I recently travelled for eight days through China on a menu-consulting and “fact-finding” trip, eating and making tasting notes on dishes that impressed me. I visited cities that I’d never seen, and shook my head at the surprising ways that China and its technology, its industry and its social customs are evolving.
In Beijing, I stayed at the Hyatt. The dishes appeared pretty Westernized until I tasted an unexpected and wonderful chicken entree made with fermented bean paste. The chef had used the chicken leg instead of the typical breast, and the meat had a great juicy flavour.
During my Beijing stop, I was totally won over by a little grilled burger, or slider, served in a Chinese bun. I’m going to adapt that recipe at Lee, when we open the restaurant for lunch this March.
When I had dinner at Big Boss, a Beijing restaurant that can seat 300-400 people, I noticed the escalating trend in China towards elaborate décor and setting, not to mention high prices. Menus are huge and glossy and filled with colour photos of specialty dishes.
The Big Boss menu featured photos of Peking duck with lavish descriptions of the taste and texture of the dish. There was even poetry about the tasting experience!
The difference in customer service at restaurants in China also impressed me: servers are much more educated about food, and can explain the preparation of a dish. Western influence is obvious in the place settings, where a knife and fork accompany chopsticks.
When I was growing up, the sight of a Chinese family using knives and forks was as rare as seeing a flying saucer!
Chef Susur Lee maintains two successful restaurants in downtown Toronto – LEE and MADELINE’S — and now has a restaurant in New York (Shang) and Washington (Zentan).