How do our food experts cook and eat? This week, food reviewer and content creator, Ridmi of @ storiesoflash, takes our Q&A!!

What started Stories of Lash? Passion for food. It grew when I found that my partner was a food enthusiast too. Most of our dates have been trying out new restaurants and new food. Whenever we got on dates I uploaded lots of pictures of food on my stories, and most of our friends around suggested that we should start a food reviewing page. After some thought, we opened our YouTube channel after the pandemic called Stories of Lash.

What was your favourite childhood meal?  It's rice - but in a special way that my mom cooks. It's yellow rice with chicken curry, curd, carrot sambal mixed with curd and papadam. I still love it! The day mom cooks it, I eat at least 2-3  plates of rice.

If you could have one dish from one restaurant forever? It would be the Siam Ceylon from The Stache. I love Kiribath, I didn’t know that Kiribath paired with my favourite - Thai red combo would be the best combo ever.

You’ve travelled abroad – which country had the best food scene? Thailand for sure! It’s the street food for me. I ate so much Thai food when I was there, and gained 3kgs in 8 days. I can’t wait to go back! 

You’ve been creating food content for a while now – what’s improved since you started and have your tastes changed? Certainly! Over time, I've refined my palate and developed a more discerning taste. Yes, my preferences have changed, rather than basic food I'm always on the lookout for innovative dishes that push the boundaries of traditional flavours. When it comes to restaurants, I now pay more attention to not just the food, but also the ambience, service and welcoming atmosphere. 

As a content creator and a foodie – eat with your eyes or think with your stomach – which one wins? They both play important roles when dining. Presentation is key, especially in the age of social media where images can attract attention. However, ultimately, it's the taste, smell, and overall flavour experience that truly matter. So it's ’think with your stomach'.

What’s a meal someone can make to impress you? Fusion Food!! I'm always impressed by innovative dishes that showcase creativity, twist of flavours and attention to detail. 

A lot of people think content creators don’t give their honest reviews – how do you stay authentic to your followers? I make sure to clearly communicate my thoughts and feelings about a dish or restaurant, including both what I enjoyed and any areas for improvement. But what I always say is that we all have different taste palates, Someone else can hate something that I like. So the taste of food varies from person to person.

Your favourite part about being a food blogger? Exploring and discovering new flavours, and tasting some unforgettable dishes. Also being able to share my experiences and connect with others who share the same food enthusiasm as I do. 

Your worst dining experience?  We were really hungry when we hopped into the restaurant. The space was massive, but there was no one around. We had to go looking for someone to place our order. We got a pizza, which was burnt and a pasta which was watery. We told them about this to the staff, and their excuse was that the junior chefs made it because the head chef was off duty. And what's worse was, there was a bunch of flies buzzing around the food. The staff got us a fan, but kept on switching the fan off, to plug in their juice blender. Anyway, the restaurant is now shut down.

What’s the trick in doing food content right? I believe it’s maintaining objectivity, being impartial and being open-minded. It's important to consider factors like taste, presentation, portion size, value for money, and overall dining experience. Providing constructive feedback rather than just criticism can help both the restaurant and your audience.