It was opened in 1993 by Malaysian sport shooter; Bernard Yeoh, with the intent of changing the perception of the Chinese restaurant experience.

Yeoh was keen to show that Asian food has just as much standing in the fine-dining circuit as other cuisines.

The menu includes traditional, familiar dishes like prawn toast and sweet & sour pork but there are also many unfamiliar dishes like Nanyang chilli lobster and spring chicken & Sichuan spicy crumble, which is where the restaurant's "true culinary personality can be found", according to Yeoh's message at the start of the menu.

Kai Mayfair was dubbed "home of the world's most expensive soup" when it unveiled its £108 version of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in 2005.

The dish includes shark's fin, Japanese flower mushroom, sea cucumber, dried scallops, chicken, Hunan ham, pork, and ginseng.