Jason Atherton has been very busy in the years following the April 2011 launch of his flagship restaurant, Pollen Street Social. Since then, he’s also set up shop in London, New York, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Doha, Cebu and St. Moritz with no signs of slowing down. Three of his newest endeavors are in the hotel, and we checked in with the no-nonsense chef (don’t you dare call him a celebrity chef) to see how they are performing and his favorite dishes at each.
How has operating a restaurant in Shanghai changed since you opened Table No. 1 in 2010?
A lot. Eight years is a long time, and so much has transformed, with countless chefs and concepts coming and going. It’s interesting to watch a scene develop this much. You see people like Paul Pairet and Nicolas Le Bec flourish, but Martin Berastegui, who has restaurants all over the world, only lasted a few months. There’s no secret formula for restaurants. You just have a hunch that you’ve got a great concept, and sometimes they work.
How do you approach launching new concepts in Shanghai?
I think it’s [about] understanding [the market] and speaking to a lot of people. In addition to accepting feedback, you need to embrace and become part of the local food community. Just because you’re an international chef doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from a guy who’s had a local place here for 20 years.
Image by Simon Huang/That's
How would you say the restaurants at The Shanghai EDITION are performing so far?
Good, HIYA is already off the charts, while Canton Disco's slowly increasing in popularity. At Shanghai Tavern, we could be doing better, and a lot of that is people getting used to what we do. Some will dismiss it as a hotel restaurant, but we have a vision for it as a restaurant and a brand in its own right – just like Berners Tavern in London.
How involved are you with the management of the restaurants when you aren’t in town?
I’m highly involved in the style and operations, of course. We have weekly meetings online. I’m as involved here as I am in all my restaurants. People call me a celebrity chef, but that’s nonsense. I’m a chef and a restaurateur. That’s what I do.
“There's no secret formula for restaurants”
Do you find it difficult to maintain balance with restaurants all over the world?
I don’t, I just get on with it. What’s a work-life balance? It doesn’t exist. You work quite hard and focus to be the best you possibly can. Just be kind to people, be humble, be respectful and don’t judge people. Judge yourself.
Finally, if you could only order three dishes, one dish from each of the restaurants in the hotel what would they be?
At Shanghai Tavern, it would be the mac and cheese because it’s pure indulgent comfort food. Your gym instructor would freak out. For Canton Disco, it’s the roast pork, because I know the massive effort that goes into making it. Then at HIYA, I have to say the sashimi. We use fish bones to make the dressing instead of serving them with soy sauce dip. It’s all beautifully dressed for the flavor as we believe it should be.
[Cover photo by Simon Huang/That's]
See listing for The Shanghai EDITION here.
0 User Comments