The upstairs teahouse is nice and bright, perfect for a day meal, with an adjacent bar. The bar is only three years old; it replaced a pastry counter. “People would be queuing for a table by the pastry counter. And to my perspective, we weren’t fulfilling the customer service we should be for people waiting. So what we did is take the pastry production to another location in London and created a bar, which is now a destination bar and a waiting bar,” said Didier.

 

For a Calcuttan who was introduced to Yauatcha (say “yow-aa-cha”) two months ago when it opened at Quest mall, having a meal at the place where it all began was something I couldn’t wait to do. Would my favourite starters, the Crispy Prawn Cheung Fun and the Truffle Edamame Dumpling taste the same or better? Would the most-Instagrammed dessert, the Raspberry Delice, look as pretty as it did back home in Calcutta? And so I stepped out of the Leicester Square tube station on a not-so-windy October afternoon and quickly keyed ‘15-17 Broadwick Street’ into my cellphone’s GPS system to find out. A swift five-minute walk later, I was at the glass door of the Michelin-starred “original” dim sum and teahouse destination in London’s cosmopolitan Soho.

MEETING DIDIER

Didier Souillat in front of the pick-and-choose dessert counter

A lady attendant wearing a red dress took my coat (I awkwardly asked her if she could keep my tourist-y knapsack hidden too) before I met Didier Souillat, the big boss of Yauatcha. He greeted me with a broad smile, sporting a crisp white shirt and black blazer. Didier has been with Yauatcha and Hakkasan for five years, the “longest spell” he’s had in any job. “And it’s easy to say why — it’s an incredible company, it’s gone from three restaurants to 28 globally,” said the man who was previously with hotels like Hilton and with iconic stores Harrods and Selfridges where he managed the food retail and restaurants. Of the 28 outlets he mentioned, India has one Hakkasan (in Mumbai) and four Yauatchas, the last of which opened in Calcutta in September.

A LITTLE BIT OF LONDON IN CALCUTTA

Looking around, the first impression of Yauatcha London was that it was nice and bright — a lot like Yauatcha Calcutta, which is lit up by natural light on the fifth floor of Quest, and also with an adjacent bar. “When the London Yauatcha opened 10 years ago, this area (the upstairs floor) was a pastry and teahouse and downstairs the restaurant. It became so popular that instead of serving dim sums just downstairs, we started serving dim sums upstairs,” said Didier.

Eager to see the restaurant downstairs, I walked down a blue-lit flight of stairs and the place looked nothing like the upstairs! Dim lights, a twinkling ceiling and a blue aquarium ran down the length of the bar. It had a nice lounge-y vibe to it and servers paced to and from the kitchen, up and down the stairs, trays up in the air. “We don’t need to go to the gym,” grinned a cheeky one.

Similar design elements were easy to spot — like the brick wall (though the one in Calcutta is lighter), blue glass, black granite, stainless steel and embroidered upholstery. Yet the styles all came together to look quite independent.

NOM NOM

It was almost 12.30pm (read: lunchtime) and people were fast filling up the 120 covers. I secretly crossed my fingers hoping to see someone famous! Though Didier didn’t let it out, a kind waiter did whisper that in recent times, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale have been regulars. “Here, celebrities don’t even make reservations; they just come in,” he smiled.

Hoping now would be one of those times, I took a seat and ordered the restaurant’s best-sellers — the Soft-Shelled Crab and the Prawn and Beancurd Cheung Fun — with a Cucumber and Lime Ice Tea for a fresh start. “Is there any dish that I must order,” I asked the waiter. “The first two that you just did,” he said, suggesting two more — Szechuan Wonton and Fried Chilli Squid, which I promptly agreed to.

The crab is something you don’t get in Calcutta yet but you do get an almost-identical version of the Cheung Fun called the Crispy Prawn Cheung Fun (without the beancurd). “The funny thing is I tried it in Calcutta the other day and I was like ‘Yup, the same thing’. It’s a very difficult dish to do and it was bang on. I was actually surprised how well it had been done,” said Didier, who was in Calcutta recently.

The Spicy Pork Szechuan Wonton with peanut came with a little broth and the Fried Chilli Squid with Oatmeal and Pandan Leaf was just like what we get in Calcutta. By the time it was time for dessert, I was too stuffed to try the Raspberry Delice so I settled for a Chocolate Truffle and Macaron. The best part was the dessert counter where one could simply walk up and pick from the display.

LONDON PART II

London will soon see its second Yauatcha. “The second one comes after 10 years so we’re taking our time,” smiled Didier. Though the location is hush-hush, we’ve got our cards on Liverpool. Perhaps, I’ll get lucky there next time star-spotting Leonardo or Bale!