A new pizza joint specialising in Asian-inspired dishes has opened in Perth, with the chef owner taking inspiration from his heritage.
Lawrence Yee, who is half Chinese and half Arabic, moved from Hong Kong to Perth just six months ago following the challenging economic environment of the region.
His sights were set on Scotland after recognising the bountiful larder and opportunities Scotland’s food, drink and hospitality sector boasts.
The new pizza venue, which is located in The Ball Room Sport Bar in Perth on York Place, is in partnership with the bar’s owner Kyle Tully and is Lawrence’s first restaurant venture in Scotland.
The decorated chef has won an array of accolades over his 17 year career that has seen him work in California, Japan, London and Hong Kong.
What can you eat at Queen’s Pizza?
Queen’s Pizza opened its doors less than two months ago and has been named after Lawrence’s mum Elizabeth. Serving up sourdough pizza, customers can also try burgers, sushi, fried chicken, fries and more at the premises.
Using freshly made sauces and marinating all his meats in-house, Lawrence likes to mix Asian flavours when making his sourdough pizzas.
Customers can order Asian-inspired pizzas including butter chicken, Peking duck, teriyaki chicken and Korean spicy kimchi with a price of £13 for a twelve inch.
Other more traditional flavours can also be enjoyed including margherita, pepperoni, barbecue chicken, vegetarian and Hawaiian.
The burger options include beef, pulled pork, haggis beef, Peking duck, Korean fried chicken and Japanese katsu chicken. They are priced £10.50 and come with a side of fries.
And the small bites offering shouldn’t be ignored as Lawrence along with his team of two also create Japanese Nanban fried chicken (£6.80), Elite Japonais chargrilled sweetcorn (£4.80), Korean cheese burger maki sushi (£7.80) and deep fried maki sushi (£7.80).
“I see a lot of restaurants in Scotland offering Indian or Chinese food but they aren’t authentic flavours,” said Lawrence.
“I am trying to make food that brings in these flavours by using traditional cooking methods from Hong Kong and adding my own twist.”
Once he has established his Queen’s Pizza brand in Perth, the 38-year-old hopes to open up small venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen to further grow his business.
He also looks to launch other Japanese inspired concepts in Perth such as rice bowl, bento boxes and a grab-and-go sushi services. However to achieve this he needs to secure investment to be able to expand the operation within the next year.
His flagship venue will always remain in Perth.
But who is Lawrence Yee?
Lawrence started his career in 2002 when he took up a part-time job at Little Tokyo in California as a chef while studying engineering at university.
It was here where he found his passion for cooking and when he completed his degree in 2006, he moved to Tokyo for two years before moving to London and opening his own venue Akira Kushiyaki in 2008.
He did this until 2013 when he moved to Hong Kong to work at The Butchers Club for two years before opening Akira Yakitori Japanese Tapas Bar and Grill back in London, too.
Lawrence’s experience has seen the chef be featured in The Michelin Guide in 2013 for his street food at The Butchers Club in Hong Kong.
From 2015 to 2018 he worked in Hong Kong in various positions including senior sous chef at Porter House by Laris, head chef at Pomegranate Kitchen, event chef at On Dining and executive chef at La Mer Restaurant and Lounge.
He was recognised in South China Morning Post’s 100 Top Tables for Steak and Grills in 2016 at Porter House by Laris in Hong Kong.
From 2018 to February 2022 he worked as a group executive chef for private companies including Classified Group and Henderson Land Group before moving to Scotland.
Lawrence said: “I moved here for the good living standard and a better environment.
“There are large opportunities for hospitality in Scotland.”
Conversation