Famous people are foodies too, and some have opened restaurants to share their passion with the public. The BTAP visited some establishments in key destinations around Asia, where - if lucky - you might catch a glimpse of a veteran of the kleig lights.
BEIJING
Shanzhai
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Pass under the traditional Asian roof door, go past the waterfall walls and turn the corner into the somewhat surrealistic interior of Shanzhai, one of Beijing’s new chic dining venues, owned by Chinese megastar Zhang Ziyi (left).
The well-lit sushi bar on one side, and teppanyaki bar on the other, stand out in the darkness, resembling something like an experimental theatre where different plays are being staged simultaneously. Once your eyes adjust to the darkness, your attention will be drawn to the centrepiece at the rear of the restaurant, a larger-than-life, translucent ice Buddha sitting on a lotus flower under a giant Japanese bell.
The ebbing Buddha appears to be, well, frozen in meditation. He at once appears milky white, but then quickly shifts to red, blue, green, yellow and purple, the light emanating from some unknown source within. Tables set up in the darkness around the frozen Buddha are full with Beijing’s new generation of young beautiful people – movie stars, models, artists and the like, as much an attraction themselves as the chic restaurant.
There are two loft dining areas at opposite ends of the restaurant, with tatami mats and wooden tables made of a light wood. The table tops are flat against the tatami floor until the waitress picks up the remote control and, with a click, sends a top slowly rising several feet into the air, leaving the empty space below available to bury your feet.
WHERE IS IT? On Third Ring Road, just east of the popular nightlife neighbourhood of Sanlitun.
SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: Shanzhai, which specialises in both Japanese and Chinese dishes, says its goal is to serve up healthy organic food. The vegetables come from the restaurant’s own farm, and detailed records are kept for every stage in the life of each piece of vegetable, from farm field until dining table – and even the farmer’s name.
The menu is extensive. The Sugu (or Five Grains) Sushi, Shanzhai’s signature dish, is impressive. Avocado and crab meat are encased in seaweed and rolled within the grains, which is then garnished with a little mayonnaise and plenty of caviar. Wild grain usually tends to be dry and somewhat hard, but here the texture of the grain has been miraculously transformed into a chewy and moist sushi that retains its crispiness. The caviar adds a crispy texture.
Qinzhi zha doufu is served in a lacquered bowl sprinkled with bonito flakes and seasoned with light soy sauce on a bed of grated daikon. The tofu is perfectly fried to golden brown and is delicious. For avocado aficionados, California rolls are the best choice. Ripe avocados are packed inside the rice and caviar mixture, a break from the typical toasted sesame seeds. The tempura is deep-fried to perfection, and the dish is plentiful and cheap compared to most Japanese restaurants.
SIGHTINGS: Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the talented Ms Zhang herself here yet, but maybe we keep missing her.
VERDICT: The stunning décor, quality cooking and attentive staff won us over. Two thumbs up.
PRICE: Although some dishes can cost over US$100, if you order wisely a meal for two costs no more than US$30 excluding drinks.
CONTACT: Shanzhai Rainbow Plaza, 6 Dong Sanhuan Bei Lu, Chaoyang district, tel 86 10 6595 1199. Open daily from 1000 to 1400 and 1700 to 2200.
Paul Mooney
MANILA
Abe
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The sign outside the restaurant says: “Abe, where good friends dine”. When you enter, you realise how apt the tagline is: all seats are taken by women in their 50s giggling with high-school classmates; girlfriends celebrating a birthday; executives sharing a meal with colleagues; and balikbayans (visiting Filipinos from overseas) reconnecting with long-lost relatives. It seems like one big reunion.
“Abe” is the Capampangan (from the province of Pampanga, north of Manila) word for friend and getting together. It is also the nickname of a beloved son of Pampanga, Emilio Aguilar Cruz (1915-1991), a writer, editor, painter, connoisseur, bon vivant and gourmand. This restaurant is a tribute by his son, Larry Cruz (also a writer and gourmand), who mounted black and white photos showing his dad at work, set up an old piano and scattered more of his memorabilia and paintings around the place.
