This November, Amy and Bill Poon - the family behind the eponymous West End restaurant institution - will bring back Poon’s with the launch of a signature sauce range, delivering Poon’s modern Chinese pantry essentials to kitchens across the country.

Established by seventh generation chef Bill Poon, Poon’s dominated the London Chinese dining scene from 1973 to 2003, gaining a cult following and a Michelin star in 1980. Bill’s daughter, Amy, brought Poon’s back in a new guise in 2018 with a critically acclaimed pop-up in Clerkenwell, followed by a 2021 Poon’s Wontoneria pop-up at JOY at Portobello.

Strongly grounded in Poon’s time honoured family recipes, the sauces will give a lift to home cooking, showcasing Poon’s unique ability to transform the simplest ingredients into something special. The range will initially launch with four products, including:

Poon’s Extraordinary Chilli Oil

One of Bill Poon’s most popular sauce recipes, this is an aromatic oil infused with dried chillies and salted black beans. The result is an intensely savoury depth of flavour that complements the fiery chillies. It can be used as an ingredient to spice up home cooking or served as a condiment. Amy recommends stirring it through thick wheat noodles, wet still from the noodle water, for a Chinese take on spaghetti aglio e olio.

Poon’s Chilli Vinegar Dressing

Created to be served with Poon’s renowned wontons at the Poon’s Wontoneria pop-up, launched at Stevie Parle’s JOY at Portobello in January 2021 for Chinese New Year. Bottled by popular demand! It is a twist on the Shanghainese ‘red oil’ wonton sauce that balances the sharpness of black vinegar with the heat of dried red chilli for a wonderfully versatile condiment. Try it drizzled over steamed vegetables, salads, poached chicken, grilled fish or noodles to give the simplest of suppers that extra pizazz.

Poon’s Premium First Extract Soy Sauce

Made from non-GMO, organic soya beans, Poon’s soy sauce is pressed to order by a family-run business in Khaosiung, southern Taiwan, where the fertile soil and temperate climate provide an ideal environment for soya bean cultivation. The sauce is fermented in traditional earthenware jars before being pressed just once to extract the purest essence of the soya bean. The result is a singularly ‘beany’ flavour. Its deep, complex savoury notes are robust enough for cooking yet fine enough for dipping.

Poon’s WO sauce

This Poon’s take on XO sauce replaces the traditionally used dried scallops and Jinhua ham with salted shrimp and Poon’s own wind dried bacon, which the family has been producing since 1971 to an old secret recipe. Expect an intensely savoury condiment that packs a punch. Of the name, Amy says: “We called it WO sauce because W is almost X – a bit corny but so am I. It has affectionately become known as “Woooooh Sauce” in my kitchen and with the chefs who have used it. I love it on buttered bagels, fried eggs, fried rice, plain rice, noodles, pizza and sausage rolls”.

Launching later this month, the sauces start at £6.50 and will be available for purchase with nationwide delivery at souschef.co.uk.

Product range:

  • Poon’s Extraordinary Chilli Oil £6.50
  • Chilli Vinegar Dressing £7.50
  • Poon’s Premium First Extract Soy Sauce £16
  • Poon’s WO Sauce £8

www.poonslondon.com | @poonslondon | @amy__poon

Notes to editors:

Amy Poon, Founder:

Born and raised in London and Geneva, Amy is a passionate gourmande. Having worked in all her parents’ restaurants and after a corporate career in PR and advertising in Tokyo and London, Amy followed her entrepreneurial spirit to Sydney and then Singapore, building a contemporary Asian art business, a corporate events company and opening Singaporeʼs first champagne bar. She brings her marketing knowledge, love of Chinese food and creativity to building the Poonʼs brand.

Bill Poon:

Bill Poon started his culinary career at a young age. Descended from a long line of chefs, he worked in Macau and his native Hong Kong where he also trained with a Swiss pâtissière. He came to the UK in the mid-sixties and, disappointed by the quality of Chinese food to be found in England at the time, he and his wife, Cecilia, opened the first Poon's Restaurant in 1973 in Lisle Street in Chinatown. Three years later they opened the iconic Poon's of Covent Garden at 41 King Street where customers included Mick Jagger, Sean Connery, Barbara Streisand and a host of Theatreland faces. In 1980 Poon’s of Covent Garden was awarded a Michelin Star. In 1985 he opened Poon’s of Geneva. Poon’s in The City followed in 1990. An active member of the Chinese community in London and well respected in the industry, Bill sat on the judging panel of Chinese Masterchef and was nominated in the Pearl Awards for the Promotion of Excellence in Chinese Cuisine. Bill and Cecilia retired from the restaurant scene in 2006 and are now working on bringing Poon’s Wind Dried Meats to a wider market.