Shanghai dining trends that deserve to die

Shanghai’s dining scene makes this city, but sometimes the culinary arena gets a bit too over zealous leading to dining trends we’d happily write obituaries for

They came, they cooked, they made our stomachs turn -- we'll happily put some of Shanghai's recent dining trends into the ground.

Each year, trendy restaurants arise, eager amateurs try to copycat them and laughable disasters result -- think canned fruit cocktail on Hawaiian pizza and Kraft dinner cheese sauce on tacos. These experiments and other failed dining trends assault the hungry masses.

Chef Eric Brown, former head chef at Mexico Lindo, Finestre and Pinnacle Peak, and now head chef at the 2010 Expo Spanish Pavilion gives us the view from amid the fray.


Dining trend 1: Mexican
“One of the biggest dining trends I’ve noticed is Mexican food, and it has blown up in a big way,” Brown says.

It started in the fall of 2009, he recalls, with Mexico Lindo, then Maya and then Cantina Agave (1/F, 291 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu 富民路291号, 近长乐路). Those leaders are still doing well, Brown notes. However, the copycats have encircled us now.

Beware of burritos filled with mystery meat, pale guacamole and unidentifiable fried objects -- are those even beans?

Brown puts it simply: “People aren't executing the dishes how they're supposed to be. Slow cooking the meats is essential, as is cornmeal. Mexican is based a lot around maize, or cornmeal. It’s a staple.”

Flour just won’t do, muchachos!

Lesson learned: There’s no substitute for the real ingredients.



Dining trend 2: Italian
“There is nothing worse than overpaying for cardboard and ketchup and someone calling it a pizza,” Brown laments.

He’s not exaggerating, ketchup is frequently used for tomato sauce in “copycat” restaurants. Oops!

Higher prices doesn’t guarantee higher quality either. Brown hesitantly admits he’s had “glorified egg noodles and cheese” served at a well-known venue in town. “I have had better cafeteria food when I was in high school,” he jokes.

“Italian is old world food. It is centered around sauces and the longer you cook them the better they will be,” Brown says. Fast Italian just doesn’t work.

Lesson learned: Slow and steady wins the dining race.



Dining trend 3: French
In the French department, Brown gives the nod to Laris and Jean-Georges, where the food is “always past exceptional,” but wish we could say the same for the ubiquitous, more affordable bakery-cafes. The breads are baffling.

On of the most popular dining trends is the oblong “baguette” loaf that has a 3D shape, appears to exist, yet has zero texture or taste. How is it possible?

“French, as most cuisines, is territorial. It’s all about the ingredients you have around you, so it’s a struggle trying to create dishes in a foreign country,” Brown explains. “That’s why it’s so expensive.” That special je ne sais quois doesn’t come cheaply.

Lesson learned: Breads might seem basic, but just because it’s a staple doesn’t mean it’s easy to do well.



Dining trend 4: Tapas
“Tapas is one of the most overplayed dining trends. The market is definitely flooded,” says Brown.

Brown fears that “if enough people do it badly, it will give it a bad name and people will stop going. El Willy does it better than anyone, and now others are jumping on board, mucking it all up. A huge factor is having the right people there after you have left the restaurant.”

Restaurateurs can’t hire a specialized chef for two weeks to train the staff and then let the chef go. Fast gourmet doesn’t work as well as fast fashion.

Lesson learned: Two weeks of training doesn’t make up for experience in the kitchen.

Although we’ll never complain about the breadth of the Shanghai dining scene, flash-flooding a market to capitalize on dining trends, is the ultimate trend that must die.


source: cnngo.com