Shanghai ChefsAbout the Culinary World of Shanghai

I’m always fascinated by what the general public has to say concerning their views on food. Scrolling through the sites of City Weekend, Smart Shanghai and Shanghai Expat, there is definitely no shortage of people who proudly posts their own food criticisms.

With sites like these being open to everyone, it got me wondering about just how much damage a bad review (by some anonymous paying customer) can do to a restaurant. All due respect, of course customers are entitled to their opinion.

But seriously, when a person is writing (a.k.a. complaining) about not getting a bottle of wine comped in a restaurant like T8 (the wine they initially ordered was not in stock and the staff offered another similar wine), or about not getting free food when a mistake took place concerning their table reservations, it seriously annoys me to bits.

My aggravated levels rise even more as I continue to read about people who pretend they know the A-Z when it comes to food. Come on, complaining that El Willy’s Patatas Bravas is not real tapas because it was shaped like fries? The guy wears a chef white with blotches of red heart shapes and a red beret! Do you really think his food is going to be traditional home-y chunky food?

The best ones are those that complain portions are too small in places like M on the Bund, or that mistake spring rolls for fried eggs rolls on NAPA’s menu and proceed to go on and on and on, trying to prove how much they know about the culinary world because they skip through Ferran Adria’s book and watch Anthony Bourdain’s show.

One has to consider the possibility that there are malicious restaurateurs out there who will post bad reviews about other restaurants. Thus the yo-yo game begins with restaurant X’s staff posting in defence of their restaurant.

I don’t think people tend to realize just how much damage they can do to a restaurant’s reputation by posting these reviews. What’s that they say in marketing? A customer who has gone through a bad experience will spread the word to a hundred friends, whilst a customer that had a good experience will only tell ten friends.

With the Internet being the biggest source of information, should people will no food experience be able to write any comment on a restaurant? Even worse is the fact that editors are allowing this to happen. As mentioned before, paying customers have the right to speak their mind. But when it gets to the point where they complain and become vindictive because their wine did not get comped, a line has to be drawn somewhere!

Since I’m on a rant, I might as well say how much it peeved me that Blarney Stone was charging more than 60rmb for a pint of Kilkennys on St Patty’s day…only 3kwai less than on their normal days.

This month’s Chef’s Talk will be held at the margarita hotspot of all places – Mexican restaurant MAYA. Chef Brad Turley will be hosting this event on the 31^st March (Tuesday night).

We would like to also thank Pinnacle Peak for last month’s event and congratulate them on their official opening earlier this month.

We look forward to seeing you all at MAYA and hope that you’ve had a great month. Please feel free to invite any newcomers to the event.

Best regards,

Stefan Stiller

When browsing trough various expat forums reading the odd review in City Weekend and Smart Shanghai, I couldn’t help but notice the enormous amount of reviews complaining about bad service in Shanghai restaurants. Heck, people were even complaining about the bad service they receive in grocery shops…

So is this because we expats expect too much ? Is it because China still needs to define “service industry”?

One example that really got me thinking was the most recent thread on an expat website about the poor service received in a well known Thai restaurant. When reading the post, it all seemed so obvious: Customer makes a reservation and requests a specific table. Restaurant staff takes the booking without any issues. When the customer arrives however, the requested table has already been given to someone else.

Now, why the restaurant would guarantee specific tables is beyond me – this is just asking for trouble. Anyway, the story goes on about how the restaurant manager apparently got it all wrong, and did not offer enough free drinks to compensate for the table.The expat then posts the whole thing on the forum including emails between him and the restaurant owner.

I was not there and it certainly does not matter on whether I think he is right or wrong by posting all this on a public forum. It just got me thinking.

I think all too often we tend to accept bad service as just “Ah well, it is Shanghai… “ and don’t bother talking to the owners or managers. There are a handful who, once locating the expat service manager, will get on to him about how he should run the place and requests a free meal. Obviously the manager will then completely shut down his brain, give you a polite smile, a business card and probably a free drink. And next time you come back you can expect to still have the same issues, plus a few more.

From a guests’ perspective, I think it is important that you do complain when you are not happy. If you do so, be specific.  Say why you are unhappy – don’t just be all upset and bossy and ask for free stuff. And don’t complain after you have eaten the whole plate. If you are not happy talk to your sever right away. If you see he is unsure about the situation, ask for the manager. Once again, be specific and factual. Maybe even add a “Look, I do understand sometimes things go wrong – but I chose to come to this place tonight because of your reputation and I expected something better.” You will have their full attention and will get results. Maybe give the guys a second shot (unless it was so bad that there ain’t any hope) and see. Chances are, they will recognize you when you return and treat you better after being given another chance.

As from the chef’s perspective, I can only speak for me. I personally embrace complaints and customer feedback as an opportunity to get better and gain customers. In an ideal world, I would not get any complaints but if you are running a restaurant, chances are you will have to deal with them every day. Some of them are realistic and helpful. Others are, well…useless. I do think that most complaints can be handled in a few short minutes. Listen empathetically, ask questions and then act immediately while staying polite.

In my experiences it showed that even if you can’t resolve the complaint 100%, people will come back to you just because you listened and acted based on that. As a chef I cannot spend that much time on the floor but my staff, both front and back of house, know that there is no complaint too small to come and get me if an uncomfortable situation should arise.

And trust me, if the guest feels taken seriously – he will be more forgiving and come back.

How often do we chefs vocally complain about a meal or bad service in a restaurant?

I know that there are quite a number of seriously bad restaurants in the Shanghai scene. I can tell you however, that neither I nor my partner have ever sent back a plate when we have hated the dish. We either just eat the blob because we are starving from having to wait forty-five minutes for the entrée or we don’t touch it.

All of us hate it when a dish comes back into the kitchen because the customer thinks that the meat is really not a medium-rare or because the fish is not cooked enough. Okay, maybe the apprentice (or in Shanghai, let’s say your local sous chef) did make a mistake. More often than not though, you yourself know that that meat was perfect. And the fish? Just the way it’s meant to be.

I cannot speak for everyone but personally, when I enter a restaurant, I notice everything from the menu, to the service, to the fact that there are no salt and pepper shakers on the table (which means that I expect things to be seasoned right or praying that the chef knows what he’s doing), down to the comfortableness of the chair I’m sitting on.

Now, I notice all these things…but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m going to complain about my overcooked meat, mushy vegetables and unseasoned fish.

I don’t know whether it’s a Western thing, and we feel bad and impolite to complain. Or whether it’s just a very Chinese thing to have to vocally be opinionated about everything.

I agree that I may be doing a disservice by not speaking my mind. Depending on the restaurant’s level, be it a fine-dining establishment or just another Italian joint, I may be more inclined to say something at the posher place.

If I was back home dining at a very established restaurant -one without salt and pepper shakers on the table- and my third course consisting of rabbit was not seasoned (apprentice’s mistake, I’m sure), I would say something to the service staff. And I have, before.

Why? Because my expectations of that restaurant was exceptionally high.

I’m afraid that the same cannot be said of Shanghai. My personal expectations have dropped to the point where I’m overjoyed if I get someone’s attention among the group of five waitstaff chatting in the corner. If I get my medium-rare meat? Then that’s a hell of a great night.

So is it wrong of me to have lowered my expectations? I don’t think so. I think we all have to agree at some point that Shanghai is in a league of its own and cannot be compared to the likes of New York, London or Hong Kong. Culinary wise, anyway.

Hopefully, that statement changes in the years to come.