Glass windows run the whole length of the uniquely circular restaurant, allowing customers to enjoy a view of the fountain and strollers. The woven chairs, dark-timbered floors and tables are classic Filipiniana, instantly evoking nostalgia. There are no blatant tropical themes or cliché icons found in other restaurants serving local cuisine (such as the giant wooden fork and knife sets hanging on many walls). Inside, which is air conditioned, sits 80, while 40 are available for alfresco dining and accommodating smokers.
WHERE IS IT? On the ground floor of the Serendra Mall, the newest cluster of restaurants in the evolving business district of Bonifacio Global City.
SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: It’s home-cooked Filipino food with every dish elegantly presented and not too oily or overcooked. In true Larry Cruz fashion (Cruz, who is credited with setting the trend for bistro dining in Manila, owns several restaurants), you can expect successful creativity in preparing, serving, and naming his dishes.
Unlike young Filipino chefs’ gimmickry to appear impressive, the food in Abé remains recognisably familiar in taste and appearance.
Instead of the usual use of chicken or pork, the Lamb Adobo (US$7.44) is divine. No need for a knife. With a fork and spoon, the meat falls off the bones. The stew is the perfect blend of salty, sour and spicy flavours with a dozen cloves of garlic.
The tapping sound of bamboo means the waiters have arrived to serve your special rice. Bamboo Rice (US$4.14) is mountain rice cooked with shrimp, wood-ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots steamed in bamboo. The Sugpo sa Aligue ng Talangka (US$10) is a decadent dish of jumbo prawns simmered in pure tiny crab fat in olive oil and lemon. As in most well-to-do Filipino homes, the waitress, clad in a black-and-white maid’s uniform, goes around the restaurant constantly refilling your plate with steaming white rice from a basket.
Don’t miss how traditional sweets have been jazzed up. The Chocolate-eh Fondue uses the humble suman (rice snacks) deep-fried and dipped in the traditional chocolate drink. The turon sold on the streets is elevated to a fried spring roll of banana, jackfruit and ube jalea (purple yam jam).
SIGHTINGS: Larry or LJC can often be spotted at least two or three times a week enjoying a leisurely lunch with a friend or sitting inconspicuously in one corner. The who’s who of Manila society also hang out here: elite families from the posh Forbes Park or Dasmarinas villages, diplomats, world-class performers like Lea Salonga of Miss Saigon fame, former presidential daughter Irene Marcos-Araneta, businesswoman Doris Magsaysay-Ho (whose family supplies the ships of the world with their Filipino seamen) and countless socialites and politicians all drop by for their fix of country cooking in stylish surrounds.
VERDICT: Finally, a restaurant with authentic Filipino dishes in a relaxed yet classy ambiance, and attentive waiters to make you feel right at home!
PRICE: A meal for two starts from US$30.
CONTACT: Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila, tel 63 2 856 0526. Open daily from 1100 to 1500 and 1800 to 2400.
Maida C Pineda
SEOUL
Gorilla INTHEKITCHEN
WHAT’S IT LIKE? As posted on the restaurant’s website: “Gorilla symbolises power and wisdom. Power represents exercise and health, and wisdom represents food expertise and know-how.”
Since it opened in April 2006, the health-conscious and adventurous foodies alike have been seen flocking to this two-storey restaurant. And in times where less is more, a sparse minimalist décor does the trick – as seen in the restaurant’s contemporary white walls adorned only with ladles and frying flippers, floor-to-ceiling windows that allow natural lighting, exposed piping, disco ball add-ons, sleek monochrome furniture and polished timber flooring.
Aside from the achingly hip location and calorie-light food, another Gorilla INTHEKITCHEN’s big draw is its ownership (despite the spokesperson’s request to us to focus instead on the other attractions of the place). He is Korean superstar Bae Yong Joon – the dewy-eyed protagonist of the monster TV hit Winter Sonata who, until today, still manages to melt many hearts, both young and old.
The best seat in the house is definitely the one facing Dosun Park, where one can soak in nature’s ambiance. Lush greenery set against a backdrop of clear blue skies, which, we must say, reminded us of that poignant scene where Bae and his leading lady Choi Ji Woo locked in an embrace.
