Sweet and sour king prawn balls. Egg fried rice. Mushroom curry. Tofu in black bean sauce…” Gok Wan is telling me his typical takeaway order, ticking each item off on his fingers as he goes. Since he eats for a living, his takeaway has to be classic. Old school. “I want all the stuff that we served in our takeaway when I was growing up,” says the fashion guru-turned-TV chef. “I don’t want white tablecloths. I want something that feels completely warming, and for me it’s those flavours and that style of eating that just makes me excited.”
He is indeed excitable. Vivacious, even, especially when talking about food. All wild gesticulations and a smile as shiny as those thick, black signature specs. You can’t help but be drawn in. It’s the same unpretentious confidence that made him a household name almost 20 years ago – back then it was for teaching middle-aged mums How to Look Good Naked again on Channel 4. But over the past decade, the 48-year-old has made just as respectable a name for himself in the food world, presenting countless cooking shows, appearing regularly in the kitchen on This Morning, and writing two cookbooks. After voting closes this weekend, he’ll be judging the Just Eat Restaurant Awards, formerly known as the British Takeaway Awards, alongside fellow TV food personality Andi Oliver and TikTok sensation Poppy O’Toole.
