Chow Row

THE Chinese year of the dragon opens with some fiery smoke and libel, and writs that may make some colourful reading over the coming weeks. Over in Miami, lawyers for Mr Chow – who started his restaurant empire in Knightsbridge back in 1968 and is one of the oldest chic Chinese still in town – is suing Phillipe Chow for $10 million for stealing his good name and his best dishes.

Michael Chow has taken his operations notably to Hollywood, which first opened in 1974 where it is on the A-listers circuit and also New York and Miami.

The focus of his ire is former chef or “chopper in the kitchen” Philippe or Chak Yam Yam who he alleges borrowed his recipes and changed his name to trade off his reputation and has since opened six similar operations, also using the name Chow.

Among twelve dishes allegedly stolen are lettuce wraps, chicken satay and chicken Joanna – which as we all know is deep fried chicken marinated in sesame oil.

Chow is the brother of Bond girl Tsai Chin, also star of five Fu Manchu films. Time Out commented on the London operation recently saying the food is “more akin to a Hollywood pastiche of the cuisine than authentic Chinese”…the court case starts tomorrow and promises even more Hollywood courtroom pastiche.