WHERE IS IT? In Seoul’s swinging Gangnam area, south of the Han River which divides the city. Take subway line three to Sinsa Station and from exit one, then cab it to Dosan Park. Or alight at Apgujeong Station and take a taxi from exit two.
SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: Based on the mantra of “no cream, no butter and no deep-fry”, the extensive menu – which took Korean, Japanese and Western culinary cuisines a year to develop – ranges from low-calorie milkshakes and fruit juices to appetisers and salads, to pizzas and pastas, to light mains of meat and seafood. Portions are a choice of “human” (regular) and “gorilla” (oversized).
Signature dishes include Chicken Breast and Romaine Lettuce Salad with Citron Dressing, Roasted Risotto with Diced Shrimp, Scallop and Tuna, Mushroom Pasta with Cauliflower in Cream Sauce and Cajun Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich. For lunch, we ordered the signature starters, Oven-Baked Italian Tomatoes Topped with Herb Crumbs and Onion Marmalade and Crunchy Tofu Salad with Sesame Dressing, followed by Grilled Chicken with Black Rice, all washed down with fresh fruit smoothies.
SIGHTINGS: If you’re here mainly to catch a glimpse of Bae, then prepare to be disappointed and watch him on DVD instead. When we dined there one Saturday, our companions were a yuppie crowd made up of mostly Koreans and some Japanese. The casual weekend look seemed to be designer tops paired with designer jeans.
VERDICT: A smart act, executed by a staff who are young, quick to please and trendy looking.
PRICE: A small healthy meal for two costs from US$69 with drinks.
CONTACT: 650 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-896, Korea, tel 82 2 3442 1688, www.gorillakitchen.co.kr. Open daily from 1100 to 2200 for meals, with the bar closing at 2400.
Julian Tan
SHANGHAI
SOAHC Restaurant & Tea Garden
WHAT’S IT LIKE? SOAHC seamlessly blends stone-gate shikumen (stone gate) architecture with modern style in a way that is unique and enchanting. Diners walk through the shikumen and onto a stone platform suspended over a koi pond. The pond, fed by a trickling waterfall and lit by skylight windows, is the restaurant’s signature design feature.
Other modern touches include wall-to-wall contemporary Chinese paintings and glass panels that subtly shift colours. These 21st century highlights are backdropped by the soft arches and peaked ceilings that typify Xintiandi’s shikumen-era buildings. In the evenings, soft piano music echoes from the second floor.
WHERE IS IT? It is orphaned in a remote, hard-to-find corner of Xintiandi, at the corner of Xing Ye and Huangpi roads. It is directly across Xing Ye street from one of Shanghai’s least interesting historical sights: the site of the first meeting of the Chinese Communist Party. Naturally, Xintiandi presents a wealth of after-dinner drinking options.
SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: SOAHC – the name is a play on the word “chaos” – serves Huaiyang cuisine, a more delicate and refined cousin of Shanghainese, along with a handful of Sichuan dishes. Specialties include the exceptional, melt-in-your-mouth Lion’s Head Meatball with Crab Meat, which has a palate-tickling tanginess rarely found in this tried-and-true dish. The Lotus Root Appetiser is superb, and so is the subtly spicy Sichuan Smoked Duck. The best dish may be the Yangzhou-Style Pressed Tofu in Chicken Soup, an elegant dish of vermicelli-thin strips of tofu floating in a rich, ginger-scented broth. All the teas at SOAHC are superb. Try the longjing oolong – you won’t be disappointed.
SIGHTINGS: Taiwanese owner Lily Ho was once a famous Hongkong movie star, an almond-eyed, ivory-skinned, full-bodied bombshell who played all parts with equal ease, from femme fatale to naughty vixen to innocent virgin. In 1974, at the peak of her fame, she suddenly retired and later resurfaced as a restaurateur.
Ho is often at the restaurant – she personally designed much of the tableware and decorations and she helps create new dishes each month. She can often be found at SOAHC’s best table – the one right in front of the koi pond. Try to reserve it before she gets there!
VERDICT: Tasty, authentic Hangzhou cuisine in a very “Shanghai” atmosphere.
PRICE: A meal for two is about US$80.
CONTACT: No. 3, Lane 123, Xing Ye Road, Xintiandi, tel 86 21 6385 7777/88. Open daily from 1100 to 2200.
