Chinese food gets the sophisticated at Kai Mayfair
Food Critic Richard McComb visits an inspirational Chinese restaurant to get an insight into the task faced by Birmingham’s Oriental culinary pretenders.
There is a common consensus that Birmingham’s restaurant scene has come on leaps and bounds in the past five years.
The city now boasts a trio of Michelin-star establishments but there are other players, such as Opus and Lasan, who have helped to transform the city’s once grim reputation for eating out.
Pakistani and Indian food are well represented, thanks to the functional fragrance and zing of the indomitable Balti Triangle and restaurants like Asha’s, new-kid-on-the-block Pushkar and Saffron (just over the border in Oldbury).
But there remain several blots on the landscape. With a few honourable exceptions – including the suburban Buonissimo – good Italian restaurants are under-represented. This we have come to expect.
The big omission as far as I am concerned is well-prepared, top quality Chinese food. By this I mean Chinese food assembled with the same sort of technical know-how and passion that you might see in one of Birmingham modern British/French-inspired retreats.
Henry Wongs in Harborne has come on tremendously and I know the ambitious management team there, including chef Ricky Wu, have ambitious plans. But what do places like Wongs need to do if they want to move up a level?
To answer this question I accepted an offer to dine at one of the country’s finest Chinese restaurants. You can be assured the food here is as good as anything you will find in places like Simpsons in Edgbaston because Kai, in central London, also has a Michelin star.
Situated in South Audley Street, in the heart of Mayfair, the restaurant has an unobtrusive entrance; it doesn’t need to shout about itself. As you walk through the door, you are hit by the scent of apples.
There are shelves of the shiny fruits assembled like minimalist works of art; and like a good apple, the cooking is tangy, flavoursome, clean and lip-smacking.
Although Kai opened in 1993, it hit the big time in terms of critical praise when it picked up a Michelin star in 2009, a feat it pulled off again this year. Whatever your views of the French-based dining guide, it is the most consistent and its flagging-up of Kai is spot on.
Kai has run up an array of awards, being judged by Harden’s as the best Chinese restaurant in London and taking the gong for best Chinese restaurant in a Zagat Survey.
The appointment of executive head chef Alex Chow by owner Bernard Yeoh has been central to the success story. I’ve no idea what Chow is like temperamentally in the kitchen but he is one of the most self-effacing professionals you will come across. We are having Sunday lunch when he pops out to say hello. I tell Chow it must be a monumental exercise in skill, stamina and dedication to maintain such a high level of cooking, day in, day out.
He just smiles and says: “It’s down to all of the team. The Michelin star and the recognition is because of their dedication.”
Stuffy, though, this place isn’t. The interior designers have pulled off a tasteful job and if you are going with younger children ask for the table by the tank of brightly coloured fish. You won’t hear a peep from them.
One of the starters is called The Parcels of Prosperity (miniature Chinese-style “croissants” filled with chopped prawns) and Yeoh has clearly invested a bob or two in the furnishings, best described as under-stated plush.
The atmosphere is set by the welcoming front of house manager Theresa Wong, who is delighted to offer guidance and suggestions on Kai’s extensive menu. You won’t feel dim or patronised in asking for help. We certainly weren’t.
There are some traditional favourites such as crispy duck, spring rolls and spare ribs but do not be fooled – these dishes come with a culinary sophistication that should make your local Cantonese restaurant hang its head in shame.
Jostling alongside the familiarity is food exotica: an Oriental take on lobster bisque; braised abalone, fresh truffles, broccolini and jus reduction; and the epic, and epically priced, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
The £108 broth requires five days’ notice and showcases abalone, dried scallops, sea cucumber, ginseng, corn-fed chicken and Chinese mushrooms. They throw in some gold, too.
But you don’t have to be a prince to eat at Kai. There is a great £19 lunch menu where mains might include South China Sea tiger prawns with milk and butter crumble, wok-grilled pork fillet or homemade “silk” tofu with organic Hampshire shitake, enoki mushrooms and asparagus, all served with rice and a Szechuan miso broth.
