Pair open first Chinese Dim Sum restaurant in town (From Warrington Guardian)

Pair open first Chinese Dim Sum restaurant in town

11:00am Friday 18th January 2013 in News

TWO friends who met at college have realised their dream of opening a restaurant together - the first of its kind outside London.

Adamo Devoti and Pamela Lau, both aged 28, met while studying at Priestley College together in 2000.

Now, more than 10 years later, they have opened Mr Lau’s on Springfield Street in the town centre - what the pair claim is the first dedicated Dim Sum restaurant outside the capital.

While the first diners took their places in November, the duo have been working on the venue, a former cinema, since July and even travelled to Hong Kong and China in March to make sure they could prepare the most authentic food possible.

Dim Sum is a form of Chinese tapas with dishes ranging from small dumplings, to fried meat and vegetables.

Adamo, a former St Gregory’s High School student, from Sankey Bridges, said he wanted to prove good food was available in Warrington.

He added: “We are 10 years behind New York and five years behind London.

“So what we are trying to do here is give people a different experience, so they can try something new. We explain what the food is and what the sauce is, rather than just a buffet place.”

Pamela, a former Cardinal Newman High School pupil, from Latchford, is from a family of cooks.

Her dad started Danny’s Kitchen on Bridge Street while her grandfather owned a popular restaurant in Sale and even cooked for Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Liverpool in the 1980s.

The name of their new business, they already own Yum Yum in Penketh together, is in honour of the heritage.

And Pamela says she has already welcomed some familiar faces through their doors.

“One of my old teachers from Newman, Mrs Duprey heard and came and she said she was really proud, which was great,” she said.

The pair have enjoyed a strong start to business a particular highlight being the pre Christmas town centre lantern parade when Adamo cleared hundreds of chicken skewers to passing walkers.

Now the pair are looking forward to a special Chinese New Year night on February 9 complete with firecrackers, dragon dancing and a traditional ceremony to bring the new venture good luck.