Kai Mayfair is an elegant Chinese restaurant on South Audley Street with a culinary identity shaped by the Nanyang region and its founder’s memories of food. The term Nanyang refers to the southern seas of China and the communities whose cooking developed across the tropical lands of Southeast Asia. Spices, produce and techniques from this broad cultural landscape give the restaurant its foundation. Kai brings those influences into a refined Mayfair setting while maintaining a strong connection to the flavours of family meals and formative dining experiences.
The restaurant describes its approach as liberated Nanyang cooking. Tradition and craft are respected, but the kitchen is free to adapt recipes through ingredients, skills and ideas encountered in London. Authenticity is understood as honesty to remembered flavour rather than strict repetition of an inherited formula. This philosophy allows dishes to evolve while retaining a distinct personality, combining aromatic sauces, carefully controlled heat and contrasting textures. The result is Chinese cooking that can feel familiar in one moment and surprising in the next without losing its cultural centre.
Lunch and dinner menus offer several ways to explore the restaurant’s style, with seafood, meat and vegetable dishes composed for sharing or for a more structured sequence. Dedicated vegetarian choices receive the same creative attention as the wider selection. Desserts are treated as an important expression of memory and pleasure, often drawing on ingredients associated with the Nanyang region while also acknowledging the international character of London. A distinctive Chinese afternoon tea extends the restaurant’s ideas into another format, combining savoury and sweet elements with a sense of play.
The Mayfair dining room provides a calm and polished setting that suits celebrations, business meals and leisurely evenings. Service helps guests understand less familiar references and build a balanced selection across the table. Wines, teas and other drinks are chosen to complement the layered flavours and changing levels of richness throughout the meal. Close to Hyde Park, Grosvenor Square and the shops of central Mayfair, Kai offers a confident dining experience where culinary heritage is not preserved behind glass but used as the starting point for thoughtful invention.
Address: 65 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2QU, United Kingdom
Kai Mayfair Menu
DESSERTS
‘Chocolate Does Grow on Trees’
Valrhona chocolate fondant, sesame macaroon ‘caps’, hazelnuts, praline ice-cream, chestnut paste. From a dream one night of a mythical forest where chocolate grows from the ground and where vegetables, fruit and all things healthy grow no larger than the tiniest sprigs. 6 shades of chocolate and nuts biscuity peanut daquoise, creamy mascarpone & peanut mousse cold milk chocolate parfait with chocolate pearls salted peanut caramel, crunchy sesame & cashew candy Bill Mitchell’s popping chocolate candy,
Pandan Creme Brûlée
Served with Malaysian coffee ice cream, ‘Milo’ powder and tuile Pandan is South East Asia’s vanilla – fragrant, aromatic and used as the principle flavouring in the majority of desserts. The components of this dessert were inspired by the textures, flavours and habits of South East Asian cakes & desserts – Pandan flavours, South East Asian coffee using butter burnt liberca beans and the generous sprinkling of ‘Milo’ as a topping.
Durian & vanilla soufflé, salted caramel
Durian & vanilla soufflé, durian tuile, salted caramel sauce. Native to South-East Asia and regarded as the ‘King of Fruits’, its unique bitter /sweet taste comes for the soft layer surrounding the seeds within a hard, thorny exterior weighing around 2kg.
Pineapple ‘Ice-Cream Sandwich’
Pineapple sorbet, popping crumble biscuit, malibu pearls, burnt soy caramel, spicy pineapple.
APPETISERS
Cold Lai Mien Noodle with Enoki Mushrooms
Crispy Enoki mushrooms, chopped coriander, spring onion, garlice, sesame, chilli, soy vinaigrette
Seared Diver Scallop
Spicy XO Sauce, lotus root crisp, stir-fried vegetables
Slow Cooked Egg
Black Truffle slice, Royal Beluski caviar, pancake crisp, soy, coriander cress & ginger
Wasabi prawns
Mild wasabi mayonnaise, mango & basil seeds
Pork Belly ‘Open Bao’
Roasted Duke of Berkshire pork belly, ‘char-siew’ BBQ glaze, crispy Bao, pickled cucumber.
Roasted Abalone Mushroom
Black bean, pickled chillies, soy dressing
Lightly seared beef fillet
Soy vinaigrette, shallot oil & chopped coriander
Soft-Shelled Crab
Chilli & shallots spiced batter, green mango.
