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…according to John Li, 34.
Some of London’s best street eats are made by amateurs
‘I’m not a chef. I was working in a bank and just wanted a weekend hobby. In fact, I had no experience making dumplings – it was just that no one was selling them at London’s food markets, so I started Dumpling Shack. It’s not just me who turned around to do this: Mandy from Sambal Shiok used to be a lawyer and now makes the best laksa around.’
Slinging dumplings takes a thick skin
‘This is a passion project. It has to be, as I’m here seven days a week. You’re not going to please everyone, and you do get people who don’t love the food. I used to ignore bad reviews – I’m pretty sensitive about that stuff. But it’s a business and you have to take the rough with the smooth. Besides, seeing people love your food is incredible.’
Rain is a trader’s worst enemy
‘We make the dumplings fresh, so we have to make everything on the spot and then clear down at the end of the day. If it’s a rainy day, you still have to be there all day. And with street food, when it rains, people disappear and you have to throw a lot of stock away. It’s heartbreaking.’
Londoners are incredibly fickle
‘One minute people want cronuts; the next, it’s all about the freakshake! Trends come and go, and that did scare me about opening seven days a week at Spitalfields: I wasn’t sure if we were just a weekend hype thing. We just have to keep believing that we’ve gone past the trend phase. You need to create something that people think is tasty, well-priced and quick, and I think that’s what we do here.’
Find Dumpling Shack in The Kitchens at Old Spitalfields Market.
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