Chef Andrew Wong’s latest restaurant Kym’s is set to open its doors September 2018 – date to be confirmed.
Located in Bloomberg Arcade, at Bloomberg’s new European headquarters in the City of London, Kym’s will be a modern premium casual Chinese restaurant with a relaxed and comfortable interior.
Andrew explains, “My food has always been about the journey: the history of China and the cultures of its gastronomic regions. 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.”
Kym’s had been the name of Andrew’s parents’ restaurant in Victoria in 1985, where the family worked for 27 years and Andrew spent his childhood. Andrew with his wife Nathalie reopened it as A.Wong in 2012.
The food at Kym’s Bloomberg Arcade will feature a selection of dishes based around Andrew’s interpretation of classic Chinese dishes. He will also call on select craftsmen from Soho’s Chinatown, championing their specialist creativity and artisanal produce linking the landmark trading areas of London’s Chinese community with the heart of the financial Square Mile.
The menus will feature a selection of small bites such as Yunnanese lemongrass salad, peanuts, lettuce, chilli, lime, sharing platters of Crispy duck, pancakes, plum sauce and classics such as Slow poached soy chicken, ginger relish, rice. Desserts too will feature such as ‘Chinatown’ pineapple bun with custard. Kym’s will also offer a smaller ‘grab and go’ menu during lunch service.
Andrew says, “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. 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 statement 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 and will reflect the capital’s contemporary and classic cocktail culture. Wine too will play a part with a dynamic and carefully selected list that will offer harmony to the vast array of textures and flavours Chinese cuisine has to offer.
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, 5 metre high cherry blossom tree will be installed through the gently curved staircase linking the bar and restaurant with the upper mezzanine level. Signifying female beauty and power in China, the tree will represent the yin element to the yang of the present day corporate city, helping to harmonise and balance the interiors.
A private area will be available for groups up to 50 and will be located on the mezzanine level. Disabled access will be at ground level.
Kym’s will be open Monday to Saturday, lunch from 12 noon to 3pm and 5pm to 11pm for dinner. On Sundays, Kym’s will open with a Chinese Sunday Roast Menu from 12 noon to 9pm.
For news and updates, please sign up to the mailing list at: www.kymsrestaurant.com.