Brent Hannon
PHUKET
Silk Restaurant & Bar
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Hongkong’s Lan Kwai Fong has come to Phuket in the form of Silk, a restaurant from business maverick Allan Zeman (left) of the prolific Lan Kwai Fong Entertainment Group. Silk has positioned itself to serve Phuket’s growing population of villa-owning millionaires and those flying in on private jets staying in US$2,000-per-night rooms.
Silk perhaps outshines the venue which formerly boasted this mantle, Baan Rim Pa. Silk’s traditional Thai menu offers all the local staples, but done with style and flair. Alfresco dining meets the Bed Supper Club, comfortable opium beds can be booked on the balcony and the larger indoor dining area is decorated with overhanging tropical blooms and Thai art pieces.
The bar is also a cool place to hang out before or after dinner or just for a drink, and the local glitterati never arrive before 10pm.
WHERE IS IT? On the top floor of The Plaza Surin overlooking Surin beach.
SPECIALITY OF THE HOUSE: Gaeng Kathi Neu Poo, or blue crab meat with basil in red curry, is undoubtedly the restaurant’s most popular order. But don’t discount the Goong Sarong or deep-fried prawns wrapped in Phuket noodles served with mango and chilli sauce.
SIGHTINGS: Zeman has at least one lunch or dinner at Silk when he is on the island – locals say he’s there every month – where he maintains a luxurious pad near the establishment. High-profile golfers and other internationally known faces have been known to visit the bar, but management is mum about their identities.
VERDICT: The food matches the effort put into Silk’s interiors and theme. Like other Zeman projects, this guarantees many return visits.
PRICE: A meal for two starts from US$50 without drinks.
CONTACT: The Plaza Surin, 5/50 Moo 3, Cherng Talay Sub. District, Thalang District, Phuket 83110, Thailand, tel 66 76 271 702. Open from midday to midnight, although kitchen is closed from 1430 to 1830 but bar services goes on.
Mark Armsden
TOKYO
Unbalance
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Owned by retired Hawaiian-born sumo wrestler Konishiki, the restaurant reflects his two distinct cultures and cuisines.
Diners are met at reception by a life-size image of the 290-kilo giant, then choose one of three very different dining rooms. The first is modern Hawaiian, with a bright clean look and wall images of laid-back island life. A small bar offers prime views of the stage, where acts regularly come to perform, turning the space into an impromptu dance hall.
The second dining room has a traditional Japanese décor with dark wood walls. Diners can sit at regular tables, a long central communal table or more private screened-off areas. A large clay pot dominates the room, it contains a special blend of shouchu made just for the restaurant. Many regular diners are such fans of the blend they keep their own clay containers of the drink here, personalised with a name tag. The third dining room is a sushi bar. Light and airy diners sit at the sushi bar and watch as the chefs create each individual bite.
WHERE IS IT? Part of the sprawling Tokyo Dome complex in Korakuen, it sits alongside shops, a rollercoaster and a Japanese onsen (spa).
SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE: The Japanese dining room serves Chanko-nabe, a stew containing meats, vegetables, seafood and stock. Cooked at your table, each party shares the one pot meal, the dish of choice for sumo wrestlers and very popular in the colder seasons for its ability to warm the cold Tokyo nights. Once all the items have been eaten from the pot, diners can choose to add rice or noodles, which soak up the final flavours. The most popular dish in the Hawaiian room is the Kalua Pig. Using a traditional Hawaiian cooking technique, the meat is slow cooked in large tea leaves, giving it a unique flavour.
SIGHTINGS: The big man himself is extremely hands on. Passionate about food, he dines here regularly and is still so famous in Japan that he causes a stir whenever he appears. Diners have a chance to see his softer side when he takes to the stage once a month to perform traditional Hawaiian music alongside a roster of his own acts.
VERDICT: An intriguing mix of cultures and cuisines in a comfortable setting.
PRICE: A meal for two starts from US$65 excluding drinks.
CONTACT: LaQua Tokyo Dome City, 1-1-1 Kasuga, Bunkyou-ku, Tokyo 112-003, Japan, tel 81 3 3868 7272. Open daily from 1100 to 2300.
Kate Graham
