The Kuo Yuan was a Chinese restaurant on Willesden High Road,
Willesden
Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has forme ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England, which played an important part in the history of
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...
in the
UK. In particular, it was the first restaurant in the UK to serve
Pekinese dishes, including
Peking Duck
Peking duck is a dish from Beijing (Peking) that has been prepared since the Imperial era. The meat is characterized by its thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the di ...
. Peking Duck is now served at most Chinese restaurants in the UK.
Jay Rayner
Jason Matthew Rayner (born 14 September 1966) is an English journalist and food critic.
Early life
Jason Matthew Rayner was born on 14 September 1966. He is the younger son of Desmond Rayner and journalist Claire Rayner. His family is Jewish. H ...
of the Observer states "In 1963 the now communist Chinese Embassy once again gave the business a boost when a group of Chinese restaurateurs managed to convince the ambassador's chef, a Mr Kuo from Beijing, to defect. They set him up with his own restaurant, the Kuo Yuan in North West London, and it soon became a huge hit, not least because he was serving the first Pekinese dishes Britain had ever seen, including Peking Duck. A visit by Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, the Posh and Becks of their day, put both the restaurant and Chinese food on the map."
Matthew Norman, writing in the Guardian, claims to have heard a radio programme which explained that the Kuo Yuan was "subsidised a restaurant in Willesden as part of some cultural initiative".
See also
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List of Chinese restaurants
This is a list of notable Chinese restaurants. A Chinese restaurant is an establishment that serves Chinese cuisine outside China. Some have distinctive styles, as with American Chinese cuisine and Canadian Chinese cuisine. Most of them are in th ...
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List of restaurants in London
This is a list of notable restaurants in London, United Kingdom.
Restaurants in London
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References
Observer article on history of Chinese food in the UK
;Specific
Chinatown, London
Chinese restaurants in London
Defunct Chinese restaurants
Defunct restaurants in London
Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Brent
Restaurants established in 1963
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