Amy Poon - Bringing Back The First Ever Michelin Starred Chinese Restaurant - Starting A Champagne Bar In Singapore’s Red Light District & Struggling To Survive In Tokyo!

In this episode of The Go-To Mise en Place, we sit down with Amy Poon, chef, food entrepreneur, and heir to one of the most iconic names in Chinese dining, for a wide-ranging, laugh-out-loud conversation that covers everything from opening a champagne bar with a newborn to scrubbing pots at midnight when staff don’t show. Amy reflects on her family’s pioneering role in transforming the perception of Chinese cuisine in Britain, particularly her father Bill Poon’s groundbreaking achievement of earning a Michelin star in the 1980s - the first for an independent Chinese restaurant in the UK, attracting everyone from Mick Jagger and Sean Connery to opera singers and cultural icons. Raised in and around the restaurant, Amy recounts childhood meals that ranged from venison to crispy duck sandwiches on school trips, illustrating how her Chinese-British identity shaped her palate. She also shares vivid family lore - including the story of an ancestor who may have invented the stock cube - and how her own journey through Oxford, advertising, art sales, and nightlife in Singapore has ultimately brought her back to food, launching Poon’s Pantry and now preparing to open a new restaurant, Amy is reimagining her families legacy through her cross-cultural lens: not fusion, but a true mix of tradition, innovation, and identity. Plus, we hear about Amy’s ultimate foodie weekend, the comforting simplicity of a fried egg over rice, and the ABBA song she’d play herself out to. Don’t miss this one. ----- Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show. If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges. Just £49 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it. Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours. Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.