High-profile chef Mandy Yin has closed her Malaysian restaurant Sambal Shiok in Highbury after eight years, as the hospitality industry struggles in difficult economic conditions.
Other venues the close their doors include Mriya, the Ukrainian restaurant in the Old Brompton Road, which serves its final meals this weekend, and Sophie’s Steakhouse in Chelsea, which has shuttered after almost 25 years.
Mandy, a former corporate lawyer, has done much to popularise the cuisine of her Peranakan Nyonya heritage, including dishes such as laksa, in the past decade – both via the restaurant and in her writing. She said: “Sambal Shiok’s closure reflects structural cost pressures facing the UK’s independent hospitality sector rather than any single event. The numbers stopped working.”
