This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Hey! What’s your name?

Melissa Chi May Wong

What do you do?

I run my own pop up restaurant: Overseas Chinese Food in London and I'm also a consultant for food companies.

Where are you from? (Where are you really from?)

I was born in Nottingham and grew up there. My heritage is from Hong Kong and I am also Hakka.

What does Chinese food mean to you?

Everything! My parents ran their takeaway called The Little Bridge in a small town called Long Eaton and it's still going although they have now retired after 35 years of business. This humble and demanding livelihood has enabled my parents to be able to provide for me and my brother. Sure, there were times when I hated working there at weekends when I was a teenager. Much like a lot of other British-born Chinese who grew up in takeaways. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their adolescence and free time whereas I'd be working and helping my parents at the shop. It's only now that I look back and realise I learnt so much working with my parents. Not only the cooking aspect but work ethic, the efficiency and importance in service, organisation and taking pride in their work. Chinese food is what keeps me rooted to my family and heritage.

Rice or noodles?

Ooooooh, good question. I am what is affectionately known as a “fahn tung” (rice bucket). I am all about the rice. I will order noodles occasionally… rice noodles, but they're still noodles. I can't go without rice for more than three days, something doesn't feel right so I make sure I eat rice and that seems to stabilise any imbalance.

Know any good Chinese restaurants?

It may sound obvious but I like anywhere that does good food. This could be a run down place or a fancy place, so long as the food is good it will speak for itself. Plus, if you see a lot of Chinese people in there, that's often a very good sign. I like to go to Hong Kong City on the Old Kent Road for dim sum as it's my local. In Chinatown I like to go to the Golden Dragon, Baozi Inn (Romilly Street) and Chinatown Bakery. For something a little more refined I like to go to Hakkasan, The Duck and Rice or any Royal China.

Favourite Chinese vegetable?

This is a tough one! I like a lot of vegetables and they're not necessarily Chinese in their origin but I like the Chinese style of cooking vegetables such as stir fried morning glory with fermented beancurd and chilli. Or simply blanched iceberg lettuce with oyster sauce. Dong choi (preserved cabbage) is also a favourite but it's used more as an ingredient to season with such as whole steamed sea bass as it's rather salty and umami.

What would you like to tell the world about Chinese food?

Chinese food is not just your typical sweet and sour chicken balls (although I still order that myself without shame!). China is a huge country and within that so many provinces and therefore different cuisines. As an example, Cantonese food (from Hong Kong and southern China) is very different to Sichuan food (Chengdu). Cantonese food is subtle and relies on fresh ingredients whereas Sichuan food has a lot more heat, spice and oil. Typically, Sichuan food has a reputation of being super spicy but it also has a numbing quality from the use of Sichuan peppercorns which should not be mistaken for heat. There are at least eight different styles of cuisine within Chinese food, so to say that you don't like it because it's too spicy would be defective. I would say for those who do not enjoy spice or heat, I encourage you to be brave and try a little. It may tingle, it might make you feel a little hot but don't panic, once you are on that wave, just ride it.

#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Melissa Wong