The influential Chinese chef and restaurateur Bill Poon has died at the age of 81. His passing was announced this week by his daughter, fellow-restaurateur Amy Poon (pictured). Bill was a crucial figure in elevating the standards – and the standing – of Chinese cuisine in Britain, bringing new ambition and culinary knowhow to the scene in […]
Hugely popular Cantonese canteen Dim Sum Duck in King’s Cross has opened a second branch around the corner from the tiny original – which should ease the long queues for a table. The family-run outfit has steadily earned cult status since launching six years ago, and is the top-rated Chinese restaurant in the under £80-a-head category […]
Amy Poon will revive one of the most famous names in British Chinese cooking with the opening of her first permanent restaurant – called Poon’s – in Somerset House on Bonfire Night. Amy’s parents Bill and Cecilia opened the original Poon’s in Chinatown in 1973, which ran alongside a second venue in Covent Garden until they […]
Wenjun Xiang launched her career while still at school. Less 10 years later, still only 26, she runs Xi Home Dumplings Bay, whose three London venues showcase the cuisine of her home city – Dalian, a busy port in northeast China. Harden’s met her at the newest branch, which opened a year ago in Blossom Street, […]
The Duck and Rice, the Soho pub that combines Cantonese food with British boozer, has opened a first spin-off – a full decade after its launch – in the redeveloped Battersea power station. The new branch is twice the size of the original, seating 185, and instead of looking like a spruced-up old pub is […]
A restaurant dating back to 1757 will launch its first outpost in London’s Chinatown next week – introducing a new variety of noodles to the capital. Songhelou in Wardour Street is descended from a restaurant that opened during the Qing dynasty in Suzhou, a city about 50 miles west of Shanghai. The long-lived Qianlong Emperor is […]
A high-end Chinese restaurant featuring the cuisines of Canton and Hubei with a signature luxury set menu at £388 a head is launching this month in Fitzrovia. 3 Gorges has taken over the former Trattoria Mondello in Goodge Street, across the road from founder Li Zhang’s Sichuan-inspired restaurant Sanxia Renjia, which also has branches in […]
Singapore-born restaurateur Ellen Chew has linked up with Singapore government agencies and businesses to open a new restaurant showcase for the island state’s unique Chinese-Malay cuisine. Singapulah, which launches on February 15 in a four-storey site on the edge of Chinatown in Shaftesbury Avenue, will offer a menu based around ingredients supplied by 13 of […]
