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December 1, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Restaurateur driven by taste for good life

By Xu Wenwen | December 1, 2016, Thursday | Print Edition

EIGHT years ago, Alex Lang decided to quit his job as an attorney in Shanghai and became a waiter. Suiting up and going to court everyday left his face with a permanent frown, one that even his high salary couldn’t unknit. What truly soothed his soul was food and wine.

After an extended world backpacking tour, he eventually settled in Hangzhou. One day, at Lang’s favorite American bistro in the city, he asked the manager, “Do you need more waiters?”

“My work should combine my life and my hobbies,” Lang said. “That was the big thing that motivated my question, and it’s still true now.”

From that moment, his life was forever changed. After cutting his teeth in kitchens and food service, he eventually moved on to run three Western restaurants in Hangzhou and is now regularly hired as a consultant by others in the business.

Lang estimates that he’s worked for, or with, about one-third of Hangzhou’s non-hotel Western eateries. Over the years, he’s also become one of the city’s main boosters for this burgeoning corner of the local food-and-beverage market.

Unlike the neighboring Shanghai, which has had a strong connection with foreign cultures and foods for over a century, Hangzhou’s culinary scene only started embracing Western cuisine about a decade ago.

Complete experience

Lang’s own journey in the dining world has been equally rapid. After working as a dish washer for just 10 percent of his salary as an attorney, he was promoted to server. This put him into contact with diners and chefs.

“I talked to customers about their preferences, visited cooks to see how they worked, and looked for what else I could do to improve the dining experience.”

Gradually, Lang developed an interest in Western wine, so he hopped over to Vineyard Cafe. The restaurant, which is now known as Wade’s Bar and Grill, is also a popular hang-out for Hangzhou expats.

It was there that Lang became a certified sommelier with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

“When I was a lawyer, I learned because I had to,” he said. “But when I became a sommelier, I learned because I was really into it.”

As he saw it, tasting fine wine was a much better way to spend an evening than reading briefs and case files.

During his two years at Vineyard, the young man had sampled thousands of different types of wine. When making wine recommendations, he said he learned how to take into account the customer, the time of day and even the weather.

By 2011, he was working as a manager at the high-end Italian restaurant Mulinaccio, where he learned the secrets of cooking and food preparation from an Italian chef.

At this restaurant, kitchen staff took every aspect of their job seriously, according to Lang. They would sometimes experiment dozens of times just with presentation techniques. Waitstaff also followed strict instructions for everything from fork and knife placement to serving drinks.

“Gradually, I found Chinese restaurants focused on food only; while Western restaurants offer atmosphere as well as food,” said Lang.

“Also, Chinese food culture emphasizes people gathering together, while Western culture is more about enjoying life,” he explained, adding that few Western restaurants in Hangzhou understood this distinction as he was rising through the culinary ranks.

So when Lang started his own businesses, lifestyle and experience were definitely high on his priority list.

For examples, art is the theme at Bernini Art Space on Nanshan Road. This restaurant, in which Lang is co-founder, is divided into a cafe, a restaurant, a studio, a bar and a gallery.

At the Carbon Restaurant run by Lang — located opposite to Broken Bridge, one of China’s most romantic destinations — French windows let in spectacular views. During evenings, candles are lit to create a romantic ambience.

And Carbon Spanish Restaurant, located in a shopping complex, holds a regular weekend handicraft market. Salsa, tango and swing dance parties are also held here.

Next year, Lang plans to open a venue that sells farm produce and offers cooking workshops.

“Eight years ago, I freed myself from a job that was not attractive to me anymore. Now I hope my restaurants can convey a passion for life to other people,” he said.

Hangzhou


 

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