Frank Yeung and Abhinav Malde made their restaurant debut with Peckham’s Mr Bao a decade ago and have since launched further Taiwanese restaurants in Tooting and Westfield London. In 2024, the pair formally established their restaurant group, 6 of 1, as they looked to create new concepts.
The result is Wonton Charlie’s, which launched late last year, and Café Kowloon, opening early next month, which together mark the group’s first venture into Cantonese food. Yeung and Malde say they initially planned to expand their Taiwanese-focused offering, but the breadth of talent and interests within their team, combined with Yeung’s Hong Kong heritage, led them to pivot.
Inspired ‘by the way modern Hong Kong likes to eat and drink’, Café Kowloon brings together banquet-style dining, elevated street food and cocktails to offer a ‘contemporary take on Cantonese hospitality’.
Tell us about Café Kowloon
Abhinav Malde: It’s beneath a railway arch in London Fields, and the rumble of trains adds character to the space. It has an approachable, relaxed feel, and we want it to offer a level of comfort and a vibe that surpasses other venues around here. We see this restaurant as an opportunity to dial up the fun for customers.
Frank Yeung: The dining room will include a cocktail bar at the front, tables with lazy Susans, and neon lighting, which is being installed as we speak. There will also be space for a DJ, something to help carry the night along without going full David Guetta.
What are the influences behind Café Kowloon?
FY: The design draws on different influences from Hong Kong, including nods to banquet-style dining with round tables and booths – especially suited to celebrations such as Chinese New Year, birthdays and weddings – alongside references to Hong Kong nightlife, from jade glass and neon signage to a DJ mixing Cantonese music. These influences run through everything we do, from cocktails using Hong Kong-inspired ingredients to a menu that balances special-occasion dishes, like whole seabass, with elevated street food, including prawn toast done better than you’ve ever had.
Why have you opted to create two restaurants in one?
AM: Café Kowloon was always the primary idea. The site’s two railway arches, split by staircases to the platform, naturally created front rooms, which we didn’t want to feel like the worst seats in the restaurant. A cocktail bar would have been the obvious solution, but our licence didn’t allow for it.
FY: We already had the wonton noodle bar idea and were casually looking for a space. In the back of our minds, we thought we’d move forward with it after Café Kowloon, but when this site came up it offered a sense of discovery and exploration, so we decided to do both in one.
How will the two spaces interact?
FY: The main kitchen sits at the back and serves predominantly as the Café Kowloon kitchen. At the front, we have a service kitchen for Wonton Charlie’s, although we also make the broths in the back kitchen, so ultimately the team is one. Everyone will be trained across both venues, including front-of-house staff.
AM: The biggest difference lies in the offer. Wonton Charlie’s reflects old Hong Kong and operates as a daytime concept into the evening, while Café Kowloon represents new Hong Kong and is evenings only. This means some guests know us solely through the front space, while Café Kowloon diners pass through Wonton Charlie’s and experience both.
Whether we open another restaurant this year won’t depend on how much money we have in the bank, but on our view of where the British economy is heading – and that’s a really sad thing to say
Frank Yeung
Tell us about the guest journey
FY: Guests are welcomed at Wonton Charlie’s and guided past the service bar through a short tunnel, emerging into a complete shift in colour, décor and music. Ahead, they’ll see the open kitchen – around 10 metres long – with counter seating, before passing through another arch into the dining room, where they’re immediately greeted by the cocktail bar. In warmer weather, a rear yard will offer an additional 40 covers.
AM: It’s a more involved experience, with no minimum spend, though average spend will typically be higher due to cocktails, wine and longer stays, in contrast to the front space, which tends to see quicker, more casual visits.
What will the menu layout look like?
AM: It will be a relatively tight menu, with dishes changing as supply shifts, including produce from our local fishmonger, Fin and Flounder. Guests can start with snacks alongside a drink before moving into a Hong Kong-style, banquet-led experience, with sharing dishes placed at the centre of the table.
Are there any dishes you’re hoping will become signatures?
FY: We expect the prawn toast to be a standout, made with wild North Atlantic prawns and a custom loaf from E5 Bakehouse. The prawn heads are trimmed back and made edible, as they hold a lot of flavour, and it’s served with a bold sauce rather than the usual Worcestershire or mayo. But we could get this excited about the whole menu. For example, our char siu uses loin from black Iberico pigs from Spain, allowing us to serve it medium rare, which is unusual for pork and very unusual for Hong Kong-style pork.
