Nick Yung named head chef of Straits Kitchen at Pan Pacific London

Nick Yung has been appointed as head chef of Straits Kitchen at the Pan Pacific London hotel in Bishopsgate.

He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the south-east Asian-inspired restaurant and leads a team of 20.

Yung will also introduce a new menu this month, which is due to feature hot and sour lobster soup; Berkshire pork belly; umami black cod; and his signature dish, ‘Tequila Sarawak Lada Hitam Crab', consisting of flaming tequila and soft shell or wok-fried crab.

Yung trained and worked in Malaysia before moving to the UK, where he spent seven years at Hakkasan Mayfair.

He said: "My passion is south-east Asian cuisine, so I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Straits Kitchen. The restaurant has a reputation for quality ingredients and innovation, and I am looking forward to taking this forward with the creation of new and exciting dishes that reflect a melting pot of flavours found across south-east Asia."

Anne Golden, VP operations, UK and North America and general manager at Pan Pacific London, added: "Nick's experience in Cantonese and Malaysian cuisines made him the perfect candidate for Straits Kitchen and to take the restaurant to the next level."

Fabrice Lasnon, who spent four years as executive chef at the Savoy, joined Pan Pacific as executive chef last year.