Street food is constantly growing in popularity as people explore different cuisines.
In Southampton Woosabi has taken the food scene by storm with its modern Asian street food offering.
Today, we introduce you to Aidan Guest, the man behind the business well-loved in the city.
When I was 15, I worked at the Oxford Brasserie as a part time waiter where my true passion for cooking techniques was ignited.
I would often get told I was spending too much time in the kitchen where I would watch the chefs intricately prepare dish components which I would then attempt to recreate at home.
I used to spend hours of my free time at home attempting to make fondant potatoes and tuille’s!
What was the first meal you cooked for someone else?
Chocolate souffle for my mum’s guests at a dinner party.
When I was 14 my mum loved to host dinner parties for her friends and would often ask me to take charge of dessert.
This is a dish I had perfected through a food tech competition I got far in at secondary school!
Tell us a bit about your career so far…
Quite an unorthodox pathway for a business owner/chef. I graduated with an economics degree from university shortly after visiting Japan.
I found myself unwilling to jump straight into the corporate world so decided to combine my knowledge from my degree with my newfound passion for Japanese cuisine to open my street food brand Woosabi.
From starting at market stalls in Winchester to festivals and residencies, I worked my way up to opening our first restaurant in August 2024 in Southampton.
What is your proudest career moment to date?
Definitely putting the sign up on the front of my first brick and mortar restaurant - The Rockstone pub.
Every time I would drive past I couldn’t help but break into a huge grin.
What is your signature dish?
It would have to be my soy braised pork belly recipe which I have taken along my journey from day one.
Juicy, tender and fragrant pork belly with the perfect amount of rendered fat works perfectly in one of our fluffy bao buns or just on top of a bowl of freshly steamed rice.
Probably the Korean fried chicken bao bun.
My love for Japanese food is no surprise but I have to say Korean’s make the best fried chicken. The contrast between super crispy fried chicken sandwiched between a cloud like bao is a match made in heaven.
Where is your favourite place to eat in Hampshire?
The best meal I've had in Hampshire would have to be the Chesil Rectory, Winchester but for something more casual I'm picking Yipinju Lanzhou hand pulled noodle bar for their perfectly chewy noodles in a fragrant & spicy beef broth.
What is your favourite meal to cook at home?
Having a distant Malaysian heritage, Malay food has always been something that I have had an affinity for.
For me, nothing beats the comfort of a beef rendang; rich, spicy, warm and fragrant, it hits all the right notes!
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What do you like to drink with dinner?
As I enjoy eating a lot of spicy food, nothing pairs better than an ice cold dry beer like Asahi.
However I cannot resist a bold, full-bodied Italian red - particularly a Valpolicella Ripasso
What is your culinary guilty pleasure?
Instant ramen. Most trips to my oriental foods supplier consist of me testing every flavour possible.
You will always find me pimping it up with any of the ingredients I have to hand in the kitchen for the perfect comfort lunch.
Which key ingredient is always in your fridge?
More the pantry than the fridge, but a good quality Japanese soy sauce. I use it for pretty much everything I cook and it really makes the difference!
What is your favourite Hampshire ingredient or delicacy?
Living in a world with such high demand for meat, resulting in mass production using water and hormone injections, I can really appreciate any meat from a local Hampshire butchery.
The flavour is almost completely different to the same cut you may buy at a supermarket/wholesaler.
Which chef do you most admire?
Although I have many I would have to opt for Erchen Chang, the founder of BAO.
I truly admire the minimalism of her dishes as well as the dedication to perfecting and celebrating classic Taiwanese dishes without doing too much.
What’s your career ambition?
My career ambition is to grow Woosabi into multiple sectors to capture the admiration I have for every level of culinary experience. From street food to fine dining to shop bought products.
With the ultimate goal to retire with a group of food venues in the UK so I can retire in South East Asia!
What do you think will be the next big restaurant trend?
More outrageous fusion restaurants, most notably that I have seen recently being Japanese-Peruvian & Japanese-Italian.
I think we will start to see more and more fusions we would never have thought possible!
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