Tell us about the drinks offering
FY: For soft drinks, our manager has developed a range of homemade sodas and tonics, alongside juices and teas. We also offer beer, and our cider comes from the Fine Cider Company, which is next door. Our cocktail list features eight drinks that will evolve with seasonal ingredients, including classics like an espresso martini, but made with a salted caramel koji created from old sake-producing rice, giving a salted caramel coffee base.
AM: We’re also very excited about the wine list, curated and partially supplied by Theatre of Wine, and completed by other small-scale producers from Europe and beyond. I’m hesitant to say natural wine, as it can be very hit and miss, but it is natural and low intervention. First and foremost, our priority is to offer wine that is absolutely delicious.
What price points are you looking at?
FY: At Café Kowloon, dishes start at around £5, with the most expensive at about £33. Wines range from £30 to £150, with plenty of options in between. We expect most guests will spend between £60 and £90 per head, including VAT and service – though you could certainly get carried away and spend £200. Overall, we hope people leave feeling the experience offered excellent value.
And what about Wonton Charlie’s?
AM: Wonton Charlie’s is inspired by old Hong Kong and is our faithful recreation of a traditional wonton noodle soup bar. Guests can choose pork, prawn or fish-skin wontons, all made in-house and paired with noodles and soup. By keeping the menu tight, we can focus on quality and consistency.
Tell us about the fish-skin wontons
FY: I grew up eating fish-skin wontons and, on every trip back to Hong Kong, the first thing I’d ask for was a bowl at my favourite bar – until it closed. The dish has become rare in Hong Kong because it’s so labour-intensive and costly to make. When we came back to London, we realised it wasn’t available here either, so we decided to make it. It’s currently our lowest-selling wonton, as people are familiar with pork and prawn and hesitant to order fish skin, but by their third visit, they usually try it and love it.
The site’s two railway arches, split by staircases to the platform, naturally created front rooms. A cocktail bar would have been the obvious solution, but our licence didn’t allow for it
Abhinav Malde
Why shift to Cantonese food?
AM: Our previous restaurants focused on Taiwanese cuisine and bao buns, but as we expand, we want each concept to be distinct. We looked beyond Taiwanese food to Cantonese, which is something we’ve been considering for a while. Chinatown showcases Cantonese food well, but its style doesn’t appeal to everyone, and Hakkasan, while exceptional, is very expensive, so we wanted to create something that sits in between.
FY: My dad was born in Hong Kong, so we’ve got a back catalogue of Cantonese cooking history. Perhaps it would have made sense to start there, but our travels and interests led us to open Mr Bao and Daddy Bao first. Now it feels like we’re returning to our roots – although we ultimately follow whatever sparks our curiosity.
Why London Fields?
AM: In recent years, London Fields has been at the forefront of exciting new London dining. It’s not Soho or Notting Hill, but there are many restaurants here we respect, and we felt this site was a great fit, especially as there weren’t many Asian options when we started. After opening Wonton Charlie’s and speaking to local diners, it became clear the area was ready for a modern Cantonese restaurant.
FY: We’re extremely passionate about hospitality and making sure people have a great time. That happens both on the night and over time, by building relationships – remembering a guest’s favourite drink, dish or a small moment from a previous visit. An area like London Fields allows us to nurture those connections more than somewhere like Soho, where people are less likely to return to the same restaurant regularly.
How is business across the group?
FY: As an industry, we feel extremely hard done by. Hospitality faces a 64% prevailing tax rate, more than double that of the financial sector. While our turnover is smaller, we employ many people and are a major reason people come to London. Yet it feels like we’re being beaten with a stick by successive governments, regardless of party, who have steadily chipped away at the industry. Whether intentional or not, the cumulative effect has been severe. Having worked in hospitality since 2009, we can say it’s never been harder.
AM: It’s a war of attrition. Every time you deal with one challenge, another lever gets pulled, and you have to figure out how to cope.
FY: Whether we open another restaurant this year won’t depend on how much money we have in the bank, but on our view of where the British economy is heading – and that’s a really sad thing to say.
AM: We have a great team with lots of interests, but for now our focus is entirely on Café Kowloon and Wonton Charlie’s. In a few months, we’ll reassess and explore potential sites – whether in London, New York or elsewhere – and decide what makes sense next.