Cantonese roast meats, Hong Kong-inspired interiors and a more sociable evening offering are at the heart of Three Uncles’ new King’s Cross restaurant, which has opened on York Way.
The latest addition to the London restaurant group occupies a 1,000 sq ft space at 66 York Way, with seating for 50 diners. Combining wood finishes, neon lighting and references to Hong Kong, the venue draws on the founders’ memories of places where eating and spending time with friends went hand in hand.
By day, the restaurant offers a casual setting for roast meats, rice dishes, noodles and dim sum. In the evening, lighting, music and an expanded drinks selection are intended to encourage customers to settle in, share food and stay for another round.
For co-founder Mo Kwok, known as Uncle Mo, the opening represents a return to the experiences that originally inspired the business.
“Three Uncles began with our memories of the siu mei shops and food courts where we spent our childhoods,” he said. “They were places to eat, meet friends, laugh, socialise and return to again and again. King’s Cross brings that heart and soul right back to the centre of the concept.”
That connection is most evident in the kitchen, where char siu pork, crispy pork belly and roast duck form the centrepiece of the menu. The preparation can take up to 48 hours before the meats are cooked in a traditional round roasting oven imported from Hong Kong.
The char siu begins with British pork collar and a combination of 12 herbs and spices, alongside a closely guarded marinade. Its six-stage preparation involves marinating, rubbing, fan-drying, roasting, resting and serving, using methods learned from Hong Kong chefs and developed through decades of Chinese cooking experience.
For diners, the result is a menu that makes the roast meats the main attraction without requiring a complicated order. Char siu BBQ pork costs £12.95, crispy pork belly is £13.50 and roast duck is £15.50, each served with pak choi and steamed jasmine rice.
Those wanting to sample more than one speciality can choose a two-meat combination for £14.95 or three meats for £16.50, also accompanied by rice and pak choi.
A selection of £1 sauces allows customers to tailor their meal, with options including soy and rock sugar, plum, ginger and spring onion, Hainan chilli vinegar and Hong Kong chilli oil.
Beyond the roasting oven, Hainan chicken rice with pak choi is priced at £13.50. The lo mein selection includes wonton and char siu, or beef brisket and mooli, both at £13.95, while roast duck and char siu noodles cost £15.95.
Smaller dishes provide opportunities to build a meal around several plates. Char siu bao are £5.95 for two, mushroom and pak choi bao are £5.50 for three, and pork and prawn siu mai cost £6 for four.
Wontons in chilli oil are priced at £7.25 for five, while four Hong Kong-style curry fishballs, served with Uncle Lim’s secret curry sauce, cost £5.75. Mushroom mapo tofu provides a vegetarian option, and mango pudding is available for £5 to finish.
The drinks offering includes two Three Uncles beers produced in partnership with Belleville Brewing in Battersea. Designed to accompany the sweet, savoury and spicy flavours of the food, Triple 8 Lager combines subtle malt sweetness with lemon and spice notes and a crisp finish.
The Three Uncles Session IPA offers citrus and berry aromas with a more pronounced bitterness. Both beers are listed at £4.95 for a 330ml serving, adding a local brewing partnership to a menu rooted in Hong Kong cooking.
The King’s Cross opening continues an expansion that began with the first Three Uncles in Liverpool Street in August 2019. Subsequent openings have included Camden Foodhall, Brixton Village, Old Bailey and Ealing’s Filmworks development, alongside a Bermondsey delivery operation and a Brent Cross Shopping Centre location.
Seven years after its launch, the business is bringing its roast-meat-led menu to another London neighbourhood, with a venue that places as much emphasis on gathering around the table as it does on the food itself.
Three Uncles King’s Cross is now open at 66 York Way, London, N1 9AG, from 11.45am to 9.30pm, seven days a week.
