Kaneda Pen

Look Mum - I’m on the telly. Again! TV appearances are like London buses. You wait 45 years of your life for one to show up and then two come along. Catch me on BBC One tonight on MasterChef: The Professionals, guest judging alongside a wealth of talented hospitality pros. Very humbled once more to shine a light on Cambodian food in the capital. Cambodians - our star is rising! See you on the screen. . . . . . @masterchefuk #MasterChefUK #mastercheftheprofessionals #khmer #cambodian #khmerfood

@thepostgradchef grew up in a kitchen stocked with soy sauces, MSG, dried seafood and, always, always noodles in his mum’s cupboard. In this recipe, Kaneda Pen champions mung bean vermicelli (aka glass noodles). His mum’s cooking sparked a lifelong fascination with the versatility of glass noodles. He learned how subtle shifts in heat and moisture can transform the same ingredient into something entirely new. In this one-pot wonder of braised chicken glass noodles with ginger and salted soy beans, those lessons come together in a dish that’s savoury, springy and deeply comforting. Discover the full recipe, and a second fab noodle recipe from Kaneda, via our link in bio. 📷 @laurajayneedwards

Bleecker x Mamapen. 🤝 Tonight’s the night at @sevendialsmkt - we start serving from 5pm until sold out. We’ve prepped plenty of portions of The Phnom Penh Stack and the Sweet Chilli Crisp Fries, so everyone should get a chance to try this one-night-only collab. All profits from the burger and fries will go to the Refugee Council, supporting people who’ve fled war, violence and persecution to rebuild their lives in the UK. Who’s joining us tonight? 👇 @mamapenldn @thepostgradchef

Tomorrow: Bleecker x Mamapen at Seven Dials Market. 🔥 We’ve teamed up with Kaneda Pen (@thepostgradchef ) and London’s only Cambodian restaurant, @Mamapenldn , for our final one-night-only collab of 2025, and we’re bringing some serious flavour in the specials menu: The Phnom Penh Stack - our beef patty with American cheese, onion and house sauce, topped with Mamapen’s Panko Pork Toast and finished with Kaneda’s Drunken Master XO sauce (a blend of dried shrimp, smoked bacon and Lap Cheong sausage, mixed with mayo to mellow the heat), all inside our sesame seed bun. The Sweet Chilli Crisp Fries - Bleecker double-cooked fries topped with Kaneda’s sweet soy + Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp mayo for gentle heat and extra flavour. No bookings. First come, first served. All profits will go to the Refugee Council, supporting people who’ve fled war, violence and persecution to rebuild their lives in the UK. 🗓 Tomorrow, Thursday 27th November 📍 Bleecker, @sevendialsmkt ⏰ From 5pm until sold out Who’s coming with you? Tag your +1 and get there early.

This Thursday, Bleecker x @mamapenldn lands at @sevendialsmkt . One night only. Here’s the menu: Sweet Chilli Crisp Mayo Fries 🍟 Our double-cooked fries topped with Mamapen’s sweet soy-based chilli crisp mayo, lifted with Lao Gan Ma for gentle heat. The Phnom Penh Stack 🍔 Our beef patty with American cheese, onion, house sauce and Mamapen’s panko pork toast, finished with Kaneda’s Drunken Master XO - a sauce made from dried shrimp, smoked bacon and Lap Cheong sausage, blended with mayo to soften the heat. All profits from the burger and fries will be donated to refugeecouncil, a charity supporting people who’ve fled war, violence and persecution to rebuild their lives in the UK. 5pm - sellout! Who's queuing early?

👉 Bleecker x @Mamapenldn 🗓️ Thursday 27th November, from 5pm until sold out 📍 Bleecker @sevendialsmkt For our one-night-only collab with Mamapen, all profits from the Sweet Chilli Crisp Fries and the Phnom Penh Stack will go to the refugeecouncil - a charity supporting people who’ve fled war, violence and persecution to rebuild their lives in the UK. They provide housing, education, employment and mental health support, helping refugees find safety and belonging. Their mission aligns perfectly with our vision for an Equal World. Just one week to go! Tag who you’re coming with below 👇

Introducing: The Phnom Penh Stack 🍔 Kaneda’s Drunken Master XO is a sauce he’s been perfecting for years - made from dried shrimp, smoked bacon and Lap Cheong sausage. For this collab, it’s blended with mayo to dial back the heat and balance perfectly with our beef patty, American cheese, onion, house sauce and Mamapen’s Panko Pork Toast - Kaneda’s signature dish, transformed to work inside a burger - all inside our bun. It’s a burger worthy of our final collab of 2025. 👉 Bleecker x Mamapen 🗓️ Thursday 27th November, from 5pm until sold out 📍 Bleecker Seven Dials Market Alongside the Sweet Chilli Crisp Fries, you won't want to miss it.

Introducing The Sweet Chilli Crisp Fries 🍟🌶️ Bleecker’s double-cooked fries topped with @mamapenldn Sweet Chilli Crisp mayo - a sauce @thepostgradchef first created at his original pub residency. With sweetness from sweet soy sauce (think McChicken Sandwich vibes), with Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp for gentle heat + moreishness. Fun fact: this collab started because Kaneda called Bleecker the best burger in London in his @Topjaw interview. So of course…we had to make something happen 👀 Burger reveal next…swipe for a sneak peek. 👉 Bleecker x Mamapen 🗓️ Thursday 27th November, from 5pm until sold out 📍 Bleecker @sevendialsmkt

@thepostgradchef said we were his favourite burger on @topjaw … so obviously we had to make one together. 👀 Bleecker × @mamapenldn - our final one-night-only collaboration of 2025. 🗓️ Thursday 27 Nov 📍 Bleecker, Seven Dials Market ⏰ From 5pm until sold out Who's coming?

at @mamapenldn for PANKO PORK TOAST because I’m a boomer and avocado on toast is way too cutesy for me. @thepostgradchef at the top of his game here and doing his Cambodian heritage proud, serving a menu of his childhood faves…but his way. Also, @sunand13cantons has to be the best pub in @thisissoho right? Defo recommend it. And @missj9 @olivemagazine is the best company. SAVE THIS POST AND SHARE WITH MATES! 🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤🥪🤤 #ksatehere #soho #londonfoodguide

@mamapenldn in the house 🔥🍗 #BigGrillFestival #BGF25

Next on Leading Questions we welcome @thepostgradchef Kaneda Pen founder of Cambodian pop up @mamapenldn currently tearing it up in Soho @sunand13cantons 🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭 How would you describe the kitchen culture at Mamapen? Relaxed without being complacent. We make great food and we work quick when we have to but the team should feel like work is not the most important part of their lives. I’m not interested in working 60 hour weeks and wearing that like a badge of honour. Our ideal scenario is full-timers having no more than 6 shifts per week and at least one evening off within that. How would you describe yourself as a leader? Not infallible. Sometimes grumpy but mainly approachable. I’ve worked in places with bad leadership and picked up bad leadership habits and then had to train that out of myself. It’s important the team don’t see me as a robot. I’m not always functioning at 100% (who is?!) and they shouldn’t feel that kind of pressure either. Did anyone inspire you? (Either negatively “I don’t want to lead like that” or positively) My first professional kitchen was toxic to say the least: A head chef like a Temu Gordon Ramsay, a sous chef with a napoleonic disposition and a pastry team as miserable as the day is long. I left after a week and a half and realised I would never compromise when it came to horribly shit places to work. 📸 @niccrillyhargravephotography