By Paul Trainer

Copyright glasgowworld

Some of the best food in Glasgow is served from a converted newsagent kiosk opposite the Barrowland Ballroom. Husband and wife Johnny and Lee Chung have brought some of the dishes inspired by their heritage – both sets of their parents hailed from Hong Kong – together with the quickfire hospitality they honed when they were previously running a fish and chip shop in Airdrie. Alongside the strong Chinese strand in Johnny’s cooking comes Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese influences. He talks passionately about perfecting an refining recipes, trying to come up with his ideal version of dishes he enjoys. That dedication has been the basis of the success of Ho Lee Fook: “it means good, wealth, and luck. And it also means what you think it means.” Now comes a companion business, Fook Mei a compact kitchen and cafe dining room with its own menu. “If you look at the sign, Ho Lee Fook is an angry Asian, then the logo for here is the grumpy one, so I think the first one is me and this one is Johnny” Lee says. “We didn’t really know what to expect when we first opened by The Barras, but now that Asian street food has blown up we wanted to continue that here. A proper sit down place. The menu is similar but Johnny is able to make things here with more space and equipment that would not have been possible in our one by two kiosk.” The idea started off as a prep kitchen, then they realised they would like to open a “wee Hong Kong cafe.” The theme remains “Asian street food we think people would like to eat in Glasgow” Johnny says. They have shut Ho Lee Fook for a couple of weeks to get the new place up and running. After that Lee will take the lead on Gallowgate and Johnny will be in the kitchen on London Road, where he will do the prep work for both locations, including the meticulous preparation of the Japanese style sandos that have become something of a food sensation in the East End. Fook Mei (translates as luck taste) will be walk in only, open Thursday 12-3pm, Friday to Sunday 12-3pm then 5-8pm. I ask Johnny about the new dishes on the menu he is excited about: “I have started making scallion pancakes, which you see a lot of street food traders doing in Taiwan. The chicken wings are really good. That took me a long while to get right but I’m very happy with how they have turned out. The pork sando at Ho Lee Fook has been such a success, I’ve now put together a prawn sando for here.” The original menu was a lot bigger, they explain, but they decided to focus on the gold star version. All killer no filler. It’s not often that I get excited about chicken wings, but the caramel fish sauce fried version here is a work of art (£10). I think the scallion wrap served with egg, grilled chashu pork belly and chilli oil is a fantastic addition to the city’s all-day brunch circuit (£12.50). Expect to see the prawn ebi katsu sando on a TikTok account near you very soon (£12.50). Also, the lemongrass chicken on rice nuoc cham with crispy egg, Taiwanese pork dumplings and Hong Kong spring rolls. You may already be familiar with Johnny and Lee’s sesame noodles or their biang biang Szechuan spicy noodles (£10). They are a reason to visit either of the Fooks on their own. For dessert, they have worked with near neighbours Bronde Bakery on a chilli oil brownie. The food at the Glasgow Barras is better. Fook Mei, 239 London Rd, Glasgow G40 1PE