French chefs prepare gala dinners at Park Hyatt
Print Edition
PARK Hyatt Shanghai’s annual Masters of Food & Wine showcase returned to the city for a sixth year with an indulgent gastronomical experience. Four gala dinners were presented by chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants in France from November 22 to 25.
The culinary masters at this year’s event included Georges Blanc, César Troisgros, Michel Rostang and Jean-Pierre Vigato, who each prepared a dinner for 70 guests featuring signature dishes from their own restaurants.
“The idea was to bring together, in our modern Chinese residence, artisans who have mastered their work over a lifetime, allowing the unparalleled service and facilities of our property to complement this extraordinary culinary, artistic and lifestyle experience,” said Etienne Dalançon, general manager of Park Hyatt Shanghai.
After the dinners, two chefs, Vigato and Rostang, talked with Shanghai Daily about their cooking and inspirations.
Born outside Paris in Conflans Sainte Honorine, Vigato started to work in a kitchen at the age of 14.
He opened Apicius in 1984, which earned its first Michelin star after one year, followed by a second star three years later. The restaurant now sits on rue d’Artois, which is only a short stroll from the Champs-Elysees.
The 2016 Masters of Food & Wine event was Vigato’s first time as a guest chef in China. Prior to this, his only exposure to Shanghai was a single day spent in the city two decades ago.
“Coming back now, it’s very different from 20 years ago. Everything is different,” he said. “I would like to come back for a longer time; travel just for tourism, just to meet Chinese people and understand what China is because it’s a very big country; very interesting. I think this country is a very old country and a new country too.”
His dinner in Shanghai featured quintessentially French dishes from Apicius, starting with oysters in sea water jell. This was followed by a potato charlotte with salted butter, chive and osetra caviar, a porcini mushroom chutney and Alba white truffle sabayon and a combo of roasted lamb rack and crispy pig trotters.
For dessert, Vigato brought a house specialty, “Guanaja” chocolate soufflé with sugar-free whipped cream.
“The dinner was a mix of the most important recipes since Apicius first existed,” he explained.
Vigato emphasized the importance of incorporating the produce of each season to create fantastic dishes.
“Cooking in France is easier than a lot of countries, each season gives us some produce and something new,” he said. “The first rule in cooking is to find the best produce, and afterward try to imagine something new...”
Rostang is a veteran in the Paris culinary scene. He founded his first gastronomic restaurant, now named Maison Rostang, in 1978. It was awarded its first Michelin star in 1979 and a second in 1980.
He also opened Le Bistrot d’à Coté Flaubert in 1987, just around the corner from his restaurant. This was one of the first bistros in Paris from a Michelin starred chef to offer affordable dining in a friendly environment.
Rostang has opened more than 10 other restaurants and bistros in Paris, including a seafood restaurant, brasseries and even a meat restaurant called le Café des Abattoirs.
His dinner in Shanghai featured specialties from his restaurants in Paris. The first dish was quail egg in sea urchin shell, one of his first recipes as well as a favorite today.
“The sea urchin (dish) was created 35 years ago. We take the sea urchin, clean it, put quail egg in it and cook in a steam oven,” he said. “I like sea urchin; it’s very special. In France, we eat sea urchin raw, on the sea. For us it’s better to prepare the sea urchin.”
The menu also featured a ginger flavored tourteau crab, zucchini coated with osetra caviar, a cream of porcini mushroom and shellfish infused with Jura yellow wine, a Brittany blue lobster preserved in bergamot butter, stuffed artichoke and a shrimp crusted pigeon breast with tangy turnips.
Rostang is also inspired by the seasons and their specific produce, like morel mushrooms and asparagus in spring, green beans in summer, game in autumn and black truffles in winter. His quote to live by is “Bonne cuisine et bon vin, c’est le paradis sur terre,” meaning “Good food and good wine, that’s paradise on earth,” which was said by King of France Henri IV (1553-1610).
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