(Used throughout) Seafood & Lemon Tablecloth + Blue & Orange Wave Plate + Prawn plate + Navy & Red Scalloped Placemats, all from intheroundhouse.com
‘Big’ Sam Young doesn’t do things small. The menu at S’more – the bistro he runs with life and business partner and fellow chef Grace Chen, AKA ‘Super Banana’ – is peppered with lavish add-ons such as Siberian caviar bumps, or whole lobsters served on a tangle of fresh mafaldine pasta. But these flourishes have less to do with grandiosity, and more to do with Young’s generous approach.
“I tried to create a neighbourhood bistro where if you want to have a small bite and an affordable glass of wine, you can,” he says. “But if you want to indulge yourself, you can – that’s pretty much my trademark. It’s a space with a casual and relaxed atmosphere, serving bloody good food and bloody good drinks.”
S’more is Young’s first solo venture, and is also the former Lotus head chef’s first front-of-house position, with Chen leading the kitchen. When the venue opened last year, he stepped into the role while hunting for a restaurant manager, but the shoe fit. “18 months ago, I’d never served a glass of wine before,” he admits. “I’d never shaken a cocktail. But I had to learn… It’s been an amazing journey.”
As the face of the restaurant, he can now engage with diners in an entirely new way.
