Edinburgh's Chop Chop to appear on The F Word
Gordon Ramsay’s F Word returns to Channel 4 this autumn with an exciting new mission: the nationwide search for The F Word’s Best Local Restaurant.
The nation’s favourite food show will celebrate the very best of Britain’s independent local restaurants and seek out the highest quality food at affordable prices with the help of nominations from 10,000 restaurant goers across the country.
In the fourth episode, on Tuesday 24th November, on Channel 4 at 10pm, viewers can watch Edinburgh based Chop Chop battle it out against Manchester based Sweet Manderin in the famous F Word kitchen where 50 diners will decide if they are going to pay for the three dishes each restaurant prepares. Each restaurant has the opportunity to choose the main course that they cook on the night. The starter and dessert are chosen by Gordon.
About Chop Chop
- Chop Chop was opened 3 ½ years ago by husband and wife team Roy King and Jian Wang
- The restaurant evolved out of the fact that they had a small factory making dumplings (Makes 500,000 dumplings a month, they sell these to Sainsbury’s in Scotland).
- They champion ‘real north east Chinese’ food...not chicken chow mein and chop suey!
- The restaurant gets raucous; lots of parties of 50-60 guests. It’s not in tourist area so they get a lot of repeat custom.
- Business is thriving – up 30% on 2008 (have chefs training in china now) Jian wants 5 branches!
- Jian’s goal is to educate people of Edinburgh what Chinese food really is.
- Jian chooses the dishes and tests them out on the menu. If it doesn’t sell, it comes off. She talks to the customers and find out about their palates.
- “I’m very cool! If I’m panicked my chefs will panic.”
- Makes jokes with her staff so they have fun. Copes very well. Chefs enjoy working under her.
- In the F Word kitchen Chop Chop will be cooking Pork & Coriander Dumplings with deep fried aubergine and wok fried lamb and cumin
About Head Chef – JIAN WANG (47)
- Started cooking when she was 11yrs old – surprised her family by cooking her first ever meal whilst they were out – she cooked stir-fry and rice.
- Started the business about 11 years ago making dumplings, she knew she wanted her own restaurant to showcase them.
- Just like the F Word restaurant, Chop Chop doesn’t make people pay if they don’t like the food.
- Gordon is her hero and thinks “he’s a genius, like me!”
About Second Chef – JUAN ZHOU
- Juan moved to Scotland four years ago and has worked at Chop Chop since it opened
- She is married with two daughers
Interview with Head Chef - Jian Wang
How did you feel when you found out you were on the F Word?
Happy, very happy. The producers called us and I thought it was someone trying to sell advertising until they said Gordon Ramsey and the F Word and that we were in the top 2.
Gordon visited, he came and shocked me! I was so shocked and so happy. I cannot say it enough. He had some soup and some of my dumplings and for the main course I made aubergines for him. Three courses. He definitely enjoyed or he wouldn’t have put us in the final two!
I already won three big prizes. In Scotland, every year they have Food and Drink awards and the first time they gave the foreign food awards to my dumplings. I wish more people would try it! My dumplings once you taste it you never forget it but not many people taste it yet. This is why I try so hard and why I opened the restaurant because I want more people to try it.
Why do you think Chop Chop was nominated by the public?
I am from north-east china and my food is different, everything is from the north, I don’t have anything from the south or from Hong Kong, it’s all just from my own region. I stay with my own things. Obviously it is the first time people try it, the north food the dumplings, northern cuisine. I think that is why people feel it is interesting. And also with the food, if the food is good people will enjoy it. And for European people it is the first time they try and this is what’s interesting.
I only have 72 seats in the restaurant - my customers come back all the time, and also the new as well. My old customers we’re like a big family now, my old customers have been with me since I opened. They never go anywhere else they just want to come to my restaurant.
What made you want to become a chef?
I’m just interested in food, I’ve always had a passion for cooking from quite a young age. I have to let people know how good I am! This is why I wanted to be a chef. When you’re cooking it’s all from love, the ingredients for me in the restaurant that are most important are love passion and a feeling, and salt! Without salt there’s no taste. But it’s so important, everybody can cook if I give them the recipe, but everyone’s cooking is different. Why? It’s because everybody has their own character, passion or love. Nobody can copy anybody, only copy the recipe but the taste will be so different.
How did you learn to cook?
My grandma and my mum we’re all very good. I started learning from them. I just enjoy cooking. I didn’t go to chefs school, I graduated in music I play the violin. My hands can play music and can cook!
Was food a really big thing in your family?
Yes we’re all very fussy with our taste. Even my five-year-old little girl she is very very fussy with the taste, we’re very sensitive to the smell of things the cook of things, whether it’s fresh not fresh. We know right away. I never stop cooking, I just love it. I enjoy it when my cooking is put on the table, this is what cooking is all about.
How will you feel cooking for all the Word diners?
I always want people to try my food and even here on television, the more people that know my food I want everyone to know my food, it’s just so exciting.
What are you cooking?
Squid with garlic. It’s north cooking as well. That’s the starter. Main course is my dumpling, lamb with cumin seeds. In northern china we always have BBQ and this is like a BBQ dish, and also aubergines. Delicious. And pork and coriander dumplings. They’re sold in Sainsburys across Scotland.
What would it mean to you if you won the whole competition?
It means a lot, I’d be so happy. Because I have passion for the food and also I won’t change my food. When people come to my restaurant and I serve them food and they want ketchup I always refuse because that is just wrong. It’s not good for my customers! But in the end my customer says I realise why you didn’t give it us you were right, thank you. I insist myself, and I’ve obviously proved I am right.
Would you like to make the restaurant bigger eventually or maybe have more restaurants?
Yes this is my plan. I want to have 5 maybe. But I want to do it safely, until this restaurant 100% doesn’t need me anymore will I do the next one. I’m not in a hurry. But I do have plans I want to open more. First choice would be Glasgow because I have a lot of members form Glasgow and they’re always nagging me when you going to open! Step by step. Maybe London, definitely I was thinking about that. I went to China Town but I don’t want it in China Town, I want to be different because I’m different.
To taste Jian Wang's delicious dumplings for yourself visit Chop Chop at 248 Morrison Street, Haymarket, Edinburgh EH3 8DT Tel.0131 221 1155