Poon's goes from a pop-up to a permanent restaurant.
Poon's Somerset House is the latest iteration of a London dynasty that stretches back to the 1970s. Amy Poon’s grandparents had a restaurant in Macau before her father, Bill, moved from Hong Kong to England and opened London’s first Poon's in 1973, in Chinatown. It was followed by a celebrated iteration in Covent Garden, and in 1980, Poon's earned a coveted Michelin star.
Amy had no intention of following her parents into restaurants, but she wouldn’t be the first person to find the pull of the family trade increasingly impossible to resist. And so, a three-month Poon's pop-up restaurant appeared in Clerkenwell in 2018, and a retail range of Poon's Signature Sauces launched in 2022.
Finally, like a young Skywalker picking up a lightsaber and staring determinedly into the middle distance, Amy rounded out the Poon family circle when Somerset House opened in November – just a 10-minute walk from where Poon's once stood in Covent Garden. As I shimmied into my chair, I knew I was already off to a good start in a new restaurant with this much history and thought behind it.
The website playfully describes the restaurant as “where you come if you don’t have a nice Chinese friend to cook for you at home”. I think this successfully sums up the feel of Poon's Somerset House, although I would elaborate by adding “rich” – your new nice Chinese friend who’s good at cooking is definitely also loaded. The dining room feels like an old-money, sumptuous home, complete with classic-looking fireplaces, framed photographs, and beautiful paintings; the private dining room is styled as a drawing room, with an armchair and a piano.
This long, narrow space was previously a café, but the tinny acoustics of bashed-about chairs scraping on sticky floors amid beige pastry stands have been soundproofed out of existence. Splitting the place up into various zones, adding tasteful statement lamps dangling from high ceilings, and painting the walls dusky pink combine to make this a beautiful place to spend time.
The food is just as gently pretty as the décor, with the emphasis on gentle. What you will encounter is the sort of dishes that made my thoroughly British tongue salivate just by reading the descriptions: for example, Hand Chopped Prawn Pâté on a base of lardo, deep-fried in sesame seeds and breadcrumbs. Yes, deep-fried prawns on a bed of animal fat. Now that’s a beautiful proposition.
And beautiful it was. These delectably handsome creations are prawn toast, reimagined: fat and juicy hunks of pale pink flesh encased in a crisp, thin, sesame-flecked casing. They were gone in an instant. You will be ordering more of these.
The menu’s Sui Sik (small eats) options include crudités to be dipped in a fermented tofu dip called furu. These can also pair well with the broad alcohol-free drinks list.
The rest of the menu includes a wonton section, each option available either in soup or doused in Poon's branded chilli vinegar dressing, then starters, mains, and a choice between two claypot rice creations. There’s also a post-9pm option, Sieu Yeh, either rice or noodles, designed as a reasonably priced full meal in itself that utilises leftover ingredients that would otherwise go to waste.
We were particularly impressed by the “ancient-style” Steamed Seabass, brought whole to the table and carefully de-boned by the server. The gently flavoured fish was a delight, but it was the calm and collected skill of our waiter that caught my attention; every member of staff we encountered carried the same quality of having been comprehensively trained and valued.
Everything we ate was comforting and hearty, the sort of scenario a Londoner craves from a Sunday roast or fish and chips: nothing too challenging on the tongue. This is not a criticism, because Poon's executes dishes within this culinary category very well; just don’t expect many chilli-powered fireworks.
As you may have gathered by now, Amy Poon has successfully followed in her family’s footsteps and knows what you need to conjure a great restaurant. Long live the Poon's.
GO: Visit www.poonslondon.com for more information.