Noodles Hoh!
There's a new restaurant just open, Hoh Sek! Excitingly this new addition to the Docks is owned by the same lady that created Rosa's Thai.
Saiphin and Alex Moore have lived in Wapping for years. And after seeing their first venture, Rosa's Thai Cafe, expand into 17 locations – they're about to start on their new adventure.
Says Saiphin, "Rosa's is like my first child. I'll always love it, and I'll still be hands-on in the kitchen and developing recipes. But it's great to be able to do something new with Hoh Sek."
A taste for the area
"My husband had friends that lived near St Kats for years. We fell in love with it, so when we moved to London in 2005, we knew exactly where we wanted to be. The building Hoh Sek is in used to a coffee shop Alex and I used to visit when we were job hunting – we didn't have any WIFI at home!"
Their passion for the area hasn't dimmed: "It's always so busy in the centre of London but very laid back when you're in Wapping. It's very scenic and friendly. I love living here because you get the best of both worlds."
Starting a new dish
The inspiration for their second business is a bit closer to home: "Since I lived in Hong Kong, noodles have always been my favourite food", explains Saiphin. "And Hoh Sek is influenced by Chinese food, but with a twist.
"We're going to offer lots of healthy noodle pots and noodle salads with bold flavours. Our noodles are going to be freshly made by a Hong Kong family team in Seven Sisters. They go perfectly with my soups and sauces."
A grab-and-go eatery by day, and sit-down table service by night. "There are so many things from Rosa's that I want to keep with Hoh Sek; especially the family feel, authentic food and warm service. But the fact our big bowls of lunchtime noodle dishes can be eaten in, taken away or delivered – from noon until 3pm – immediately makes it different.
"The evening menu will include more starters, and we're planning on serving home-made chicken pops in a spicy Korean chilli paste. It's going to an intimate setting and an amazing view, as we're right in the centre of the Docks!"
The beginning of something big
Saiphin and Alex have plans for the brand's future. "We want to expand, but this is our first one, so we have to make it perfect. I want people to talk about how amazing the soups and noodles are. Something they would never have tried before. Noodles can be very healthy and good for you, ours are quite light and we use a lot of rice noodles, buckwheat noodles."
The chef's recommendation. "My special five-spice noodle soup, made by stewing beef for four hours with lots of herbs, spices and rice noodles. It's really something special and goes well with the hot lemongrass tea!"
Hoh Sek is open now at the Round House with the Green Roof, right in the middle of the Marina.