Restaurant of the Week: Poon’s at Somerset House

Walking into Poon’s feels like arriving to a dinner party fashionably late. Even on a Tuesday evening, the room was buzzing. A sweet smoky aroma greeted us at the door, while the mellow pink walls and the soothing sounds of bossa nova tucked us into our velvety seats.

Poon’s is very much a family affair. Its name represents a lineage of culinary achievement so deep that it traces back to serving a Chinese emperor. Amy Poon, who grew up in the original Poon’s restaurant during its Michelin-Starred days, is reviving the family legacy by bringing a dignified taste of Chinese cuisine to Somerset House.

Since 2018, Amy Poon has been teasing the return of Poon’s through pop-ups and residencies. Last year, when Somerset House called, offering its Grade I listed space, fit with soaring ceilings, arched windows and all. It was like a call home. Amy’s version of Poon’s opened in the autumn, located just a stone’s throw from the family’s original Covent Garden location.

Now, feeling thoroughly lived-in, the restaurant is thriving as a living, breathing embodiment of Amy Poon’s heritage.

The menu draws from old Cantonese classics, balanced between energetically punchy dishes like the wind dried sausage roll and the sesame prawn “toast”. Nostalgia laden dishes like the claypot rice, magic soup (lovingly described as “a fortifying bowl of granny wisdom”) and steamed sea bass, are also a key feature.

One sip of the magic soup transported me right back to Hong Kong, having dinner surrounded by family over a plastic sheet lined table. Except that I was at Poon’s, with a white hand-towel over my lap, emblazoned with the words ‘Good Morning’ in red – a subtle nod to Hong Kong’s traditional tea shop workers, who like to fling these towels over their shoulders.

While dishes back home would typically be served with a clatter and a nod, here, our waitress deboned our steamed fish with the precision of a surgeon. We opted to keep the head for the coveted piece of meat from the fish’s cheek, the silkiest slice that we would always fight over as children.The prawn wonton in soup was also air light, with the perfect bounce and bite, which I found was best with a dab of Poon’s chilli oil.

A special mention must be made for Poon’s signature wind-dried sausages (WDS). Made from an age-old family recipe, the WDS are cured in soy sauce, Chinese wine, spices and rose liquor. They’re moreish, buttery, sweet and nutty; whether it was in a claypot with rice or scattered within a sausage roll, the WDS was a show stopper.

The drinks and dessert, on the other hand, showed off a more modern side to Poon’s. The lychee sorbet was icy, summery and sweet, while three bites of Helen Goh acted like a deconstructed dessert – made up of a slice of Chinese pear, goji berry almond cake, and a ginger and five-spice truffle. The cocktails hinted at Cantonese flavours but still remained true to the classics, most notably the Dragonwell Sour and the Kumquat Margarita.

Depending on what you order, Poon’s can either feel like an old-school Cantonese affair or a modern expression of the cuisine’s rich history in the capital. Regardless, starting your meal off with the bowl of granny wisdom is sure to set you down the right path.

Find out more and book a table via poonslondon.com