“I HATE PEOPLE who drop names—and Lady Gaga agrees with me!” says Michael Chow, better known as Mr. Chow, the name of his global network of fine-dining temples. Joking aside, memories involving A-listers are always within reach for the restaurateur.
Chow was just 12 when he left his native Shanghai to attend boarding school in England. Both his mother and his father, a leading Beijing opera performer, fell victim to China’s Cultural Revolution. He wanted to be an artist but was told that Chinese men in the West faced a stark choice, “restaurant or laundry,” as he put it in last year’s HBO documentary aka Mr. Chow. He turned to acting, scoring roles in films including You Only Live Twice, before his entertainment-world contacts helped finance his first restaurant in London in 1968, when he set out to prove that Chinese cuisine could be as chic as anything found in Europe.
Soon, regulars included the likes of the Beatles and Jerry Hall, and within a decade the hot spot had outposts in New York—where Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat often dined—and Los Angeles (Jane Fonda and Marlon Brando were fans). The seventh Mr. Chow outlet opened in Riyadh late last year, and another is just about to open in Dubai. Now, at 85, M—as he is referred to in art circles—has returned to his original calling and believes waiting a lifetime to pursue his artistic dreams has made his work stronger. “To be a great painter, you need soul,” he says. “Otherwise, the painting is meaningless.”
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Robb Report Singapore.
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Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Robb Report Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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BREAKING DOWN WALLS
Georgina Atkinson, managing partner of Origin Private Office, on the evolving landscape of high-end real estate.
Aged Gracefully
The Benromach 50 Years Old by Gordon & MacPhail is a delicious single malt, touched by love, passion and the human hand.
This Month's Feed
Only the best dining and drinking spots in Singapore.
Small-scale Thinking
Architect Todd Saunders wants to change the way we approach hospitality design from the ground up.
Todd Snyder Is Exactly Where He Wants To Be
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Depp Dive Into Sauvage
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Time For Poetry
Pascal Raffy on his love affair with the 202-year-old house of Bovet.
One of a Kind
The incomparable Lange 1 turns 30 this year and A. Lange & Söhne marks the occasion with its trademark understatement.
P For Personality
Enhance your swing, and inject your personal style while you're at it, with TaylorMade's new P-770 and P-7CB irons.
The Short-hop-adventure-craft Category Takes Off
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