Splendid Restaurants, sister company of Splendid Hospitality Group, is opening Cha Chaan Teng, a premium casual Chinese restaurant on Kingsway in Holborn later this summer.
The restaurant, which will occupy the former site of Rocket, is based on the popular cha chaan teng cafés found in Hong Kong – 1950s/60s all-day café/diners that fuse the influences of the West with traditional Cantonese cooking to offer affordable, comfort food dishes.
Jeremy Pang, TV chef and creator of School of Wok, takes on the role of Executive Development Chef to curate a menu of popular Chinese cha chaan teng-style dishes that includes macaroni soups, crusty rolls with a variety of fillings and signature sharing dishes such as chilli tiger prawns with lobster claws and whole crispy seabreem.
Mixologists Soul Shakers have been enlisted to create a series of cocktails inspired by the elements of the Chinese tea culture, available alongside Chinese beer on draught and teas by The Real Tea Co.
Open from lunch through to dinner seven days a week, the restaurant, with an average spend of £30 per person, will take bookings whilst also reserving a number of tables for walk-ins.
The interior, by Shed Design, is inspired by the original no frills cafés, but with a contemporary and elegant slant mixing materials such as polished marble and wood with utilitarian and functional formica and veneer. The 4,000sq ft basement site comprises of 170 covers between the bar, dining room and the 16 seater ‘Bao Table’. The design team have also commissioned two bespoke artwork pieces by prominent Brooklyn Street artist DAIN.
Mark Hall, Group Operations Director for Splendid Restaurants comments: “We’re delighted to introduce Cha Chaan Teng and the Hong Kong café concept to London. We have always admired Jeremy’s refreshing and authentic cooking style and together we’ve created something unique. We look forward to introducing it to Londoners.”
Jeremy Pang comments: “I’ve always wanted to do something along the lines of a Chinese Café and this was too good an opportunity to turn down. We’ve had some fun with the concept and will be showcasing an exciting new take on Chinese food.”
Cha Chaan Teng is the newest addition to the Splendid Restaurants portfolio which also includes the recently opened Absurd Bird and Jack & Alice.