'China always has been a great, great nation', Chow said in an interview for The Wall Street Journal and added, 'Chinese people - I like them. What can I say?' His restaurants have been widely panned by food critics, but remain popular for decades due to their ability to attract celebrities with the allure of fancy dining and intentionally high prices. Sutherland backed the original restaurant idea, raised the money and housed six chefs hired from Hong Kong. Chow designed the restaurant featuring cool green floor tiles and white walls, and it opened in Knightsbridge, London in February 1968, serving Pekinese cuisine. Chow bought art by Allen Jones, Peter Blake, Patrick Caulfield, David Hockney and Jim Dine for the walls, which became as celebrated as the food. Chow restaurants in London before Michael Chow bought Sutherland out and moved to New York.įrom an early age he became an obsessive collector of furniture and contemporary art, notably his now, famous collection of portraits (of himself) by world-renowned artists. Since the sixties he has designed many architectural projects, including all of his restaurants, the Giorgio Armani boutiques in Beverly Hills and Las Vegas. His latest design is his home in Los Angeles. His restaurant chain has expanded to such places such as Las Vegas, Miami, New York City and Beverly Hills.
