Chinatown London welcomes two UK debut concepts

Shaftesbury has announced that two UK debut concepts will be joining Chinatown London’s Shaftesbury Avenue this summer – Hong Kong-style tea restaurant, The Eight, and ‘serve yourself’ Sichuan eatery, Zhang Liang Malatang.

The Eight will be a 1,500 square feet restaurant and café with an 80 cover at Chinatown London’s 68/70 Shaftesbury Avenue. Situated next door to Japanese patisserie Sakurado, it will serve a selection of traditional Hong Kong dishes, including abalone wanton noodle, rice wrapped in omelette with wagyu beef, and rickshaw noodles.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang Malatang is bringing the concept to Europe for the first time, with the 1,200 square feet 112 Shaftesbury Avenue site, adjacent to Indonesian eatery Nusa Dua.

Translating to ‘spicy soup’, Mala Tang is traditional street food from Sichuan where diners can customise their hot pot with a choice of fresh ingredients, including crab legs, fish balls, and seafood sausages.

Zhang Liang Malatang currently has over 5,500 sites, and the concept originates from Asia-Pacific.

A spokesperson for The Eight said: “The tea rooms back home are heavily inspired by cuisine from around the world and we wanted to bring this unique experience to the UK. Chinatown London has an incredible selection of global flavours and we know The Eight will feel right at home here.”

Julia Wilkinson, restaurant director at Shaftesbury, added: “Both The Eight and Zhang Liang Malatang are brilliant examples of concepts launching their UK debut offering within the Chinatown London community, providing our visitors with yet more unique regional Chinese and Pan-Asian foodie adventures.

“By choosing Chinatown London, they also really cement the destination’s position as somewhere ESEA brands can trust, with an insatiable growing audience that will help them to succeed.”