Having had his fill of hard-nosed celebrity chefs, our Bon Vivant is charmed by the successful London restaurant owner who's in the fine dining business just for the fun of it
In these days of celebrity chefs - and in Europe we certainly have our fair share - I find it refreshing to meet a restaurant owner who isn't a chef, well not professionally, and does not want to be a celebrity... he just wants to operate, as he says, "a successful restaurant with happy and satisfied customers".
My problem with many celebrity chefs is that they have turned into nothing more than businessmen and some seem to spend very little time in the kitchen unless there's a TV camera around. Their time is taken up building their brand while someone else does the cooking.
Not so Bernard Yeoh who owns and runs (but does not cook in) one of London's most famous but understated eateries, Kai (formerly Mr Kai) of Mayfair. It has become one of my favourites, serving an interesting menu that does not feature the obvious Chinese and oriental cuisine.
What intrigues me most is how successful Yeoh has become in a field he did not originally intend to enter. Originally trained as a barrister, he is also a world-class sportsman who represented his country, Malaysia, as a trap shooter at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
So how did he come to open Mr Kai? Having put the law aside, Yeoh entered the restaurant business because he thought it would be "more fun". And this, I think, is one of the clues to his success. He is in it for the fun and the diner senses this.
Most of the menu offers Yeoh's personal specialities which are not what you'd call the usual Asian standards. And although, of course, the food is heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine, it comes to the table with a contemporary twist - a little French here and some Japanese there. It makes for an imaginative presentation.
My favourites include a heavenly steamed Chilean seabass with chopped snowpeas and garlic crumbs in soy sauce. There is even room here for the best of Scottish beef (from Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry's estates) cooked in black pepper and served with sliced Chinese croissants. According to Yeoh, more than 600 ingredients are used to make up the 45 dishes on the menu.
For those with deep pockets, this is the place to try what the Guinness Book of World Records claims is the world's most expensive soup. The £108 (€160) Buddha Jumps Over The Wall soup has been one of the most successful items on the menu ever since Kai opened in 1993. The soup, which requires five day's notice, is made up of, among other things, abalone, shark fin, scallops, ginseng and gold. Fit for an emperor they claim - or at least for a bond trader.
Since opening, Kai has been making all the right headlines with the food writers and receiving awards, including Zagat Survey's Number One Chinese Restaurant in London in 2004 and 2005. It was a Restaurant Magazine Finalist for the UK Best Dishes award in 2006; Tatler Restaurant Guide placed Kai among its Finalist Best Kitchen (Best Food) 2006 and the Time Out Eating and Drinking Guide 2006 included it among its Critic's Choice. Yeoh has even been approached to open a Kai in New York. Sounds like he's in for some more fun.
JIM DUNN founded TPS, which became Britain's biggest travel public relations firm before it was sold to Weber Shandwick in 1994. He is now an author and lecturer
