CHINESE FOOD

The first Chinese immigrants to come to London are believed to have arrived during the 18^thC on board East India Company ships. Chinese food was served at the Health Exhibition that was held in South Kensington. By the late 19^thC, Limehouse in the East End was catering to the needs of a substantial population of transient Chinese seamen. Pennyfields was the centre of the Chinese quarter. To the north of the western portion of the East India Dock Road are street names that testify to this legacy: Canton Street, Nankin Street, and Pekin Street.

In 1908 Chung Koon (d.1957), a former cook's chef on the Red Star Line, opened Maxim s, London's first Chinese restaurant, in Soho. Others followed, notably Koon's Cathay Restaurant.

After the Second World War London's Chinese restaurants found a market not only among former servicemen who had served in East Asia but also among American military personnel who were stationed in Britain.

London s first Chinese takeaway was opened on Queensway in 1958 by John Koon, the son of a former chef on the Red Star Line. He persuaded Sir Billy Butlin to offer chicken chop suey and chips in every Butlin's Holiday Camps. For many Britons this was their first exposure to any form of Chinese food.¹

In the 1950s and 1960s there was a wave of immigration into Britain of Chinese people from the New Territories. Initially, men arrived by themselves. Subsequently, they were joined by their families. Soon after this, Chinese restaurants began to open up all over Britain. Some of the restaurants were established by seafaring Chinese settlers who were already settled in the country and who had previously run laundry businesses. However, these laundries had been losing custom as washing machines had become increasingly affordable for ordinary people.

British Chinese take away food consists principally of easy-to-prepare southern Chinese dishes that Britons are happy to eat. However, there are also some non-southern elements in the cuisine. Originally, the spring roll was a snack from northern China that was brought to Britain by pre-1939 immigrants. Chop suey was reputedly devised in America by Chinese labourers as their counterpart to Irish stew, it being based upon the same ingredients.

By the mid-1960s the sex industry had taken Soho downmarket. This had the effect of deflating rents, which furnished a window of opportunity for some entrepreneurs to start up Chinese restaurants in the heart of the West End. In the 1970s the Gerrard Street district became the commercial, cultural, and social centre for London's Chinese population.

In Chinatown the colour red is very evident because Chinese people traditionally associate it with good fortune.

Chinese businesses have spread onto Shaftesbury Avenue and are starting to extend north of it.

In 2004 it was reported that Fish Nation, a fish and chip shop, had opened in Beijing s Sanlitun bar district. It was believed to be China's first such establishment. (Website: wwwfishnation.cn)

In 2006 Barshu became Britain's first Sichuan restaurant.

Location: Gerrard Street, W1D 5PR (blue, yellow)

Pennyfields, E14 8HP

¹. For any Chinese people, the same food could have served as the introduction to British cuisine.

The Chinese Emporium

In 1959 the Chan family opened the Chinese Emporium on Rupert Street.

In 1969 Philip Hsi Ning Chan (1935-2006) opened a welfare association on Seven Dials.

Location: 22 Rupert Street, W1D 6DG (purple, red)

Lee Ho Fook

In the 1970s the Lee Ho Fook was regarded as the leading Chinese restaurant in London. In 1974 it became the first Chinese restaurant in Britain to be awarded a Michelin star. It is mentioned in Warren Zevon's (1947-2003) song The Werewolves of London (1978). The business closed in 2008.

Location: 15-16 Gerrard Street, W1D 6JE (blue, turquoise)

Mr Chow

Michael Chow (n Zhou Yinghua) was born in Shanghai. He arrived in Britain as a twelve-year-old. After school, he studied first at St Martins School of Art and then Hammersmith School of Building & Architecture. He then worked both as an actor and as a painter.

With his business partner Robin Sutherland, he established Smith & Hawes, a hair salon, on Sloane. They sold it to Leonard of Mayfair. In 1968 they opened Mr Chow. It sold Beijing-style food in an environment that Chow had designed. Its walls were furnished with works that had been painted by leading British artists of the era. The business went on to create a number of original dishes, such as chicken satay. Other Mr Chow restaurants were opened in London. Chow bought out his partner s interest in the business. Starting in 1974 he opened a number of Mr Chow restaurants in the United States.

Location: 151 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7PA (blue, pink)

Website: www.mrchow.com

Old Friends

Old Friends was a noted Limehouse Chinese restaurant.

Location: 659-661 Commercial Road, E14 7LW

A. Wong

In the early 2010s Andrew Wong took over his parents restaurant, which cooked traditional Chinese food. He refocused the business, providing only dim sum at lunchtime and then in the evening a menu of regional delicacies and variants of them. In 2017 the establishment earned a Michelin Star. Five years later it was awarded a second, thereby becoming the first Chinese restaurant outside of Asia to hold two.

Location: 70 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DE (blue, yellow)

Website: www.awong.co.uk

Wong Kei

Wong Kei is a London institution. The restaurant's service was renowned for being brisk.

Location: 41-43 Wardour Street, W1D 6PY (purple, pink)

David Backhouse 2024