea about food) should go. If I were in a slightly more realistic mood I’d give them 2 stars but sometimes generosity just flows out of me.
My crispy chili beef may have had meat in it, but then again, might’ve just been solid batter — who can notice?
The aforementioned chow mein is not in the least bit incredible, and rather a gloopy mess with bits of their rather poor quality meats on top.
My fried rice was about what I’d expect from a fast food stall in an American mall (panda express may win out), and the beef Ho fun is similarly average, though as always, the beef is pretty nasty. My roast duck on rice was fair, though places in London buy their roast duck from a central location so it would be an effort to fuck it up.
Location is convenient and room is quite uncomfortable, though service is quick, if a bit terse.

It is what it is. Budget, tasty and not very well presented Chinese food served in a shabby little room on Kensington High Street.
It is what it is. Very popular with those in the Kensington area who just want something cheap and fast that’s not bought at Whole Foods.
Outside of the location, I don’t think Stick and Bowl would thrive like it has here, but being so orthogonal to everything else in this part of town it fits the bill well. And speaking of bills — it’s cash only.

It’s really hard to find good Chinese food in London. Really really really hard. Everything manages to be bland and covered in a nondescript sauce.
Stick & Bowl is really very good if what you want is fast and tasty Chinese food. There’s almost zero ‘ambiance’ since it’s tiny with cramped seating and it’s always busy. That’s OK though, I only stick around if I’m stopping by in the midst of errands on High St Ken. Otherwise, I live down the street so it’s no bigs.
The BBQ Pork with rice is char siu and REALLY TASTY. This is probably my favorite dish. The ho funs are good too. Everything is a pretty good size so that makes for great value. Don’t expect a balanced meal, though. For example, the bbq pork sits atop some steamed cabbage/​lettuce. They do have veg dishes you can order on the side, but they’re big so be prepared to take some home.
Some people like a dish that’s something like a crispy spicy beef but I got it once and I swear it was all batter and no beef. Not so nice, though the sauce on the batter was very tasty. I wouldn’t order this again.
Main dishes are £5−7, which is amazing for good size, good quality takeout.

Ah, Stick and Bowl. I go here a couple of times a month as it’s one of the closest eateries to my college and it makes a welcome break from the Taste Imperial reign of terror. That said, I would probably still visit on occasion if it weren’t just for convenience.
The interior — whilst by no means the worst I’ve experienced — is pretty dated and the crockery wouldn’t look out of place in a Malaysian Hawker Centre; there’s also something quite comical about the rope-​and-​pulley operated dumbwaiter at the end of the restaurant. The staff are a mixed bag in terms of friendliness — the main lady is rather stern, whilst the guy (I guess they’re husband and wife team?) is a bit more approachable.
In any case, it’s all about the food. I will say that I’ve only ever had the siew yuk (roasted pork with crispy skin) rice — one of my favourite dishes (I have happily eaten it for breakfast in the Far East several times), it’s not that easy to find a decent one, and for £5.50, this is really good value and better than most of the ones you’ll find in Chinatown. The quality does vary a bit on a day-​to-​day basis, but I really can’t complain, and size-​wise it’s just right for lunch. and whilst the token greenery probably contributes ¹⁄₂₅^th to your five-​a-​day, it makes it seem vaguely balanced.
Cheap? Tick. Good? Tick. Combo win.

This is another place I often go to, if I have no food around and have been working late in school (in the area).
We often pop in Stick and Bowl whenever we have to stay in the area to go back to school and work late, the price is quite cheap for what you get, and it tastes OK. To me Stick & Bowl also falls in the ‘chinese fast-​food’ category: cheap, filling, tastes ok, good for sudden craving of chinese dishes.
You can order your food to go by telephone also, which is quite convenient for students around the area.

Great for takeaway. Excellent location right on High Street Kensington near Hyde Park.
They have a huge menu, so chances are if you have a craving for some type of standard Chinese food, they’ll have it.
I’ve gotten the Roast (BBQ) Pork and the Sweet and Sour pork. Both were excellent.
Quick tip: you can replace the rice with noodles for one pound and they are delicious.
If you really like the noodles (like me) you can get an order for only 3 pounds and it as big a portion as all the normal meals.
Love this place and I’m sure I will frequent it throughout the rest of my stay in London!

