Mixing Asian cuisine with London’s unique flair is no easy task, as MARION SAUVEBOIS found out when she spoke to the owner of Kenzo 72

FROM the cobalt glow radiating behind the walls’ dark panels to the modish cocktail lounge, Kenzo 72 would not be out of place in the capital’s trendy Soho.

And yet shunning London’s insatiable appetite for snazzy haunts and exclusive joints, Alan Mok and his team chose to launch the fine-dining grill meets swish nightclub at home in Swindon.

Wooing the town’s denizens with a hybrid concept and menu to boot was far from a guarantee in such a volatile market but, succeed or fail, the man behind Swindon’s Rendez-Vous chains tore along full speed.

“We wanted to open it while Swindon was growing,” says the trained chef, who opened his first takeaway, Mr Mok’s, in Swindon at the age of 18.

“A lot of big franchises were coming to town; it was the right time. But we wanted to bring something unique, an independent restaurant like the ones you see in London.

“Asian fusion and grill are really in at the moment. But people had to travel to London to get it. Now you get that exclusive London vibe in Swindon.”

For all the exclusive decor and city flair, the menu at Kenzo 72 Lounge Bar & Kitchen doesn’t have prohibitive London price tags.

This was a conscious decision on the part of Alan and fellow co-owners and the basis for the new eatery: emulating the capital’s latest crop of sought-after Nippon grills in a decidedly unpretentious and affordable way.

“There is this perception you can’t find anything cool and trendy in Swindon but it’s not true,” adds the 41-year-old who took over his father’s Rendez-Vous franchises in the town 20 years ago.

“We wanted to bring something new to Swindon with quality food at a reasonable price.”

Don’t be fooled by the restaurant’s moniker. Kenzo 72, its owners contend, is not dedicated to Japanese fare but rather an Asian fusion eatery.

An inviting but modest sushi offering aside, chefs steered firmly clear from so-called fusion kitchens’ conveyor-belt rolls and Ramen noodle selection. Instead the bulk of the menu consists of Asian ‘tapas’ – ranging from Japanese aubergine in peanut sauce and crab and prawns popcorn to Imperial garlic chicken rolls – and Kenzo’s hot seller: lightly chargrilled Argentinian or American steak (starting at £14.95 and so tender the restaurant doesn’t bother with sharp knives, instead equipping diners with nothing more than the blunt butter variety) served on volcanic stone plates ready to be ‘cooked’ to customers’ taste.

“The plan was always to do it in Swindon,” explains Alan. “We wanted to do something different and we couldn’t do it half way. So we thought about the grill, and tapas. You don’t even see that as far we know anywhere else in the South West. The tapas idea was really to give people more choice and a chance to try everything. It’s all about the experience, from the quality of the food to the drinks and atmosphere. We looked at every detail, we couldn’t leave anything to chance.”

While clear on the direction the kitchen would take, Alan gave ambitious head chef Chee Lee free rein. Lee, who took his first tentative steps in the industry in Soho’s hectic kitchens, left a sous-chef role at London’s Tsunami, restaurant where he worked alongside Nobu-trained big shots, to take the helm at Kenzo 72.

Harnessing his sous chef Elvon Menezes’s fusion credentials, he set out to inject distinctly Thai aromas into Japanese staples, borrow from Korea’s clean yet punchy palate and master lesser known Vietnamese dishes.

“Fusion is about putting small twists on dishes and I love trying new things, using different flavours that are still simple and clean,” says Elvon, whose Indian heritage and admiration for Raymond Blanc’s modern French cooking prompted him to experiment with flavours from a young age. His time at the Chard in London and Calcot Manor under an Italian head chef went some way to broaden his horizons. “You have to be creative all the time in fusion. With Asian food there are a lot more ingredients to work with and you have to be able to taste them one by one. It’s unique.”

To match the fine-dining food offering, Alan enlisted Steve Nippress to create a range of Orient-inspired cocktails made from fresh fruit purees. His inventive lychee Mojito and watermelon Martini recipe rival the cocktail lists of high-end city bars.

Swindon’s response to Kenzo 72 has surpassed Alan and his team’s wildest expectations and they have now started a lunch service on Sunday to keep up with demand.

“Everybody who’s come here has raved about it – touch wood,” smiles Alan. “Making something that works is the ultimate success for us.”

Kenzo 72 is located at 72-74 Godwin Court, Old Town. To book call 07799 588 999 or go to www.kenzo72.com.