Hutong looks to its roots with fiery Red Lantern Series at The Shard

Hutong is returning to the dish that first established the brand’s reputation with the launch of a new Red Lantern Series at The Shard.

The Northern Chinese restaurant, located on the 33rd floor of London’s tallest building, has introduced six limited-edition dishes inspired by its original Red Lantern soft-shell crab, a menu item that became synonymous with the restaurant’s early success.

Available until July 27, the collection places the Guizhou red lantern chilli at its centre, revisiting a flavour profile that helped define Hutong’s identity while giving it a contemporary update.

Back to basics

The menu features a fiery soft-shell crab alongside crispy lobster prepared in the same Sichuan chilli style, while a whole steamed mandarin fish fillet is finished with red and green peppercorns.

A flaming Wagyu beef dish, cooked in Cantonese char siu style, provides one of the menu’s more theatrical centrepieces, while Lau Fau Shan oysters arrive in a chilli-infused broth.

The line-up is completed by Hutong-style steamed aubergine, which balances the menu’s more intense flavours with a softer, silkier finish.

Heritage in focus

Each dish is presented in a variation of the restaurant’s signature red lantern basket, a nod to Chinese symbolism where the colour red represents prosperity, vitality and good fortune.

The Red Lantern concept has become one of Hutong’s defining visual signatures, appearing across its restaurants in London, Hong Kong, New York, Miami and Dubai.

The latest series reconnects the international brand with the dish that first brought it wider attention while celebrating the traditions that continue to influence its menus.

Dining above London

The launch comes as London enters the summer dining season, with guests able to enjoy sweeping views across the capital from one of the city’s highest dining rooms.

Hutong specialises in Northern Chinese cuisine and has become known for combining regional dishes with dramatic presentation and panoramic city views. Since opening at The Shard, the restaurant has established itself as one of London’s best-known destination dining venues.

The new menu leans heavily into the bold, smoky and spice-led flavours associated with the restaurant’s earliest dishes. By revisiting its original Red Lantern concept, Hutong is betting that nostalgia can be just as compelling as innovation, particularly when served against one of London’s most recognisable skylines.