Shanghai ChefsAbout the Culinary World of Shanghai

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With only a couple hours of sleep as the firecrackers have been going all night long, there was a need for an interesting and entertaining bit of information to maintain sanity throughout the day. A mate of mine came to the rescue with this article. The letter, be it a PR stunt or not brought me to think about the numerous complaints that we face throughout our career.

While we may hate our customers complaining about our dishes – too much salt, not enough msg, the meat’s too rare, the fish isn’t cooked right (to the point where it’s completely ass-raped), etc… sometimes there is the odd occasion (or two) where the customer is right.

Where should one draw the line though when we all know that anyone who has money and ‘face’ feels the need to state their opinion in front of you and their table of influential acquaintances?

Though we may not care so much about ‘face’ ourselves, we also know that we chefs have quite the healthy ego that has somehow helped us make it this far. Let’s face it – does anyone think that Thomas Keller, Alain Ducasse, or Gordan Ramsay got to the point where they are now because they were meek and humble?

There is a fine line between being egoistic for the sake of your food or being just plain arrogant. In any case, we can all agree that chefs should let their food do all the speaking…and allow the knowledgeable customers to make their own decisions without the help of food critics.

Coincidentally this year, Australia Day and Chinese New Year falls on the same day – 26th of January. While the locals celebrate the start of a new year with little red packets and firecrackers, Australians will be celebrating their national day in the traditional style of eating meatpies, drinking beer and watching the quaint game of cricket. ( I have to say though, that I am quite the advocate for the game. Backyard cricket with a tennis ball and a couple of schooners of beer makes for a very exciting afternoon! )

There is news that part of an Australian celebration here in Shanghai will be ‘frog racing’. One could only wonder whether the frogs would have a chance of survival once the race is over – be it the winner or the loser.

Frog kebab anyone?

The year of the Ox is meant to signify strength and prosperity. Now that’s something we all need this year.

So here’s wishing everyone Gong Xi Fa Cai and a very Happy Australia Day!

Upon the return of yet another visa trip to Hong Kong, I couldn’t help but notice the massive difference in culture – most importantly when it comes to food – between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Though only a couple of hours by plane, Hong Kong feels somewhat of a luxury city to be in after spending some time in Shanghai.

En route to getting my passport back into Shanghai, I met up with a former head chef of mine who was in the process of creating a high-tea menu. High tea? In China? Who would show up for that? Lines of people queuing up outside The Intercontinental, Mandarin Orient and Peninsula Hotel on a Sunday afternoon for tea and finger sandwiches seemed like a somewhat bizarre notion to me. “You’d be surprised,” he said.

He was right. There they were – lines of locals and ‘kwai los’ waiting patiently to sip tea and nibble on cucumber sandwiches. I had a feeling that all of a sudden HK was maybe a little too cultured for the likes of me. Could the Barbie Mall here be on to something with their special high tea emphasis?

As my mate had to do his ‘research’ on high teas, we just as patiently queued inside The Intercontinental. A quick tour brought me standing in front of Spoon’s (Alain Ducasse’s namesake restaurant in HK) menu which included a ‘Chopped Salad of Raw Vegetables and Fruits’ for $190. Must be some pretty bloody awesome knife skills…but I digress.

Though The Peninsula seems to be the favourite for Sunday High Tea, the notion of paying for tea bags for high tea seemed a little off-putting to my mate. The Intercontinental was just as ‘fashionable’ with a classical band playing softly in the corner while customers were served. Three-tiered trays of sandwiches, cakes and scones with the accompanying silver pot of tea. All quite charming nonetheless I have to say it all felt very pretentious too.

No one would debate that Hong Kong has a better and bigger selection of food suppliers, thus allowing a wider playground to experiment with great produce. Appreciation for food is ingrained into their culture, with stalls of local food lining the streets wherever you go and fine dining restaurants prospering.

