RICHMOND — When I pull up to meet Richmond native Ed Lau for lunch, we’re in a hurry. Lau, an avionics engineer and the name behind the food blog Ed Eats, is taking a daylong course near the airport and his first words to me are, “Nice to meet you. Would you mind making an illegal right turn?”

My inner Boston driver smiles and we merge onto Sea Island Way, hang a right on No. 3 Road, and arrive at one of Lau’s favorite spots, HK BBQ Master, a hole in the wall built into a parking garage.