When we opened Kai in London’s Mayfair our vision was to liberate Nanyang cuisine to new heights, combining our culinary heritage with the city’s cosmopolitan energy and verve. The result was an authentic, yet free cooking style that has redefined modern Chinese cuisine. We were proud to be awarded a Michelin star in 2009, which we have retained for over 14 years — and we enjoy a clientele that returns time and again for the familiarity of excellence and the excitement of innovation.
In looking to create a sister restaurant, the forward-facing energy of Doha seemed a natural location for us. Opening Kai’s Songbird marks a new chapter for our vision — a page to turn that allows us to tell our epicurean stories to a new audience and bring the unique personality of the Kai family to The Pearl, Doha’s most exclusive destination.
We welcome you to
dine and dream with us.
Bernard and Eileen Yeoh
Founders
With a passion to show the fine dining provenance of Asian food ex-Olympian Bernard Yeoh and his wife Eileen created London icon and Michelin starred restaurant, Kai of Mayfair in 1993. In pushing the boundaries of Chinese cooking, blending authenticity with confident creativity, the couple sit at the forefront of modern Asian cookery and its possibilities. Bringing Kai’s Songbird to Doha continues to blend cultures to create the exceptional and the unexpected, both on the plate and in the dining room, and an exclusive new culinary experience for the state.
Chef Foong Wai Loong (Lucas)
For Malaysian Chinese Chef Foong Wai Loong, the most important ingredients in a kitchen are imagination and creativity. Having honed his love of fusion cuisine over a 20-year career in which he has held Executive Chef positions at some of the world’s top hotels, he has been named Asian Cuisine Chef of the Year twice at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence. His love of combining local and global flavours in surprising and exciting ways makes him the perfect fit for the newest Kai family member as the Songbird takes flight from London to Doha — and an exciting talent to lead the ethos and evolution of this special restaurant.
Luis Santos
General Manager
Translating the Kai brand to a new location in Qatar required a General Manager with experience and vision. And with previous roles at Michelin-starred and premium restaurants in Spain, Portugal and London, Luis Santos was the perfect fit. With an ambition for the exceptional, Luis believes the mark of true success in hospitality lies in not looking at others, but in setting your own standards — allowing a restaurant to achieve something meaningful, memorable and individual in its offering. As he notes, “At Kai’s Songbird, we believe in doing things our way.”