Poon’s at Somerset House, London WC2: ‘The tofu dip alone is worth booking a table for’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
The cooking is refreshingly light, delicate and, you might even say, wholesomeIf you find yourself ice-skating at Somerset House in central London over the next week or so (and hurry: you’ve got only until 11 January before it closes), then first please accept my commiserations.Second, please also note that the Chinese restaurant Poon’s, by Amy Poon, scion of the Poon’s restaurant dynasty, recently rooted itself in the New Wing.Ice-skating itself I have nothing against, but we can all agree that these slippery yuletide stampedes on temporary rinks are the polar opposite of festive, so surely it would be far better to be hiding indoors in the warmth with a round of prawn wontons, a bowl of nourishing “magic soup”, or some wind-dried meat claypot rice.Plus, when the weather outside is frightful, the decor in Poon’s is utterly delightful.So gorgeous, in fact, that within two minutes of entering this dusky, muted salmon-pink, twinkly peach, womb-like space, I found myself asking for the name and brand of the paint shade, because it felt instinctively one that, if applied to my own walls at home, would solve many existential problems.
Unsurprisingly, I later learned that Amy Poon had hired a feng shui master to advise on the whole delightful shebang,Does feng shui really work? Who knows,But do wild rose tones, tasteful, stencilled murals, embroidered benches and heroically pretty crockery make my heart soar? Hell, yes,On one mantelpiece at the end of the room stands a large, framed photograph of Amy’s father keeping a watchful eye over proceedings,Back in 1980, Bill Poon, a Hong Kong migrant, nabbed himself a Michelin star for his restaurant, Poon’s in Covent Garden.
Somehow, his daughter managed to escape the greasy clutches of hospitality for decades – working in, among other professions, marketing, PR and the arts – until she set up first a short-term pop-up in Clerkenwell in 2018, followed by a wontoneria at Carousel in central London.There’s also a thriving shop and mail-order business that sells Poon’s signature sauces, oils and wind-dried meats.Casa Dent always has Poon’s Extraordinary Chilli Oil and its chilli vinegar in the fridge, because it enlivens any old leftover.Notably, Poon’s at Somerset House stands starkly apart from the rest of the business.This is far from a gift shop for Poon’s products with a few tables, but rather it’s a romantic, elegant little nook that has about it the feel of a sublime afternoon tea spot, albeit one that serves bowls of zha jiang aubergines and thick, lardo-based prawn toast that is named, somewhat cryptically, “The Hill That Amy Didn’t Die On”.
The cooking here is refreshingly light, delicate and, you might even say, wholesome.Crunchy house pickles are outstanding in their sharp, measured acidity, and a further bowl of crudites with a pungent, funky, fermented tofu dip really packs a punch – that dip alone is worth booking a table for.Vegetarian potsticker dumplings have a sumptuously brown sear and a mushy, well-seasoned filling, while a bowl of silken tofu with avocado and small chunks of century egg is subtle and balm-like, rather than punchy.A large plate of white-cut poussin is poached perfectly, carved and served skin on and on the bone, and comes with a separate pale green spring onion, ginger and chilli relish to add as you see fit.Next up, a heavy claypot arrives filled with gloriously stodgy rice topped with minced beef and a raw, orange-yolked egg that’s mixed in tableside.
Even so, there’s a sense with many of the dishes that they’ve been pared back a little, to avoid huge thrusts of umami, heat or anything cloying.Poon’s also does a £28 pre-theatre menu, and you could definitely eat your fill here without worrying about snoozing through Jersey Boys.That said, if you drink enough of the Hong Kong milk punch with lemon vodka, Lillet rosé, black tea, guava, passion fruit and condensed milk, well, you might well be due a little nap.The one dish at Poon’s that really didn’t set me on fire with happiness, however, was the duck salad, which, in comparison with its companions on the menu, felt oddly drab; there wasn’t a lot of duck or soy dressing, either, and it was a bit heavy on the cabbage.But I regained my equilibrium during a delicate trio of desserts entitled “Three Bites of Helen Goh”, which included a very good goji berry financier, a memorable chocolate truffle with ginger, and a slice of Asian pear.
Poon’s is sweet, confident, feminine, ballsy and glamorous – a lot like Amy Poon herself, in fact,This family has had restaurants in its bones for many generations, so why stop now?Poon’s at Somerset House New Wing, Somerset House, Lancaster Place, London WC2, 020-7759 1888,Open Tues-Sat, lunch noon-4pm, dinner 5-10,30pm,From about £40 a head à la carte (pre-theatre set menu £28), all plus drinks & service This article was amended on 6 January 2026.
An earlier version incorrectly stated that in 1980 Poon’s was the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to be awarded a Michelin star; that was Lee Ho Fook in 1974.
