Since the closure of their previous venture SALT, executive chef Camila Betin and her team have upped sticks to 798 for a new challenge. Located in an old military factory, it’s an intimate restaurant by day and city-wide catering service by night, with the occasional cooking workshop or competition thrown in for good measure.
What’s the idea behind FACTORY?
With FACTORY we wanted to create more than just a restaurant – it’s a center for food. On top of a rotating set-menu lunch venue, we have a catering service and a big open kitchen space for workshops and events.
What’s the biggest challenge for a catering business?
Everyone demands so much for such a low price! With catering, clients tell us their budget and then we come up with the menu to fit that. In a restaurant it’s the complete opposite. And since food is often prepared on-site at events, you have to deal with a lack of equipment and resources: no utensils, no sink, no running water. You have to take so much with you – it’s a bit like going camping. It’s less about being creative, more about survival.
What’s the secret to hosting a great dinner party?
Know your guests. Ask them what they like to eat. People like attention, so don’t spend all your time in the kitchen. Working in a smaller restaurant like FACTORY I’ve come to realize that. I can actually get out among the guests, talk to them and hear what they have to say.
Tell us about the cuisine.
I source most of the ingredients depending on the season and what I find in the local markets, so the lunch set menu changes each month. I’m Brazilian and my cooking background is mainly Italian but overall it’s simply contemporary. There’s a touch of Asian but it’s not fusion – it’s freestyle. One of my favorites is pumpkin and lemongrass mousseline with seared scallops and coconut foam. And our black cod with potato, chorizo and Spanish beans has been popular.
Why 798?
If we’d gone to an area like Sanlitun, we’d have just been another restaurant among all the crowds. We’re offering something a bit different and that suits 798, an art district where an offbeat dining scene is developing. Plus, this area is about creation and production and we’re housed in an old military factory – it fits. There is a craftsmanship to what we do, but it’s simple. I’m not interested in molecular gastronomy, I want food that looks like food.
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