Despite being one of London’s most highly-acclaimed chefs, Andrew Wong is in the kitchen at his two Michelin-starred restaurant A. Wong every night. For two weeks each year, he jets off to Baoshuan, his concept at The Oberoi in New Delhi. But otherwise, Wong is “here at every service.” It’s one of the reasons why A. Wong, which opened in 2012 in a space where Wong’s parents previously operated a Cantonese restaurant, has stood the test of time and survived the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Another is Wong’s belief that Chinese cuisine can be both high-end and experimental. He constantly updates the restaurant’s menu—a focus right now is on pairing wine with dim sum—and encourages guests to be in conversation with him and his team about flavors and dishes. He wants diners to “make explorations and personal discoveries for themselves” that can be carried on once they leave the table.

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“I want to see guests becoming really, really confident in their own palates and in exploring,” Wong tells Observer. “Not just regurgitating what people say, but making their own decisions. I think that’s where the fun comes into it.”

Since opening A. Wong, Wong has balanced a desire to keep a low-key existence within the ever-changing restaurant industry, where chefs have become celebrities in their own right. He’s grateful for the accolades, but mostly he’s proud of showcasing Chinese cuisine to Western diners. Wong tells Observer about how he navigates the “circus” of being a chef today, London’s exciting restaurant scene and his last great meal.

Yes and no. The best way I can answer that question is when my parents had a restaurant they would never, ever want to tell people that their son was a chef. But when I got into cooking and later in my career—and I’ve been cooking for 20 years now—they’re now very open to telling their friends over the Mahjong table that their son is a chef. Nowadays, with all of the circus that surrounds being a chef, all the “World’s Best” this and “Michelin” this, chefs making out like they’re changing the world and they’re going to solve climate change and world hunger, there seems to be something more........

© Observer