From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

With the annual awards for the world's top ten restaurants approaching, information on this year's top ten restaurants has finally been published in food magazines both in China and abroad.

This also let everyone in China know that there really is a Chinese restaurant among this year's top ten restaurants in the world.

This restaurant is Feng Zhengming's old villa restaurant.

The announcement of this news truly caused a stir among many people across the country.

Just like announcing Beijing's successful bid for the Olympics, it was an exciting moment for everyone.

In the past few years, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, most Chinese people have lost some confidence in their own country's products.

The impact of various foreign business and cultural influences has led many people in China to blindly trust foreign countries.

Many people naturally assume that everything abroad is better than what is available in China.

Just like Feng Zhengming's various self-promotions, on the surface many people are supporting him.

In fact, many people also have doubts about Feng Zhengming.

Those who question him might think that Feng Zhengming's Chinese food is only popular in China, and certainly won't work abroad.

Some people who question Feng Zhengming believe that he doesn't dare to go abroad at all, because once he does, his skills are insignificant on the international stage.

This time, Feng Zhengming received the award for one of the top ten restaurants of the year, certified by the International Gastronomic Association.

This was a resounding slap in the face to those who doubted others.

This is an international organization that you admire, and you've judged it using their standards.

Ultimately, Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant, using domestic culinary skills, successfully gained recognition and won the title of one of the world's top ten restaurants.

This truly shattered all doubts.

Meanwhile, at the invitation of the International Gastronomy Association, chefs from other restaurants that received the title of Top Ten Restaurants also came to Shanghai one after another.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, many of them immediately booked dinner at the Old House Restaurant.

The chefs of these top restaurants also wanted to see how Feng Zhengming managed to get into the world's top ten.

Feng Zhengming could roughly guess that the chefs of those top ten restaurants from other countries would definitely want to learn from him when they came to Shanghai.

So he didn't stop operating and continued to prepare for business diligently every day.

Feng Zhengming will not deliberately pander to anyone, nor will he make any special improvements to the dishes.

He simply maintains the unique character of his restaurant, regardless of the type of customers.
So when the chefs of other top ten restaurants overseas came to the Old House Restaurant.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard of the old house, everything brought them a slight sense of awe.

Before coming here, many chefs had a stereotypical view that China was still in a backward state, and that this old-style restaurant might be very old-fashioned.

But once they stepped into the courtyard, they witnessed what true Chinese garden design is.

Upon entering, one is greeted by bamboo groves, complemented by artistic designs that perfectly match the old-style house.

This made these chefs from the world's top ten restaurants realize that they had underestimated Chinese cuisine.

The aesthetic design of the courtyard alone made them feel that having a meal in such a place was definitely worthwhile.

Once you step into the courtyard and out of the bamboo grove, you'll feel a sense of sudden openness and tranquility.

Then in front of you is a three-story old-style villa, and a beautiful garden corresponding to it.

This unique reflection gives the impression that the house is situated in a sea of ​​flowers.

What the chefs found most incredible was that when they arrived here, they felt as if they had entered someone's home and been invited to a family dinner.

This naturally reminded the chefs of a comment given to this old-style restaurant by the International Gastronomy Association this year.

"A quiet courtyard in the heart of the city, where a sense of warmth, like coming home, always envelops you, allowing you to find a taste of home."

These chefs from the top ten restaurants abroad did indeed have a similar feeling when standing outside the restaurant.

Upon arriving at the old villa, well-dressed waiters awaited us, much like butlers waiting for their guests to return home.

Politely inquire about the guest's identity and the table they reserved.

Next, they will lead the guests inside, where there will be a dedicated cloakroom where they can put their coats and hats.

Afterwards, staff will guide guests upstairs to their reserved private rooms.

Once you sit down, a server will immediately ask if you would like tea or another beverage.

Along with the drinks, some snacks are also served as accompaniments.

Only then will today's menu be handed to the customer.

The staff will provide a detailed introduction to today's menu and inform guests of any additional dishes they wish to try.

All of these arrangements made the chefs from the top ten restaurants in the world feel very welcome.

One of the chefs ordered a dish that they were particularly curious about from the menu.

Since the menu is finalized on the same day, there won't be any corresponding photos.

Therefore, when customers order, the staff will provide detailed explanations.

In order to entertain foreign guests, Feng Zhengming also specially hired some service staff who were fluent in foreign languages.

This makes it possible for foreign guests to order dishes individually.

After hearing the introductions to each dish, the chefs who came tonight were filled with curiosity about the dishes.

Many of their dishes are prepared in ways quite different from those in restaurants abroad.

So they were very curious whether the dishes in Feng Zhengming's restaurant, prepared in a Chinese style, would taste good.
After the order was placed and the staff left the room.

The chefs who came specifically for tonight have also started exchanging ideas with each other.

"This restaurant makes me feel very comfortable."

"Yes, it's very comfortable, it really feels like coming home."

"This seems to be the home of our Chef Feng?"

"Haha, that's right, this is indeed his home, so we've come here to his home."

"Do you think Chef Feng's dishes are as delicious as the food critics' association described?"

"While the members of the Food and Beverage Association may be somewhat unfair in their evaluations of other restaurants, they should be fairly impartial in their assessments of the top ten restaurants of the year."

"Let's wait for the food to arrive, then we can take a look and talk."

"That's right, we have to wait for the food to be served before we can taste it."

Some chefs believe that since Feng Zhengming can be ranked among the top ten chefs in the restaurant industry, he must have a certain level of skill.

Some chefs, however, are inherently arrogant and don't think much of Feng Zhengming's culinary skills.

However, soon, the dishes they ordered began to be served one by one.

The chefs from these top ten restaurants abroad were completely blown away.

