British chef Lee Westcott on Hong Kong’s taxis and crispy fish skin

What do you miss about Hong Kong? “I like the vibe of the city. When I went back to London I was excited because there was a whole new set of restaurants I’d never been to. Now that I’m back in Hong Kong there are new places I can try. I really missed Yardbird [when I was away]. I used to go there three to four times a week. I ate all the skewers and the popcorn balls were so good. And the taxis here are so cheap.”

Tell us about Typing Room. “It’s in an old town hall in east London and the space used to be the typing room for the council, and then it was a bank. So when we were looking for names, we looked at the history, the old marble and wood, the old characteristics. The menu is in a type­writer font. We’ve been open for nearly three years now. It’s getting busier and busier, with good reviews.”

What are your childhood memories of food? “I remember my mum and nan cooking vegetables. I grew up in a normal household with six kids and I am the second oldest. They always made tasty home-made dishes that could be eaten by many people. I fell into cooking when I left school at 16. I worked in a pub in my hometown of Stevenage [north of London], washing dishes. I’d watch the chefs and wanted to get involved, so I’d come in on days off and learn. I enjoyed cooking. Two days after my 18th birthday I moved to London and worked my way up the ladder.”

You’ve worked for René Redzepi, Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens. Who’s had the most influence? “I learned to cook with Aikens but René, at Noma, looked at food differently; it was about letting the ingredients speak for themselves and focus on the natural taste. At Typing Room we do cauliflower eight ways for a dish. Tom could take vegetables and do 100 things with them. At Noma we would do no more than one or two things. So I’m in the middle, taking a bit from everything I learned.”