The Library at Poon's
Wasn't there a Poon's restaurant back in the day?
Yes, this is very much the latest opening from a restaurant dynasty. Bill and Cecilia Poon opened the original Poon's in Soho back in 1970. Now, five decades later their daughter Amy has thrown open the doors of her own version of Poon's, at Somerset House. This has followed various pop-ups of Amy's over the years.
So where in Somerset House is this?
We're glad you asked, because finding this isn't as easy as you'd expect. The best route is not to go via the main courtyard, which is useful right now as that's where the skating rink is. Instead, head down the Waterloo Bridge side of the building and go in the New Wing entrance on Lancaster Place, where you'll find Poon's off to the left.
This is the entrance you're looking for.
Where should we sit?
If you want to perch and just have a small plate and a drink, then the Library front room at Poon's, complete with bookshelves featuring cookbooks from Amy's own collection, is the place to go, with its communal table. In the rear section of the dining room, there's a large counter dining space letting you get up close and personal with the chefs (and their Heath Robinson-style ventilation system) or just grab one of the tables for two or four here. The designers have been clever, making what is a narrow space look homely but also stylish, and the gorgeous wall frescoes come courtesy of one of Amy's schoolfriends.
Counter seating by the kitchen
And what kind of food is it?
Amy herself says it's all about Chinese home cooking and sees Poon's 2.0 as "a way of welcoming people to my table, where you come if you don’t have a nice Chinese friend who will cook for you at home."
The menu is genuinely one of the more interesting offerings we've seen in a long time and takes a while to acquaint yourself with. There's a '3 dishes, one soup' set menu on all day, along with a plat du midi that, as the name suggests, is only on for lunchtime. Come later in the evening and you might instead be going for the Siu Yeh section, which is on from 9pm and consists of stand-up noodles and pot luck rice.
We booked in for a weeknight dinner. Here are some of the standout dishes of the night.
Starting with the snacks section, which is definitely worth enjoying over a cocktail or two.
Boiled peanuts (£3) - this might not sound too thrilling, but our dining companion said these were a taste of her childhood and hard to find in London.
Poon’s Wind-dried sausage Roll (£7) - think sausage roll slices and served with chilli oil dipping sauce.
Next, we moved on to the starters section.
Ode to Fuchsia (£9.50) - a tribute dish to Amy's friend, the respected Chinese food writer Fuchsia Dunlop, this featured tofu with avocado and pídàn (century egg) for added umami.
The hill that Amy didn’t die on (£12) - amazing sesame prawn “toast” featuring a base of lardo
Mains presented more of a challenge, mostly because the choice is pretty large and varied and we honestly fancied it all. In the end, we opted for two of the dishes on the 'to continue' section of the menu.
Steamed Pork with Shrimp Paste (£26) - slices of marinaded pork neck fillet, steamed with ginger and shrimp paste
Zha Jiang Aubergine (£12) - the latest in a long line of us proving there's no aubergine dish we can't get behind, this is roasted in Poon's signature Lisle Street Zha Jiang Sauce.
Room for dessert?
At this point in the meal, things become very simple. There are just two choices - a homemade lychee sorbet (£6), which we urge you to have along with the following:
Three bites of Helen Goh (£6) - inspired by a conversation Amy had with the cookbook writer Goh, this dessert sums up all that's needed at the end of a good Chinese meal, some fruit (here it's Chinese pear slices), a Goji berry financier and a candied ginger and 5 spice truffle.
What about the wine?
It's a family affair at Poon's, with Amy's husband Michael running the wine side of things. We didn't delve too deeply into the offering here, but his recommendation of a glass of Arneis by Piedmont winemaker Marco Brangero (£11.50) hit the spot nicely.
Overall thoughts:
Whether you're here for a hit of childhood reminiscing (like our dining companion) or from the perspective that you want someone else to cook you gorgeous homemade Chinese food, then Poon's should hit the spot. That menu is going to repay multiple visits to work our way through properly and the setting is superb. We liked it a lot.
More about Poon's at Somerset House
Where is it? Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA
How to book? Book online.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @poons_ldn.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Poon's. Prices correct at time of publication.
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