Specialist dim sum restaurant and tea house hits Chelsea
The 60-cover restaurant will open on Draycott Avenue on 14 September, with head chef and ‘dim sum master’ Kai Wang devising an extensive menu of traditional and contemporary variations of the Cantonese dish.
Eldarova, whose career includes writing a number of successful children’s books under her pen name ‘Sofia’, believes Bō Làng will offer a ‘more modern twist’ to its dim sum restaurant counterparts in the capital.
“Londoners have a great choice and there are some beautiful Asian restaurants,” she said. “With Bō Làng we focus on exceptional quality and beautiful flavours, bringing in ingredients from various continents. These days we travel so much it would be a pity not to benefit from the cultural exchange.
“China is a huge territory containing a lot of different influences within it, so it’s somewhat inevitable that their food is quite varied. This gives us a lot of scope for the menu at Bo Lang, and working with Kai Wang our head chef we are very excited about adding a modern European twist to the dim sum.”
Dim sum master
With its name translating to ‘wave’, Bō Làng’s dim sum menu includes snow crab, coriander and water chestnut with balsamic pearls; sea bass, prawn and Chinese celery; and lobster with goji berry.
Head chef Wang has over 10 years’ experience as a dim sum chef, starting his career at Yue Hai Jin Wei Hotel in China before going on to work at the Grand Imperial at Grosvenor House and as dim sum head chef for successful restaurateur Arkady Novikov.
His menu at Bō Làng also features light main plates including salads, grilled and steamed dishes such as blue swimmer crab salad, sautéed root vegetables with jasmine, and Bō Làng crispy duck.
Expansion plans
Meanwhile an extensive tea collection includes a selection of rare and iced teas, with afternoon tea available from 3pm to 5pm, served in a range of traditional, unique cast-iron teapots.
A selection of Oriental-inspired cocktails will include the ‘Fortune Martini’, ‘Jade Dragon’ and ‘Chinese Garden’, with soft drinks and freshly pressed juices also available alongside a short list of wines priced from £8 by the glass.
The restaurant’s design has been created by Pitt Cue Co’s designer Shaun Clarkson, with grey leather sofas and charcoal velvet chairs offset by cut-out wooden screens and tables.
Speaking of the potential to expand the Bō Làng concept in the UK, Eldarova replied: “Absolutely. We can’t wait to open our doors and grow.”
Bō Làng will open on 14 September at 100 Draycott Avenue.
