Brighton Peers: James Li

I was interested to see that you simply decided to become an artist and that you don’t have any formal training.
I was more of a musician. A few years ago, I thought I should revisit visual art, which I had done as a teenager. I think it was a way of processing what had happened in Hong Kong six years ago. Hong Kong’s visual identity has been erased quite quickly, so it felt like a very personal thing to paint it.

Are you still involved in the music side of things?
I still do some processed cello things, usually at my own exhibitions at places like the Adelaide Salon in Hove.

When did you move to Brighton?
Eight years ago. My first job when I came here was working front-of-house at Silo. I’ve made lots of really good friends from it, and it made me understand that food is also a creative art in the same way that music or visual art is.

Some of your paintings are on show at Stem restaurant in Hove. How did that come about?
Charlie, who works at Stem, came to my exhibition, and she was the one who recommended that my work should be in the new space. I was surprised they went with it because it’s not the most comfortable thing.

What is your earliest food memory?
Eating hokkien mee, or what we call black noodles, in Kuala Lumpur, where my mum’s from. It’s basically noodles cooked with pig lard that my grandma used to make. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, but it’s very rich, very savoury.

What is your favourite comfort food?
There’s a deli called Time for Kimchi on Church Street, and they do a set menu for lunch that’s £15 pounds. It comes with six small dishes. It’s one of the best value lunches you’ll have because it’ll really sustain for the rest of the day. It has kimchi, seasonal vegetables, sometimes foraged, and a protein - usually pork, beef or tofu. It’s so nourishing, I think it’s extended my life by a few years.

Are you a tea or coffee person and how do you take it?
I drink a lot of coffee. I have a filter machine, which I bought with the rest of my Arts Council grant money when I had an exhibition last year. It’s the one thing I bought with it that wasn’t art. I get my beans from Skylark in Sussex. They’re amazing, and fantastic value as well. If I want to treat myself to an espresso, I’ll go to Ikigai on Queens Road; it has to be the best coffee in Brighton. They make some Hong Kong pastries, like the pineapple bun, and they do it really well. it.

What’s your go-to Brighton restaurant?
Shaanxi Noodles. I think that’s probably the best restaurant in Brighton, honestly. The quality of the dishes is comparable to those you get in China and Hong Kong; it’s really that good. It’s amazing that it exists in Brighton, in a relatively small city. They cut their own biang biang noodles; you can watch them do it. It’s also really good value; the cheapest noodles are seven pounds for a plate. The sesame vegan dish is really good.

I also like Original Tony’s pizza. It just opened a few months ago, and I was there for opening day. Toby, not to be confused with Tony, used to be the head chef at Silo. I always get ‘Tony’s Favorite’ with tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni, jalapenos, stracciatella and hot honey. It’s the best pizza I’ve had, nothing really comes close.

What is the next restaurant on your hit list?
I just came back from Paris, and there was a Levantine restaurant there called Adraba. We just walked in, and I had the best service of my life. It was just so warm and attentive, and the food was fantastic. They used a charcoal grill, and everything just had a slight twist to it. It was also much cheaper than it would be in London or Brighton, so I’m really itching to go back there.

What is the best food destination in the world and why?
Hong Kong. You have the best of every cuisine represented in a 50-mile radius, and it really is the best of the best. They’re all competing with each other, so the standard of food and service is very high. At the same time, you could walk the streets and get noodles for two pounds. It was such a privilege to grow up in Hong Kong, to be exposed to every food culture.

If you are a first-time visitor, I’d recommend Oi Man Sang. They are the last dai pai dong in Hong Kong with a licence to cook with kerosene. They do traditional Hong Kong diner stuff like stir-fried razor clams and fried rice. When I was doing research for my exhibition, I found an old home video that my dad shot in the 80s at the restaurant, and it was exactly the same, the same people, actually.

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in a restaurant recently?
The bagna cauda at Toklas in London. It’s an anchovy dip served with bread and raw vegetables. That was one of the best culinary surprises I’ve had; it was just so good. It’s owned by Frieze, the art magazine. It’s such a good restaurant. Jay Rayner loves their chips.

To find out more about James’s work, go to jjlpaintings.co.uk‍