May Chow Brings Modern Hong Kong Flavors to Little Blue Noodle Bar at The Peninsula London

  • September 17, 2026
May Chow Brings Modern Hong Kong Flavors to Little Blue Noodle Bar at The Peninsula London
This autumn, The Peninsula London welcomes award-winning Hong Kong chef May Chow for her UK debut and a month-long takeover of Little Blue Noodle Bar, from October 5 to November 1, 2026. Created with creative culinary agency Tribe & Gather, the residency pairs masterful Cantonese technique with the late-night energy of modern Hong Kong.
 
An influential figure in modern Chinese cuisine, Chow has helped shape Hong Kong’s dining scene through her restaurants Little Bao and Happy Paradise. The youngest recipient of the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award, Chow has also featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown and appeared as a finale judge on Top Chef Masters.
 
For her residency at The Peninsula London, Chow takes inspiration from Hong Kong, a city shaped by movement: Chiu Chow traders, Shanghainese arrivals and a Cantonese diaspora that carried its food across the world and brought new flavors home again.
 
Taking over Little Blue Noodle Bar’s intimate 25-seat space, which operates via an independent street entrance, the concept is designed for drinking and eating at the same time. Combining a fast-paced, high-energy atmosphere with an à la carte menu celebrating the diverse regional flavors of Hong Kong, the experience brings together great music, convivial energy and Chow’s belief that culinary heritage should feel alive, contemporary and craveable.
 
The menu centers on the craft of Siu Mei, or roasting. Using a vertical Apollo drum oven inspired by those found in Hong Kong’s neighbourhood roast shops, premium British meats are air-dried, roasted at high heat and finished with carefully layered glazes. Alongside two distinctive styles of Char Siu, the menu includes sharing plates and exclusive rice and noodle dishes created especially for the residency.
 
The Siu Mei selection includes Tamworth Pork Collar Char Siu, marinated with red fermented bean curd, red yeast rice and aromatic Mei Kuei Lu rose wine before being slow-roasted and finished with a glossy maltose glaze. An exclusive Wagyu Beef Short Rib Char Siu offers a richer, savory interpretation, pairing the marbled beef with black fermented bean, five spice, aged tangerine peel, peanut and honey.
 
Elsewhere, the menu includes Raw Scallop with cucumber, coriander and green peppercorn; Salt Marsh Lamb Tartare with fermented bean curd, pickled mustard greens and fried bean curd; Crispy Cuttlefish with seaweed and black garlic; Warm Eggplant with chilli garlic and pine nuts; and a Pan-Fried Dumpling with braised short rib and black vinegar.
 
Further dishes include Sand Ginger Fried Chicken; Emperor Stir-Fry with flowering and yellow chives, anchovies and hazelnuts; Prawn Peanut Noodles with prawn chili oil; Mushroom Noodles with sweet soy, kombu and salted lemon; and Crab Fried Rice with ginger and roasted sesame oil.
 
Created exclusively for the takeover, the King Prawn and Peanut Braised Noodles feature fresh egg noodles wok-braised with king prawns, ginger, garlic, shallot, spring onion and yellow chives. The dish is finished with roasted sesame-peanut dressing and house-made prawn-head chili oil.
 
For dessert, Duckshit Oolong Ice Cream is served alongside hot, crisp, deep-fried Apple Mochi. The ice cream is infused with single-origin Ya Shi Xiang Dan Cong oolong tea, prized for its intensely floral aroma.
 
The drinks program has been developed to complement the food, with a focus on drinks that are curious, generous and rooted in place while remaining open to influences from elsewhere. The program explores the relationship between Cantonese food and acidity, salinity, savoriness, fermentation and age, with an emphasis on wines and sake with texture and depth. The concise selection will spotlight small producers, traditional methods and lesser-known regions across wine, sake, cocktails, zero-alcohol serves and independent beers.
 
Cocktails include a Hong Kong Lemon Tea with Bison vodka, black tea, lemon and sweet soy; a Spritz with Cynar, honey, lemon and grapefruit soda; a Chrysanthemum Margarita with blanco tequila, chrysanthemum and Cointreau; and a Five-Spice Gin & Tonic with cinnamon, clove, star anise, orange and ginger. Zero-alcohol options include Yuzu Maple Soda, combining yuzu, maple, sea salt and soda, and Guava & Salted Plum Soda with grapefruit, guava and salted plum, alongside a premium house-carbonated tea.
 
May Chow is an award-winning Hong Kong chef, entrepreneur and cultural figure whose approach to modern Chinese cuisine combines Chinese heritage with global influence and contemporary culture. Her debut restaurantLittle Bao became a Hong Kong icon in 2013, followed by Cantonese gastropub Second Draft and Happy Paradise, her love letter to Chinese cuisine. Happy Paradise was named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places in 2018 and selected for World’s 50 Best Discovery.
 
May’s personal and innovative approach to modern Chinese cuisine has positioned her as one of the most dynamic figures in the global culinary landscape. Beyond her restaurants, Chow sits on the board of EAT Forum and is an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, diversity and female empowerment.
 
The residency has been created with creative culinary agency Tribe & Gather, with support from the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific. As one of Cathay’s dining partners, members can earn 2 Asia Miles for every £1 spent at Little Blue Noodle Bar when paying with a Visa or Mastercard linked to their Cathay account, bringing added rewards to a distinctive London dining experience this autumn.
 
Dates & Timings 
May Chow at Little Blue Noodle Bar will run at The Peninsula London from October 5 to November 1, 2026.
 
12pm – 11pm (Monday to Wednesday)
12pm – 12am (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)
12pm – 11pm (Sunday)
Food orders until 10pm
 
For further information please visit: Little Blue Noodle Bar. For reservations please visit: Little Blue Noodle Bar Reservations