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for roast sweet potato, feta and butter bean traybake | Quick and easy
A brilliant, warming 30-minute traybake, all in one tin. I love the combination of roast sweet potatoes with crumbled feta and a bright, fresh pesto; adding butter beans to the mix brings another hit of protein, as well as getting more legumes into your diet – win-win! A jar or tin of chickpeas would work just as well, if that’s what you have in, and feel free to substitute the parsley for other soft herbs, should you wish.Prep 15 min Cook 30 min Serves 22 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed or peeled (up to you) and cut into 1½cm chunks570g jar butter beans (or 400g tin butter beans), drained and rinsed2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp smoked paprika2 tsp flaky sea salt 200g block feta, crumbledFor the spring onion pesto 25g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems3 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped50g almonds, or pine nuts 50ml extra-virgin olive oilJuice of ½ lemonHeat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Tip the sweet potato chunks, butter beans, olive oil, smoked paprika and a teaspoon of sea salt into a roasting tin or tray large enough to hold everything in almost one layer, mix well, then roast for 30 minutes.Meanwhile, blitz the parsley, spring onions, nuts, olive oil, lemon juice and half a teaspoon of salt in a high-speed blender or chopper
Overnight oats, spinach pie and cheesy corn muffins: Alexina Anatole’s recipes for make-ahead breakfasts
The saying goes that you should breakfast like a king, and I’ve long found that the key to making that happen during the busy work week is to batch-prepare breakfast at the weekend. As we start a new year, the focus is back on balance, and these dishes offer both nourishment and flavour, while also being ideal for making ahead. The overnight oats are a source of fibre, the muffins are high in protein and the pie is a source of both.Prep 5 minCook 10 minSoak OvernightServes 4120g rolled oats 1 tsp ground cinnamon 4 small pears, 2 grated, 2 to garnishSalt120ml freshly squeezed orange juice (from 3-4 small oranges)2 balls stem ginger, finely chopped, plus 1½ tbsp syrup from the jar 200g greek yoghurt, plus extra to serveSliced pistachios, to serve (optional)In a small bowl, mix the oats, cinnamon, grated pears and a pinch of salt. In a second bowl, stir the orange juice, chopped stem ginger and ginger syrup, then stir this and the yoghurt through the oat mix
How to make the perfect breakfast tacos – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …
Breakfast tacos should not be confused with tacos eaten for breakfast. Of course, they often are eaten for breakfast, but the stuffed flour tortillas eaten on both sides of the southern US border are quite different from the tacos mañaneros of central and southern Mexico, the rich, corn-based tacos de canasta (“tacos in a basket”) or the smoky beef barbacoa that Monterrey-born Lily Ramirez-Foran recalls being her dad’s favourite Sunday breakfast. Instead, Texas Monthly explains, breakfast tacos “marry the key elements of an American morning – scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes – with the Mexican staples of salsa, cheese, refried beans … genius.”Although they’re originally a Mexican creation, according to José R Ralat, the magazine’s taco editor (what a job title!), these $3 treats are now so popular north of the border that they’re the subject of regular taco wars, mostly between those who claim Austin as their spiritual home (often blow-ins, according to their fiercest critics), and those who know that no single city can take the credit. The fillings may vary, from pork chops to chilaquiles and beans to cheese, but Ralat maintains that all should be salty, soft and, above all, comforting, and told the Washington Post a few years ago that “the greatest breakfast taco is the one made at home”
Poon’s at Somerset House, London WC2: ‘The tofu dip alone is worth booking a table for’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
The cooking is refreshingly light, delicate and, you might even say, wholesomeIf you find yourself ice-skating at Somerset House in central London over the next week or so (and hurry: you’ve got only until 11 January before it closes), then first please accept my commiserations. Second, please also note that the Chinese restaurant Poon’s, by Amy Poon, scion of the Poon’s restaurant dynasty, recently rooted itself in the New Wing.Ice-skating itself I have nothing against, but we can all agree that these slippery yuletide stampedes on temporary rinks are the polar opposite of festive, so surely it would be far better to be hiding indoors in the warmth with a round of prawn wontons, a bowl of nourishing “magic soup”, or some wind-dried meat claypot rice. Plus, when the weather outside is frightful, the decor in Poon’s is utterly delightful. So gorgeous, in fact, that within two minutes of entering this dusky, muted salmon-pink, twinkly peach, womb-like space, I found myself asking for the name and brand of the paint shade, because it felt instinctively one that, if applied to my own walls at home, would solve many existential problems
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for yoghurt panna cotta with banana and tahini crumble | The sweet spot
I’m of the opinion that we still need dessert in January. In a month that’s typically grey, dreary and ridiculously long, it’s the little things that spark joy. Granted, I’m not necessarily reaching for anything too rich or heavy, but when I’m craving a bit of sweetness, the likes of this yoghurt panna cotta really hit the spot. If you squint, it could easily be mistaken for a fun breakfast pot.The crumble will make more than you need for this, so save the leftovers in an airtight container for a handy crunchy snack
How to turn the dregs of a bottle of beer into cheesy rolls – recipe | Waste not
If you don’t fancy the last warm finger or two of beer in your can, save it to bake into these fluffy, flavourful rollsI often don’t finish a large bottle or can of beer, leaving a bit in the bottom that barely seems worth saving. When I remember, I’ll pop it in the fridge and save it to add to a stew or batter, but today’s rolls are my new favourite way of using it up.You’ll need just 150ml beer to make these fluffy, super-flavourful buns. They’re a serious treat, and wonderful straight from the oven or dipped into a hearty stew. To build good gluten strength, especially when working with wholemeal flours, always add any extra flavourings such as cheese and herbs after the dough has had its initial proving time
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