Kym’s was the name of Andrew’s parents’ Anglo-Cantonese restaurant in Victoria, which opened in 1985.
Andrew with his wife Nathalie reopened it as modern Chinese restaurant A.Wong in 2012. It has gone on to win a string of awards including a Michelin star and has been rated the third best restaurant in the country for two years running in our own list of the top 100 places to eat in the UK.
Wong's second restaurant - which will trade alongside the likes of Brigadiers and Koya in the City of London - is billed as a modern premium casual Chinese restaurant.
“My food has always been about the journey: the history of China and the cultures of its gastronomic regions,” says Wong. “Kym’s will be no different really but this time it’s about my community and my own journey. The name is actually something very personal to me and my family.”
The food at Kym’s will be based on Wong’s interpretations of classic Chinese dishes and will also see him champion specialist suppliers from Chinatown.
The menus will feature a selection of small bites such as Yunnanese lemongrass salad, peanuts, lettuce, chilli, lime; sharing platters of crispy duck and pancakes with plum sauce; and classics such as slow poached soy chicken, ginger relish, rice. Desserts too will include ‘Chinatown’ pineapple bun with custard.
Kym’s will offer a smaller ‘grab and go’ menu during lunch service.
“Some of the flavours will be instantly recognisable and even hark back to the nostalgia of the original Kym’s menus, with sweet & sour elements and more rice-based dishes,” Wong continues. “Like so much of Chinese gastronomy, it’ll be deceptively simple food with a big emphasis on the ancient craft of Chinese ‘roasting’ meats – and that includes poaching.”
“For me though, it’s also about celebrating and paying my respects to the contribution the Chinese community has had over the past 100 years on British gastronomy. I think we’ve all evolved and I want to offer casual Chinese food that is something away from what guests have come to expect.”
The restaurant will seat 120 guests over 2 floors with access from street level via a circular entrance bar that will accommodate up to 30 guests. Beer, both on tap and bottled, will be available as well as a selection of cocktails influenced by China’s diverse food traditions.
Interior design has been created by Michaelis Boyd, featuring a soft colour palette of pale pinks and greens, with accents of copper, deep blue and plum and a mix of dark wood and terrazzo flooring.
A bespoke, five metre high cherry blossom tree will be installed through the curved staircase linking the bar and restaurant with the upper mezzanine level.