It’s not often a humble neighbourhood eatery becomes known and recognised on an international scale but for one Chinese restaurant in the Southside, their recipes have earned them a shout-out across the pond.
Located in Cathcart (but with plans to move to a bigger unit), The Real Wan is a small kitchen with less than half a dozen tables.
Chef Lea Wu has been bringing the smells, tastes and atmosphere of China’s street food to Glasgow since 2020.
READ MORE: ‘We like things spicy’: Meet the chef bringing real Chinese flavour to Cathcart
In 2023, the American publication presented their perfect vision of how to spend 36 hours in Glasgow.
Among visits to the Burrell Collection and Pollok Park, the author’s first stop for food was The Real Wan.
“A steamed-up restaurant window strung with Chinese lanterns promises a satisfying meal on a cold Glasgow night, and the Real Wan does not disappoint,” it reads.
“In the Cathcart area of the Southside, this tiny gem, modelled on a street-food cafe, draws customers from across the city.
“The unfussy décor and great, affordable food in a shoebox space is typical of Glasgow’s do-it-yourself spirit.
“Its young head chef Lea Wu Hassan sends out smoky-flavored southern Guizhou dishes, hand-pulled noodles and house-made chile oils and sauces from an elbow-to-elbow kitchen.”
Their favourite dishes include the chunky geda noodles and the ‘fabulous’ caramel-coated pork ribs flash-fried in aged dark vinegar – a recipe inherited from Lea’s aunt.
READ MORE: Much-loved Glasgow Chinese restaurant to close and move
It’s no wonder the food is so revered – when Lea opened The Real Wan, she did so with a strong desire to offer something different to the typical Chinese takeaway food we eat so often in the UK.
“I worried that people wouldn’t warm to it,” she told us in 2022.
“But, on the very first day we opened, there were people queuing down the street.”
The future looks bright for The Real Wan, as plans are still underway to move to a new space in Mount Florida.
