Quick fire questions with food blogger, Wing

Restaurant: The Ivy

I caught up with food blogger Wing to chat through how she went from accountant to food queen, her absolute favourite cuisine, her Food Meats and #StopAsianHate movements she created and supports and her top restaurants in London to go to (now that we finally can).

Where did your love of food begin?

I have always been a great lover of food since I was small. My father was a chef, and my brother and I would always stay up and wait for him to come home with something he cooked up for us as a midnight snack. Safe to say our meals were always full of flavour and variety!

Restaurant: The Athenian

What prompted you to start @feed.wing Instagram (alongside your day-to-day accountancy job)?

I loved going out and trying new food and restaurants. Like everyone these days, I would post my food adventures on my Instagram. People wanted to branch out of the usual popular fast-food chains, so they would be intrigued by the places I would go. Eventually it was my colleague, Mimie, who encouraged me to convert my IG into a food page and it was an extraordinary experience.

Let's talk about cultural food, what's your absolute favourite cuisine and why?

I am torn between Vietnamese and Italian food. Vietnamese food because their dishes are relatively healthy but extremely delicious! Anything that takes hours to prepare and make deserves a special place in anyone’s heart. 

I can go on for days about Italian food. I am so impressed with the variety of pastas that can be made from just 3 simple ingredients: flour, egg and water. The type of pasta would then greatly impact on how the dish will taste, and we cannot forget about the gorgeous cheese that gets mixed in... the possibilities are endless! 

Are there any women in the food or hospitality industry that you admire?

There are two strong and independent ladies which have made a lasting impression for me and I will always look up to them.

The first one being Nicola (@eastlondongirlblog), who was the first foodie girl I followed and spoke to, she welcomed me with open arms into the world of food blogging in London. She is such an amazing woman and I have learnt so much from her. 

The next lady helped me out a great deal through my food journey and that is the one and only Shree (@truffleandtoast). She is the most down to earth person you will meet, and she has given me loads of tips on improving my food photos. 

There are also a bunch of small business owners ran by strong independent women such as @twohngrygirls, @chocoluxe_ldn, @dangsdumps, @fatbuffalo.kitchen, @storyofling and @mykidsarehungry8 to name the least!

When you're stressed, what's your go-to dish to make?

Carbs contain a feel-good chemical and nothing shouts carbs as much as pasta! A big fat bowl of spag bol is the perfect dish to unleash all the stress. 

Can you explain to our readers about Food Meats: what it is and who it supports?

Food Meats are a series of meets organised by myself and my longest foodie friend @kingkeneatss to bring together the foodie community by indulging in great food and supporting small businesses at the same time. Each meeting generally ranges between 10-20 attendees and because the spots fill up so quickly, we organise a big meet up every so often at food markets that everyone can attend and usually 60-100+ people will attend! It is currently on pause due to COVID but we hope to resume this as soon as it's safe to do so.

#StopAsianHate movement:

Hate crimes towards East and South-East Asians have grown rapidly during the pandemic. Racism against Asians has always existed. Before we were seen as "inferior", Asian women were fetishized, labelled "exotic" and now we are labelled the "virus". Not only are we getting hurt physically and emotionally but we are also getting killed. All this hate stemming purely from our race and skin colour has to be STOPPED.

I first experienced Asian hate in the food community last year. A Peruvian restaurant was announcing the opening of their own Chinese restaurant in London Chinatown at the expense of other Chinese restaurants by reassuring their customers that "unlike many China Town restaurants, we intend to celebrate the rat, not catch it, kill it and mix it into a bowl of steaming noodles!". This was quickly shut down thanks to foodies joining together and calling them out. We should all learn from this. If you love Asian food, watch anime/Asian dramas, visit Asia and love our culture then stand by us, stand up for us and #StopAsianHate.

Restaurant: Bao

Restaurant: Gloria

Restaurant: Dozo

Hit us with your top 3 places to eat out in London

Here are my top 3 MUST tries in London:

• Bao (Borough) - Their 40-day aged beef Taipei butter rice is to die for! It is definitely bucket list worthy and a bargain at £10.25 for several pieces of steak.

• Gloria/ Circolo Popolare – If you like cheese and truffle then this place is your best friend. My favourite dish there is the La Gran Carbonara, you get a little show with the order where the dish is mixed in front of you in a sexy sexy cheese wheel, so dreamy.

• Dozo (Soho) – This is my go-to place for great quality sushi. If you ever find yourself there, order their Volcano roll and thank me later.

Restaurant: Six By Nico

If you had all the money in the world, what would you buy (can be food, or not!) and why?

I think one thing that Covid has taught me, is how much I miss human interaction. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy a big house so I can host massive food parties! Prior to Covid, my friend Ken and I used to organise monthly foodie meet ups where we would eat out with other foodies at new spot. If money was not a problem, then I would bring the food to us!