Operator Q&A: A Leong way to the top

As the Asian food revolution continues to enthral consumers across the UK, we took the chance to quiz the Leong brothers on what it’s like to own and operate several authentic Asian dining concepts in the heart of London’s Chinatown

Brits have a long and deep-held love for Asian fare. As the largest continent on earth, it’s home to roughly 60% of the global population, so it’s no surprise that the cuisines found therein are as vast as they are vibrant and versatile. According to research by Lee Kum Kee, 82% of UK adults eat Asian food once a week or more, 60% of whom claim to love the region’s culinary delights for their abundance of flavours.

With Geoff and Lucas Leong, founders of Leong Enterprises, overseeing some of the most popular Asian eateries in the heart of London’s Chinatown, these brothers and business partners have witnessed the growing appetite for authentic and top-quality Asian dishes take hold across the capital. So, what next for the group and for Asian dining in the UK at large? Read on to find out…

Dine Out (DO): Can you tell us about your journey to becoming restaurateurs?
Geoff Leong (GL): Our family has always invested in F&B/hospitality concepts, so we both grew up around the industry. I love how versatile and face-driven this sector is, combining my love for public relations and design.
Lucas loves how tangible the industry is and how creative you need to be to attract customers into your venues.

DO: What’s it like being both brothers and business partners? There must be real perks – and challenges – to working so closely alongside your sibling!
GL: Being brothers is great as we can fully trust and depend on each other. We talk about business and ideas at the dinner table and we also respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Lucas is younger than me, so he has a vision for a lot of new concepts which I then bring my expertise to.

DO: What are your core values as hospitality operators?
GL: Always put the customer first. It’s important, always, to think about how customers perceive the experience you give them. Then, for our internal team, it’s about trust and loyalty.

DO: Can you describe the restaurants in your portfolio and how they sit within the Leong brothers’ brand?
Lucas Leong (LL): We have our investment in Dumplings Legend, which is the best xiao long bao restaurant in the nation, having catered for Frieze Masters, Taste of London and VIP clients.
We have another Taiwanese restaurant in Chinatown called Leong’s Legend, which was the first in the UK to be inspired by Taiwanese night market dishes.
Our restaurant Taku in Mayfair was awarded a Michelin star just four months after opening. This is more experience-driven, offering a chef’s tasting menu omakase.
We have invested in a sibling restaurant of Taku, called Iné by Taku, in Hampstead, which offers a more casual menu.
Our investments also cover an online frozen for delivery brand called Alta Foods, which delivers restaurant-quality meals nationwide, as well as a cloud kitchen.

DO: Chinatown is a hub for authentic Asian food in the heart of the UK capital. What do you love about operating in this area?
LL: Chinatown is simply the place to be. It is in the heart of the West End, frequented by both tourists and locals alike. It’s the biggest source of pride to have businesses here, as it is such a symbolic place.

DO: On the flipside, running a restaurant here must also be highly competitive – how do you ensure your concepts and offerings stand out from the crowd?
GL: We focus on quality and branding, driving engagement outside of Chinatown through events such as Frieze Masters, Taste of London and social media features such as TopJaw and Time Out. We have had to carve out unique selling points for our brands to really attract customers through the door.

Served with elegance

DO: What has been the proudest achievement in your careers thus far?
GL: When King Charles visited our restaurant during the Lunar New Year and made xiao long bao dumplings. We were the first restaurant in Chinatown he had ever visited!
LL: For me, it was attaining Taku’s Michelin star. This was a monumental achievement for me, as I poured so much of my life and passion into Taku.
It was honestly the proudest moment of my life. At that time, I was 26 years old and I had managed to achieve one of the most prestigious titles in the industry. I pitched to the chef in Paris to come over and work with us and I pitched my father and brother to invest. So, when Taku got the star, I felt so proud of myself and the team.

DO: What has been the biggest challenge of your career, and how did you overcome it?
GL: Covid – it was taxing and shocking for the entire industry. The weeks building up to the first lockdown resulted in Chinatown becoming a ghost town. We had no idea how we would survive.
Lucas quickly pivoted and created an online food delivery platform within the first week of lockdown (Alta Foods) and he was delivering across London with our mother during those first three months. We were very lucky that the government was so helpful with outdoor dining and Eat Out to Help Out schemes. More importantly, we were very lucky that we had amazing diners come and visit us as soon as they could.

DO: From Chinese to Taiwanese to Japanese and beyond, the restaurants in your estate cover a range of the vast flavours of Asia. What is it about these cuisines that resonates so well with Brits?
GL: Brits are more and more open to discovering new cultures and dishes through food. By covering various cuisines, we have the opportunity to bring these experiences to UK diners. In the age of social media, people can easily discover new cuisines and save them to their phones. hoping to try them out as soon as possible.

DO: Do you see any emerging dining trends coming to the fore when it comes to Asian cuisine here in the UK?
GL: I think there are a lot of unique dining concepts in China that are making their way over here. They are not just focused on flavour, but also service and hospitality. Traditionally, you go to a restaurant to eat but, a few years from now, you’ll be going to a restaurant for an experience unlike any other, whether it’s because of a performance, for the style of service or the theatrics.

DO: What’s more important and why – authenticity, staying current or being perceived as unique?
LL: Authenticity is always key. This industry is an art built upon years of recipes. If you take away the authenticity, you’re stripping away the essence of what gives a dish its history or heritage.
Our restaurant Taku is the best showcase of authenticity with a unique perception. The rice-making and fish-cutting techniques are all methods passed down by sushi grandmasters, but we add a contemporary twist with the ingredients we use to make it more unique.

DO: What are your key goals or priorities across the Leong Enterprises estate in 2025?
LL: We are now focusing on driving the brands for our existing assets, as well as pushing for more accolades! Our team at Taku is working hard for that two-Michelin-star award.

DO: How about openings – anything exciting in the pipeline that our readers should look out for?
LL: In April, we will be launching our new project on Chancery Lane in London. It will be a QSR format of Dumplings’ Legend, which we hope to expand nationwide.

DO: In what ways do you hope to see the sector develop over the next five years?
GL: We hope to see more innovation – data is always an interesting part of the industry. If we can harness that, we can understand our customers better and give them a better experience. Technology for ordering needs to be implemented based on concepts. Some restaurants just don’t need mobile ordering at the table as it takes away from the service experience.

DO: Million-dollar question: what would you say is the key to success and longevity in the UK restaurant industry?
LL: Family – most of our staff have been with us for nearly 15 years. Treat them well, as you would want to be treated yourself. In this industry, we are not the boss. The boss is the customer and our staff. Without them, we cannot survive.

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