Michelin-Starred Dim Sum Restaurant Is Opening In London Bridge

Duddell’s London — a restaurant and art space concept which currently operates a site in Hong Kong — will open in London Bridge in November.

The restaurant will take over the site of the historic St. Thomas Church — a Grade II-listed building — adjacent to The Shard. Duddell’s London “will showcase authentic Cantonese dishes and hand-crafted dim sum, using only the freshest, high quality ingredients sourced in the UK and abroad.”

Duddell’s in Hong Kong holds two Michelin stars. But a statement said “Duddell’s London will offer a more relaxed take on Cantonese cuisine, featuring both recognized and reinterpreted classics as well as Duddell’s signature dim sum ~ symphony ~ which is more delicate and intricate than traditional dim sum and showcases the team’s folding prowess.” The restaurant also hopes to communicate “the origins of Cantonese cuisine.”

The announcement is something of a paradigm of restaurant news this summer: It follows Serge et Le Phoque, which this week opened in London (whose original site is in Hong Kong). It is the second restaurant in five days to announce it will open in a church and just the latest of a number of new openings to be announced in London Bridge.

Duddell’s kitchen will be led by chef Daren Liew who was previously executive sous chef with the Hakkasan Group. Focus will be “on dishes that use minimal ingredients with flavours that bring out the texture, technique and freshness of Cantonese cuisine,” the restaurant says.

Courtest of Duddell’s

Liew is hoping to bring a new take on traditional dishes such as: Ying Yang prawn with citrus dressing; smoked black Angus ribs with red wine soy and baby peach; truffle chargrilled black cod with Chinese-aged vinegar, lily bulb and Nameko mushroom. Classics from the Hong Kong restaurant will also be introduced. Guandong crispy salted chicken; 12 hours XO beef shin with sea vegetables and barbequed Iberico pork with honey glazed soy bean. The restaurant will also feature a bar with a “dynamic wine list of old and new world wines as well as classic and innovative craft cocktails.”

The space has been designed by Michaelis Boyd (Soho Farmhouse, Soho House Berlin). The building is said to be one of the most distinguished examples of Queen Anne architecture; it will be given a contemporary restoration, with the open dim sum kitchen and bar that feature a green-tiled front, terrazzo worktop and brass shelves to “recreate the retro feel of the 1960s Hong Kong ‘tea restaurant’.”