Jowett Yu, head chef of Hong Kong restaurant Ho Lee Fook. All photos by the author.
From the off, earwigging the chefs' conversations is proving fascinating. These three have worked in some of the most well-known and prestigious restaurants in the world—places like noma, Fat Duck, and Rockpool—and yet they seem to have a deep affection for lo-fi foods like tacos, fried chicken, and kebabs.READ MORE: James Lowe's 127-Mile Quest into the Malvern Hills for Perfect Peas
Biang biang noodles and rou jia mo at London Chinese restaurant Xi'an Impression.
James Lowe (right), head chef at Lyle's in East London.
Ho Lee Fook sous chef Jeff Claudio (left) with Yu at Black Axe Mangal.
Black Axe Mangal chef Lee Tiernan's squid ink bread with egg yolk and glitter.
Anchovy sandwiches at Portuguese chef Leandro Carreira's East London pop-up.
Carreira and Yu.
Toasted pork sandwiches at Climpson's Arch.
Razor clams.
Torched blue mackerel with gooseberry puree and coriander stems at P. Franco.
Whelks at Sager + Wilde.
The chefs at Sager + Wilde.
"If I'd have known I'd feel OK after all of this, I'd have had more at the start," he says. "Dumplings or something."READ MORE: This Cookbook Turns the Weird Tins From Your Cornershop Into Dinner