‘Pig in Blankets’
Iberico pork, plum and lime dressing, chopped cashew, sliced shallots, Cos lettuce wrap
‘Little Shanghai’ Spare ribs
Sweet, sour and savoury flavours from a sauce of dark soy, chinkiang vinegar. Garnish of roasted almonds, cress, dried cranberries, passion fruit, cashews..
‘A Nest of Imperial Jewels’
Chopped prawns, mustard greens, butterhead lettuce wraps.
Braised Abalone
Abalone 106 (Whole) 59 (Half) Broccolini, Jus Reduction, Autumn Truffles.
Pan-fried foie gras
Caramelised cashews, white pepper, spring onions, grapes, passion fruit dressing.
SOUPS
Hot & Sour Soup
We are particularly proud of our Hot & Sour soup recipe which has the added luxury of fresh scallops, king prawns and chicken. Please let us know if you have tasted a better version elsewhere.
Enoki Mushroom, Rich Chicken Broth
Tan-Jia’s Broth
Duck & carrot soup, lobster oil, lobster, spinach.
Chilean Sea Bass & Spicy Miso
The wonderfully luscious Chilean sea bass in a light ‘miso-type’ broad bean broth with an added Szechuan spiciness – just enough create a tingle in your taste buds.
Abalone Soup
With Beansprouts, parma ham, corn fed superior soup stock,
SEAFOOD
Tiger Prawns, Crisp Curry Leaves
Dressing of lemon, chilli, Indian and Chinese flavours experienced during the great journey along the spice route.
Roasted Chilean Seabass
Caramelised marinade of full-bodied Chinkiang black vinegar syrup, mustard, soy. Chickpeas, shallots & ginger.
Steamed Chilean Seabass
Sweet lime, chilli and lemongrass sambal – classic flavours of the South Chinese Nanyang region.
Whole Dover Sole ‘Goujons’
In light batter with fragrant ‘crumbs’ and sauce from curry leaf & chili
Whole Sea bass Ginger & Spring Onions
The benchmark for preparing fish in Chinese cooking. An inherent lightness from steaming, with a fragrant, savoury mix of soya sauce and shallot infused oil.
Lobster & Lobster
Our interpretation of the London Chinese restaurant classic – luxurious lobster oil drizzled over poached noodles, shallots & coriander cress and served with lobster cooked in the familiar Cantonese flavours of ginger & spring onions.
Nanyang Chilli Lobster
Lobster, king prawns, scallops & crab-meat. Served with crispy Bao. The ‘Nanyang’ region describes the regions within the South China Seas where many trading Chinese communities settled utilising the local ingredients and influences to incorporate spicier flavours into the cuisine.
MEATS
5 Hour Oriental Spiced Pork Belly
Ginger, rice wine, cinnamon & soy
Roast Iberico Pork Loin
Crisp bean & shrimp crumble, washington apple compote, granny smith jelly, apple blossom.
Soy & Honey Marinated Roast Lamb
Lighty spiced with red chillies, shallots, garlic and coriander, root vegetable ‘chip’, Malaysian cucumber & carrot ‘achar’ pickle.
Lamb with Szechuan Peppercorn
Topping of crispy rice vermicelli noodles.
Black Pepper Beef (Scottish Fillet or Kagoshima Wagyu)
Crushed black pepper, garlic flakes and sliced Chinese croissant
JAPANESE WAGYU
Wagyu Beef [150g] Kagoshima
Ginger paste and pan-fried spring onions.
Thinly Sliced Kagoshima Wagyu [100g]
Served with 7-spice salt OR cooked on Himalayan salt with a Soy, Garlic, Coriander and Chilli sauce. Both options served with Kagoshima Rice infused with Wagyu juices.
POULTRY
Spring Chicken & Szechuan Spicy Crumble
Crumble mix of finely chopped shallots, garlic, soy, chili, spring onions, sesame, pickled chillies.
Classic Salt & Pepper Spring Chicken
Chicken Cashew Nuts
Corn-fed chicken, dried chillies, spring onions, cashew nuts, seaweed, dark soya sauce.
Braised Home-made Tofu with Minced Chicken
Chopped chicken & Shiitake mushrooms.
VEGETABLES
Taiwanese ‘Purple Charm’ Aubergines
A light purple variety chosen for its lack of bitterness with red & green chillies and black bean sauce.
