SHANGHAI STARS

The Michelin Guide published its first edition on the Chinese mainland for 2017. China Daily’s asked the chefs of several starred restaurants in Shanghai to pick a dish they think helped them win their awards.

Kanpai Classic (one star) Wagyu beef and sea urchin sushi roll Kanpai Classic is the only yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat) restaurant to have won a star in the inaugural Michelin Guide Shanghai.

Chef Ryo Ishihara believes that the dish that helped his restaurant stand out among the hundreds of others in the city is the Wagyu beef and sea urchin sushi roll. While marbled beef has long been a favorite on the grill because of its fat content, chef Ishihara believes that it is the leaner part of the meat that has been underrated. He says that he decided to pair the meat with sea urchin, a coveted seafood in Shanghai, because it added a different flavor dimension and visual appeal to the dish.

“Cooking is like math. Mediocre cooking is doing addition. Good cooking is about multiplication,” says Ishihara.

Jinxuan Chinese Restaurant of Ritz-Carlton Pudong, Shanghai (one star)

Braised Chilean cod with mushroom and spring onions in casserole

If there is one thing chef Daniel Wong has learned during the 24 years he has spent in Cantonese kitchens, it is that the freshness of fish is determined by the minute. For Wong, that means fish should only be steamed.

To preserve freshness, however, Wong has his fish delivered braised, a quick browning step over high heat; then he adds a little liquid to finish cooking the fish. The dish has become a yearround favorite.

“To qualify as a chef, you only need hands to follow the rules and cook. To excel, you need everything above your neck,” says Wong.