Latest opening: Gouqi
What: Located close to the tourist bustle of Trafalgar Square, Gouqi at first seems an odd location at which to pitch up with this high-end restaurant that combines techniques and ingredients from across China. But as the original Hakkasan site on Hanway Place has proven, sometimes the obvious isn’t always the best.
Who: Gouqi is the debut solo venture from chef Chee Hwee Tong, who has already made a serious name for himself in the capital as executive chef at Hakkasan. Chef Tong moved to London from Singapore in 2001 to open the Hanway Place restaurant, helping it win its first Michelin star - the first in the UK to be awarded to a Chinese restaurant. Under his leadership in the kitchen Hakkasan Mayfair and Yauatcha Soho as well as the short-lived HKK also claimed Michelin stars.
The food: The restaurant describes itself as offering a fusion of flavours, techniques, ingredients and dishes drawn from across China and those familiar with Hakkasan will notice some similarities. Chef Tong’s big-hitting signature dishes include is ‘legendary’ Peking duck with Oscietra caviar (yours for just £230); slow cooked A4 wagyu (£115); and whole South African Kippin abalone (£125), as well as a more modestly priced steamed royal dim sum platter (£39.50) while the comprehensive a la carte menu features a wide range of appetisers, soups, barbecue dishes, meat and seafood. With many of the seafood dishes, including Norwegian king crab; live Scottish lobster; Scottish dived razor clams; and Canadian crab at market price, if you need to ask the price you probably can’t afford it. That said, a dim sum menu, featuring the likes of yam and goji dumplings; wagyu beef roll; prawn cheung fun; and baked venison puff is also available, with prices starting at £10.
To drink: An international wine list has a good selection of wines by the glass from countries including France, Spain, Australia, Italy and the US. Bottles start at £40 for a Loire Valley 2021 rose and top out at £650 for a 2014 Domaine Louis Jadot, Batard Montrachet Grand Cru for white and a red Burgundy 2017 Domaine Jean Tardy, ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Echezeaux Grand Cru at £600. There are also a handful of orange wines listed, under the more sophisticated ‘amber’ heading, including one from Georgia and another from Chile.
The vibe: Gouqi’s interior designers have opted for the classic high-end Chinese monochrome décor that combines dark wood furniture and wood and glass panelling with a marble-topped bar and black high leather stools, although the room is given a lift with a light marble floor and blue leather-clad chairs. The restaurant’s two PDRs are less subtle, with the deep-red Crimson and Ruby rooms providing a more striking environment in which to dine.
And another thing: The name Gouqi is a play on the goji berry, a symbol of health and vitality that is said to have inspired the ethos of the restaurant.
25-34 Cockspur St, London, SW1Y 5BN
https://gouqi-restaurants.co.uk/
