Stodgy school dinners fed a hunger for new flavours

Architect and interior designer Joyce Wang - the creative force behind two of the city's renowned restaurants, Asia Society's Ammo Cafe and The Drawing Room at J Plus Boutique Hotel - is as passionate about the dishes they serve as the restaurants she designs around them. Originally from Hong Kong, Wang has also lived, studied, worked and eaten her way around Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai and, her favourite city, London.

How did London, which until recently had a bad reputation when it comes to food, become one of your favourite cities?

I got into food when I started boarding school in Britain because the food there was so stodgy. On weekends and breaks, we'd leave for London, where we had our pick of different restaurants. We were really into Asian cuisine as there wasn't much Chinese food at school, and London has such an amazing Chinese community. We used to go to the Four Seasons in Chinatown, which is still around and a bit of an institution, and I really like Hakkasan and Yauatcha.

How is the Asian food in Los Angeles?

It has everything, within just about every community. There's Little Tokyo, Koreatown Filipinotown, Thai Town. But it's also got a Jewish quarter with really good pastrami sandwiches. Downtown, there's Langer's Delicatessen, where you can get the world's best pastrami sandwich. It's in a really sketchy neighbourhood, and you're kind of risking your life to go there. You have to go in daylight.

That's courageous for a sandwich. Are you brave with ingredients too?