XU, the new Taiwanese restaurant from the trio behind BAO (Shing Tat Ching, Wai Ting Ching and Erchen Chang), is to launch two private dining Mahjong games rooms, which will be available to hire for eating, drinking and play, officially from Monday 2 October – offering a one of a kind London dining experience for groups.
During the launch week, a Mahjong expert will be on hand at the Chinatown-based restaurant to guide novice Mahjong guests through the game, which is a popular staple in Taiwan, China and parts of Asia.
Hidden at the back on the ground floor at XU, behind heavy velvet curtains, diners will discover two Mahjong games rooms each available to hire for a minimum of four people (the minimum number number of people required to play Mahjong) or alternatively both together to seat eight guests.
These private, elegant games rooms are decorated with mahogany panelling, hand painted murals depicting mountain scenes and marble chandeliers, allowing diners to escape London and journey into their very own Taiwanese den, a stylish take on the teahouses you might find in the back alleys of Taipei some hundred years ago.
Each room features a dining table bespoke designed with a removable top that converts into a Mahjong board, complete with a bound manual listing instructions on how to play this traditional Chinese tile game, which is similar in concept to rummy.
The Mahjong rooms at XU will be available to hire from £75 per person, which includes three hours exclusive hire of the room to play the game and enjoy the special Mahjong feasting set menu, which showcases a selection of XU’s most popular dishes as well as some new dishes only available in the Mahjong room. T
he Mahjong menu includes a total of nine starters to share, including ‘Tomato & Smoked Eel’, ‘Beef & Marrow Pancake’ and ‘Cuttlefish Toast’, as well as four main courses to share including ‘Shou Pa Chicken’ and ‘Mapo Tofu’, followed by dessert.
Shing explains the inspiration for the Mahjong rooms, “We’ve long had a desire to open a restaurant with Mahjong because growing up our parents always played the game, whether it was in their restaurants or downstairs in the kitchen.
'Mahjong has a sense of theatre, as does the atmosphere and interiors at XU, and allowing the game to be played in the private back rooms at the restaurant not only conjures up memories but also a sense of place that transports you further into the ambience of a 1930s teahouse which we hope customers will enjoy.”
