Gordon Ramsay interview: How fiery chef's mum helped shape new Hong Kong restaurant

Viewing YouTube clips of Gordon Ramsay icily demoting two chefs de partie to commis (trainees), threatening to fire both cooks and waiting staff while using expletive after expletive in the same way that other people would say "wow!" or "amazing!" is not the best way to psych yourself up for interviewing him.

As I arrived at his latest restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, which opened on September 18 at the LKF Hotel on Wyndham Street, I was, to put it mildly, very anxious.

So it came as a surprise when Ramsay - looking more relaxed and affable than he's portrayed on his many television programmes such as Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares - walks into the restaurant's private room and, after a firm handshake, asks politely if I mind if he takes off his jacket before sitting down and talking about how pleased he is to be here.

"I've always been a big fan of Hong Kong. It's amazing here - very similar to London - multicultural, vibrant, and the work ethic is strong. It's a powerhouse - determined, humble, but nothing too flash. Rents are expensive but the customers are amazing, and they know good food. That's the most important thing."

Ramsay is working with the Dining Concepts restaurant group, which already has chefs such as Mario Batali and Michael White in its stable. "They're a well-established brand, they work with international chefs, and they have a proven track record. Sandeep [Sekhri, the managing director] has quite a foothold on suppliers and design - so that's a huge weight off our shoulders as the new kid on the block. Having this kind of heavyweight partnership makes the restaurant stronger."

Hong Kong is a stepping stone into other parts of Asia, says Ramsay. "Macau is next - that will be in early 2015. It's going to be very exciting. Shanghai and Beijing potentially as well, sometime down the line. And Singapore in the spring of 2015."

Bread Street Kitchen & Bar is a branch of the original in London, and it's one of Gordon Ramsay Holdings' 25 restaurants in England, the US, France, Italy and Qatar. Choosing to open BSK - as opposed to one of the chef's fine-dining places such as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road in London's Chelsea - was calculated.

"I'd love to do something more prestigious next time. With Bread Street Kitchen, you have the comfortable, fun environment, but you also have the Gordon Ramsay 'taste' coming through. I didn't want to become too precious, I didn't want it to be too much of a destination, a fine-dining experience that was intimidating. I didn't want to pitch too high, too soon - we need to walk before we can run.