So what is it that Hong Kong has which is clearly lacking here in Shanghai? Is it the years of being under the British rule? Is it the fact that they obviously have more manners and common sense?

I am not so sure…though I can confidently say that ‘face’ seems to be clear motivation in Hong Kong. We talk and grumble about ‘face’ here in Shanghai, but it is practiced in its pure extremity in Hong Kong. Whether that is an advantage or disadvantage depends on who you’re talking and dealing with. At some level ‘face’ elevates a greater respect and appreciation for food as no body wants to own a joint that serves bad or just mediocre food. On the other hand, ‘face’ could also mean that a less respected (by our own peers) restaurant is full every night because clueless food critics have given them the thumbs up. (That is a whole different topic which Mister Alfred B. has covered in his latest blog.)

Shanghai may be lacking in many areas, but I am thankful that salmon sandwiches, scones and jam are not the highlight of my Sunday afternoon. For $300 each? Just give me more beer and crackers…and some steaming xiaolongbao.

I had a few days off over the Christmas and New Year holiday and took the opportunity to catch up on my reading. Going over the Shanghai Daily, a few Expat magazines and also their blogs, I could not help but notice that most of the food writers are still raving about the same old places they were writing about 2 years go. It is always Laris, M on the Bund or the other common suspects.

Are they really trying to tell us/me that in 2 years there has been no other restaurant in Shanghai worthy of receiving some consistent media coverage? Or is the job of a food writer really that boring here in Shanghai?

As a chef I have certainly had my moments in life where I was less than thrilled about reading some mediocre review about my restaurant in an article. Since being here though, I have not read one serious review. To me, those reviews seem more like paid advertisements for a restaurant.

Prime example?

I received a newsletter from the Chamber of Commerce endorsing a restaurant that recently became a member. Strangely enough that restaurant’s review was printed in a Expat magazine and was written by the same person that worked for the chamber. Just a coincidence I am sure.

I really wonder sometimes whether the people who write these reviews or pull stunts like these actually think that others will believe all this crap. And then I usually come to the unfortunate conclusion that yes, people do believe it. Often, people accept the reviews in these magazines as face value.

They go the restaurant and think they have eaten the best food in Shanghai. Service was so so but then what expectations are there in Shanghai, right ? After all, the review said this is the best place in Shanghai. So they have to know what they are talking about. Lukewarm meal? That was just the one time, right??

WRONG!

I really think it is time for a wake up call for some of those hyped restaurants & food writers. Take the pink glasses off and start writing about what you really think… write about what really happens out there. And most importantly if you do write about the place you go – make sure you actually go to it. I just happen to read a review published recently that talked about how great the food and menu was in my place. Unfortunately, we changed the menu about a year ago and the dishes in the article has not been served since then.

Having said that, I’d like to encourage you to go out on your own. If you are planning to go to one of those much hyped places in Shanghai – keep walking for a bit. Or go to SmartShanghai , city weekend or any other of those sites. Look for a place that does not have a ton of reviews. Try something new for once. Yes, you might end up getting a bit of a bad meal every once in a while – but come on, in a city like Shanghai there has to be more than a just few good restaurants.

Alfred B. (a wisely chosen pseudonym) is an executive sous chef that has been residing in Shanghai for the past several years. He is our up-to-date person on current events taking place in the food scene. For legal purposes, we cannot reveal his true identity but you can be sure there will be no candy-coated articles from him

Happy New Year!

We hope that everyone has recovered well from the Christmas festivities, staff parties and New Year celebration. There is only Chinese New Year, fireworks and little red packages to go before we finally can get back into the swing of things.

With more restaurants to open this coming year (and a few others that will bid farewell to Shanghai), the competition is undoubtedly only going to get tougher. From more major tourists spots (i.e. Fisherman’s Wharf) to bigger and higher skyscrapers, Shanghai has only taken a few centimeters back in slowing down.

We want to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year here in Shanghai, and hope to see you at the next Chef’s Talk in a couple of weeks!