Asparagus
Minced Garlic & Bird’s Eye Chilli
Baby Pak Choy
Broccolini
Chopped garlic, shallot & lightly salted radish
RICE & NOODLES
Sarawakian Street Noodles
Flat egg-noodles tossed in the juices & fragrant dripping from roasted Iberico pork. Inspired by a memorable visit to East Malaysia where it is a local favourite.
Poached Noodles with Lobster Essence
Spice-Scented Fried Rice
Chilli, Coriander OR Ginger & Sesame Oil
Steamed Rice
CLASSIC DISHES
Canapes of Prawns on Toast
With black & white sesame seeds
Roasted Peking Duck in 2 Courses
COURSE 1: In addition to the pancakes, cucumber, spring onion & the sweet ‘duck sauce’, our version is served with a dash of our signature chilli sambal made with red chilies, shallots and yellow bean. Restaurants have their own versions of Peking duck and we wanted to pay homage to chilli oil, a condiment which is a tradition of every table in London’s Chinese restaurants. COURSE 2 (Served with your main course): Duck stir-fried with the classic combination of oyster sauce, shimeji mushrooms, asparagus and sugar snaps.
Aromatic Crispy Duck
The most iconic ‘Chinese’ dish in the UK probably had its origins as a deep-fried adaptation of the more traditional Peking Duck. It may surprise you to hear that it is a British invention not widely available in the Far East. However, its incredible popularity has undoubtedly earned it a place as a genuine, authentic, Chinese classic.
Sweet & Sour Pork
Undoubtedly the best known ‘comfort-food’ in a Chinese Menu which varies in style from one Chinese Community to the next. Our version is inspired by the original Nanyang Chinese version.
VEGETARIAN APPETISERS
Cold Lai Mien Noodle with Enoki Mushrooms
Crispy Enoki mushrooms, chopped coriander, spring onion, garlice, sesame, chilli, soy vinaigrette
‘Chai’ Lettuce Wrap, Plum & Lime dressing
Served with chopped cashews, sliced shallots, cos lettuce
Portobello Mushroom
Soy vinaigrette, shallot oil & chopped coriander
Roasted Abalone Mushroom
Black bean, pickled chillies, soy dressing
Wasabi ‘Chai’
Beancurd rolls with a mild wasabi infused mayonnaise alongside little cubes of sweet mango & basil seed. Sounds like a over-complicated mix of flavours? Fortunately, the result is actually simply, delicious and one of our clear customer favourites.
‘A Nest of Imperial Jewels’
Chopped vegetables pan-fried with mustard greens and served on butterhead lettuce wraps.
Aromatic Crispy Beancurd
For too long have vegetarians been excluded from the experience of enjoying the iconic Crispy Duck. This dish is made with layered paper thin beancurd sheets served with soft pancakes.
Hot & Sour Soup
Shredded carrot, sugar snaps
VEGETARIAN MAIN COURSES
‘Chai’ with Black Pepper, Garlic Flakes and Sliced Chinese Croissant
‘Chai’ cooked with 3 Chillies
This Hunanese recipe is an extremely spicy one using 3 varieties of chillies.
Chang Sah ‘Chai’
Paper thin layers of crispy tofu, rolled around julienned vegetables and cooked with our homemade sauce of Mandarin peel, yellow bean, soy, chilli, shallots, garlic & coriander.
‘Chai’ with stir-fried vegetables
Lotus root, asparagus, mangetouts, baby corn, wolfberries and cashews
The Spice Route ‘Chai’
‘Chai’ scented with crisp Curry Leaves served with a dressing of lemon and Chilli. This dish incorporates the Indian and Chinese flavours experienced during the great journey along the spice route
Ma-Po’ Spicy Aubergines & Home-made Tofu
Our interpretation of the Legendary creation of Chef Chen handed down from the 19th. century. A spicy Szechuan dish of home-made beancurd & aubergines.
Braised Home-made Tofu
Chopped nameko, shitake, enoki & shimeji mushrooms.
VEGETARIAN VEGETABLES
Asparagus with Minced Garlic & Bird’s Eye Chilli
Fungi Foursome
4 varieties of organic Oriental mushrooms supplied to us by a small farm on the south coast.
Baby Pak Choy
Broccolini
Chopped garlic, shallot & lightly salted radish
VEGETARIAN RICE & NOODLES
Egg Noodles with Shallots & Olive Oil
Spice-Scented Fried Rice
Chilli, Coriander OR Ginger & Sesame Oil. Rice scented with spices to add a hint of difference without overwhelming the taste of main dishes.