Mr Chow

151 Knightsbridge, London

A beloved Knightsbridge institution, this restaurant has been serving up Cantonese cuisine for 45 years.

When Michael Chow opened his first restaurant in London in 1968, the combination of traditional Cantonese cooking, creative flair and slick, European-style service was brave and exciting. Its boutique-kitsch styling and Knightsbridge location only added to its allure, making it the destination of choice for the elite. Nearly half a century later, and with five more restaurants to his name, Chow’s formula is still ticking the boxes for Londoners. Chow himself is a Jack of all trades, master of many. The Shanghai- born, LA-resident restaurateur is known in the art, fashion and film worlds, making his restaurant a magnet for the glitterati (on the night we were there, Plácido Domingo sat across the dining room, which was so full that Simon Cowell had to make do with a takeaway). From the outside, the venue looks like a Victorian apothecary, with its ivy- draped facade and bell-jar windows. The newly nipped and tucked interior, designed by the man himself, is a blend of contemporary art and retro charm. Mirrored walls and UFO-like 1960s silver pendant lamps contrast with leather banquettes and rosewood chairs; original work by Sir Peter Blake sits alongside Clive Barker’s eye-catching sculptures of Peking ducks; while the menu carries a portrait of Chow by none other than David Hockney. In dynastic China, the Emperor’s Kitchen was the name given to an area inside the Forbidden City where highly regarded chefs would try to outdo each other in contests of culinary innovation. Chef John Ng’s creations, ideal for sharing in the Chinese ‘family style’, contain whimsical nods to this past, with dishes such as emperor’s crab subtitled with a chatty anecdote. The jade-green prawns are coated in a spiced spinach sauce that appears almost luminous; glazed prawns with walnuts are sticky, sweet and succulent; fresh live stone crab light and delicious. Unsurprisingly, duck features as a signature dish – wonderfully crispy skin crackles to the touch, while a layer of juicy fat surrounds the succulent meat. In an extravagant and loud display of skill, chefs move from the kitchen to the dining room during the evening to make hand-spun Beijing- style noodles in front of guests. Just don’t let it distract you from the Champagne trolley… GW. 020 7589 7347