I’m amazed to see how high the other reviews for this place are. One of the few traveling trips that I’ve had drilled into my head over and over again is under no circumstances should you ever eat Chinese food in London. Never! So of course the first place I eat is a greasy little place on the High Street because I like hurting myself.
Judging by the line outside I figured this place must be safe (ish) until I heard the people inside speaking and it was immediately obvious that most of the patrons were from North America. I should have left then but I was hungry, it was getting late and I just got off an eight hour flight where I spent more time drinking than sleeping. A lot more time.
The menu consisted of fried everything with a side of more fried stuff. I seem to recall a vegetarian dish but I think that might have just been plain rice. Again, being kinda drunk and exhausted left me with little patience to scan the menu thoroughly but I saw Singapore Style Vermicelli and ordered so I could get away from the nattering three sixteen year old prom queens that wouldn’t shut up about how dad needs to send more money.
I waited about twenty minutes watching new patron after new patron enter, order, have tea, pick up their order, pay and leave. I was ready to leave when I saw the dumb waiter being called up and my noodles appeared. I may not be an authority on restaurant hygiene but I’m pretty sure a grease and oil soaked dumb waiter leading to what I can only guess is a remarkably dirty kitchen is not the way to get food around your building. I paid and ran.
Back in my hotel I cracked open the take away package and was not surprised that it tasted quite good. The pork was under cooked (seriously, I waited twenty minutes. How was the pork undercooked?) but the noodles and shrimp were perfect. Since love is the secret ingredient, I had little doubt that it would at least be a tasty dish. Of course by «love» I mean MSG. It’s been so long since I’ve had it I had almost forgotten it’s sweet salty kiss. Mmmmmm…

Classy and complex Chinese, this is not.
Stick & Bowl is the sort of place that’s open late and will rescue you in times of hunger. Their chicken fried rice, Chinese greens with garlic and corn soup stretched into two meals for me which I appreciated both for the value and because I love leftovers for breakfast.
If cheap and cheerful Chinese will do the trick, it’s a fine choice.

I am often around High St Ken for big shopping days and therefore want a cheap meal that fills me up and propells me out to hit the shops once more!
Stick and Bowl has been a favourite of mine since I was about 15, it has been here for years and will probably stay for many more years because it is such good value food. I don’t think they have ever updated the décor and that is no problem because everyone who is in there is literally just popping in to get fed and pop out again.
I definitely recommend it! Also it is a great little place to eat if you are on your own because it has those window bars and you are distracted.

Mmmm. the cheapness and quickness of Stick & Bowl makes it a great alternative to the regular hangover macdonalds. My roast duck was succulent and the skin crispy although I would have preferred a little more veg than the paltry chinese leafs in goo, separating the duck from rice.
I always feel that the rice is a midge over cooked here and sometimes, when you are hung over; you don’t want to be wedged between other people.
Great place if you need a quick authentic refuel though!

Great Chinese at a great price.
Small place with 4 – 5 communal tables. Service is quick and cold but the food is worth it. I usually get the chicken fried rice for 3.80. Most dishes range from 4 – 7 pounds. Pretty big portions, especially for rice and noodle based dishes. Definitely a regular takeout spot for me and apparently many others because it’s always busy!

This place… this place… this place!!!
In the seven years I have been back in the US since I left London I have mentioned this place at least 20 times. I’ve secretly been waiting for Unilocal to introduce it’s UK site just to review this place (and a few others).
Although every dish they offer is amazing in its own right I must now get to the chow mien. This restaurant offers thee most delectable, flavorful, and amazing chow mien. I actually was never a fan of chow mien until I had it here. I would honestly make excuses to come here. And it was so inexpensive. I was lucky enough to have a friend that lived near by… thanks Tammy!
I’m salivating just thinking about this place. Time to book a flight!?!