In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Andrew Kai, chef and co-founder behind Tomson, Max Bagels and One Park, to talk about building small, culture-driven food businesses in a city increasingly dominated by scale.
Andrew reflects on his early years in London kitchens, the discipline of classical brigade systems, and the dislocation of returning home to a very different restaurant landscape. The conversation moves through markets, pop ups and tight spaces before landing on Tomson, a 27 square metre Hong Kong style Cantonese shop that feels both deeply personal and entirely of the moment.
We talk about cooking from heritage rather than trend, the difference between translation and dilution when presenting so called ethnic food, and why rice, greens and a properly roasted duck can say more than a tasting menu. Andrew speaks about sourcing Chinese ingredients in South Africa, resisting the pressure to soften flavours for comfort, and creating rooms that feel human rather than staged.
This is a grounded, honest discussion about identity, independence and keeping restaurants small enough to matter, told by an operator who understands that community, not capital, is what ultimately sustains a room.
Read what food writer Richard Holmes has to say in his Time Out review of Tomson here
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