Poon’s At Somerset House, London Wc2: ‘the Tofu Dip Alone Is Worth Booking A Table For’ – Restaurant Review | Grace Dent On Restaurants

If you find yourself ice-skating astatine Somerset House successful cardinal London complete nan adjacent week aliases truthful (and hurry: you’ve sewage only until 11 January earlier it closes), past first please judge my commiserations. Second, please besides statement that nan Chinese edifice Poon’s, by Amy Poon, scion of nan Poon’s edifice dynasty, precocious rooted itself successful nan New Wing.

Ice-skating itself I person thing against, but we tin each work together that these slippery yuletide stampedes connected impermanent rinks are nan polar other of festive, truthful surely it would beryllium acold amended to beryllium hiding indoors successful nan warmth pinch a information of prawn wontons, a vessel of nourishing “magic soup”, aliases immoderate wind-dried nutrient claypot rice. Plus, erstwhile nan upwind extracurricular is frightful, nan decor successful Poon’s is utterly delightful. So gorgeous, successful fact, that wrong 2 minutes of entering this dusky, muted salmon-pink, twinkly peach, womb-like space, I recovered myself asking for nan sanction and marque of nan overgarment shade, because it felt instinctively 1 that, if applied to my ain walls astatine home, would lick galore existential problems.

Poon’s location pickles are ‘outstanding successful their sharp, measured acidity’.

Unsurprisingly, I later learned that Amy Poon had hired a feng shui maestro to counsel connected nan full delightful shebang. Does feng shui really work? Who knows. But do chaotic roseate tones, tasteful, stencilled murals, embroidered benches and heroically beautiful crockery make my bosom soar? Hell, yes. On 1 mantelpiece astatine nan extremity of nan room stands a large, framed photograph of Amy’s begetter Bill, keeping a watchful oculus complete proceedings. Back successful nan 1980s, Bill Poon, a Hong Kong migrant, was nan UK’s first Chinese chef/restaurateur to nab himself a Michelin star. Somehow, his girl managed to flight nan greasy clutches of hospitality for decades – moving in, among different professions, marketing, PR and nan arts – until she group up first a short-term pop-up successful Clerkenwell successful 2018, followed by a wontoneria astatine Carousel successful cardinal London. There’s besides a thriving shop and mail-order business that sells Poon’s signature sauces, oils and wind-dried meats. Casa Dent always has Poon’s Extraordinary Chilli Oil and its chilli vinegar successful nan fridge, because it enlivens immoderate aged leftover.

Poon’s vegetarian potsticker dumplings: ‘A sumptuously brownish sear and a mushy, well-seasoned filling’.

Poon’s beef claypot rice: ‘gloriously stodgy’.

A ample sheet of white-cut poussin is poached perfectly, carved and served tegument connected and connected nan bone, and comes pinch a abstracted ray greenish outpouring onion, ginger and chilli relish to adhd arsenic you spot fit. Next up, a dense claypot arrives filled pinch gloriously stodgy atom topped pinch minced beef and a raw, orange-yolked ovum that’s mixed successful tableside. Even so, there’s a consciousness pinch galore of nan dishes that they’ve been pared backmost a little, to debar immense thrusts of umami, power aliases thing cloying. Poon’s besides does a £28 pre-theatre menu, and you could decidedly eat your capable present without worrying astir snoozing done Jersey Boys. That said, if you portion capable of nan Hong Kong beverage punch pinch citrus vodka, Lillet rosé, achromatic tea, guava, passion consequence and condensed milk, well, you mightiness good beryllium owed a small nap.

The 1 crockery astatine Poon’s that really didn’t group maine connected occurrence pinch happiness, however, was nan duck salad, which, successful comparison pinch its companions connected nan menu, felt oddly drab; location wasn’t a batch of duck aliases soy dressing, either, and it was a spot dense connected nan cabbage. But I regained my equilibrium during a delicate trio of desserts entitled “Three Bites of Helen Goh”, which included a very bully goji berry financier, a memorable cocoa truffle pinch ginger, and a portion of Asian pear.

Poon’s is sweet, confident, feminine, ballsy and glamorous – a batch for illustration Amy Poon herself, successful fact. This family has had restaurants successful its bones for galore generations, truthful why extremity now?

• Poon’s astatine Somerset House New Wing, Somerset House, Lancaster Place, London WC2, 020-7759 1888. Open Tues-Sat, luncheon noon-4pm, meal 5-10.30pm. From astir £40 a caput à la carte (pre-theatre group paper £28), each positive drinks & service