Many of them had never tasted Chinese food before.

Or even if you've eaten Chinese food, it's usually some kind of modified version of Chinese food from abroad.

Those should be considered Western-style Chinese food.

Both the cooking techniques and seasonings are clearly more Westernized, and have little to do with Chinese cuisine.

Seeing the dishes Feng Zhengming served today truly gave them a glimpse into what Chinese cuisine is all about. From the choice of plates to the presentation, every dish displayed a unique Chinese aesthetic.

Just by looking at them, no chef would say that these dishes are not visually appealing.

To make it easier for these international guests to enjoy the food, although the dishes are served as a whole plate, the staff will serve each customer a separate serving.

They were divided into individual plates so that they could taste each dish one by one.

This format is something that some chefs have never experienced before.

They used to spend most of their time abroad, so their habit is to serve dishes one by one, with each dish served individually on a small plate.

But today, Feng Zhengming's dishes are not served individually on separate plates.

Each dish is served at once, and then the staff divides them into individual plates.

Although this is different from their previous habits.

However, even after dividing the food into small plates, each plate was still presented individually, which the chefs found somewhat unbelievable.

From the moment they tasted the first dish, the chefs fell into a collective silence.

The room was quiet, and everyone was enjoying each dish.

From the very first dish, the nine people in the private room remained silent.

This surprised even the staff member in charge of the room.

Even when she starts introducing the dishes, she feels somewhat awkward, worrying whether she might affect the guests.
Fortunately, each time she made an introduction, the guests would look up and nod in response.

Otherwise, the staff in the private rooms would really be hesitant to introduce each dish.

Finally, all nine dishes ordered by the nine people were served.

All nine people had finished eating all nine dishes.

The staff then asked if the nine people would like some staple food.
"We have bread, pasta, and paella available here."

One of the chefs asked curiously, "Do locals eat these too?"

The staff member replied, "Our local customers might choose rice, or steamed buns, dumplings, or some might choose our hand-pulled noodles."

When introducing the hand-pulled noodles, the waiter even made a special gesture to explain.

The nine chefs who were also named among the top ten restaurants each chose a staple food from China.

After the staff left, the nine people finally began to talk.

"I was quite surprised by tonight's food; I didn't expect it to taste so good."

"It's great. I feel like the head chef here is a real genius."

"I never imagined that those ingredients could be prepared that way."

"It's not that we haven't thought about it, but the approach we take might differ from his."

"Yes, his seasoning is close to our taste, but it is fundamentally different from our seasoning."

"I think there are some dishes that we probably can't replicate with seasoning."

"Yes, yes, like that sea cucumber, paired with that hydrangea, and the sauce drizzled on the sea cucumber, the taste is really special, with a strong scallion flavor, and a subtle sweetness that is very delicious."

"And that hydrangea was absolutely delicious. The silk wrapping retained its individual texture, and the combination was truly wonderful."

"Does this mean we're making them seem even more amazing than we are?"

The last person's words made everyone else in the room laugh.

Just then, the staff brought over their main course.

Some ordered hand-pulled noodles, some ordered steamed buns, and some ordered dumplings.

These are examples of dishes that the nine overseas restaurant chefs had all eaten abroad, but the taste was indeed somewhat different from what they ate here.

The dumplings were specially prepared by Feng Zhengming, filled with mackerel.

The steamed buns are Feng Zhengming's improved version of the Five-Ingredient Steamed Buns.

The hand-pulled noodles are also made with yellow croaker soup as a base, and topped with tender fish slices.

After finishing the previous nine dishes, these main courses left the nine chefs feeling quite satisfied.

After the main course, the dessert included some distinctive Chinese pastries.

The nine chefs did not order a single Western dish today; they chose only Chinese dishes.

Even for dessert, they chose Chinese-style dim sum.

These Chinese-style items allowed them to truly appreciate the charm of Chinese cuisine.

While they were eating dessert, Feng Zhengming happened to come to their room.

Stepping into this room, I saw nine foreign faces.

Feng Zhengming had almost guessed their identities and intentions.

After instructing the staff to close the door, Feng Zhengming entered the room and greeted the nine chefs with a smile.

"Welcome to the nine chefs of this year's top ten restaurants."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, all nine people stood up.

They looked at each other and then all laughed.

Since everyone knows their own identities, there's not much to hide.

Feng Zhengming was invited to sit down, and the ten chefs of this year's top ten restaurants began a friendly exchange.

During the exchange, the nine chefs from abroad were more curious about some of Feng Zhengming's seasoning techniques.

After tasting it, they felt that Feng Zhengming was very bold in his use of seasoning.

They were curious whether Chinese cooking was just this bold in its seasoning.
Feng Zhengming: "It's not that Chinese food is bold in its seasoning; it's just that there are so many flavors to choose from in Chinese cuisine. In different regions, people's taste preferences will be different."

In Shanghai, for example, the local cuisine tends to be sweeter. You'll definitely notice this if you visit some local restaurants.

If you go south, the seasoning there will be sweeter and much milder, as they will focus on bringing out the natural flavor of the ingredients.

However, if you go north, the seasoning will be saltier and a bit stronger, meaning it will be quite salty.

As you head west, you'll gradually encounter more spicy and numbing flavors, as well as some rather unique and unusual tastes.

Then if you go southwest, you'll find a sour, spicy and sour taste there.

In short, our country is very large, with a vast geographical area, so there will be significant differences in tastes between people in different regions.

After listening to Feng Zhengming's account, the nine chefs couldn't help but realize that they had really underestimated Chinese cuisine in the past.

They then realized that the country was indeed very large, and it was not surprising that people in different parts of such a large country would have different tastes.

The nine chefs told Feng Zhengming that perhaps they would have the opportunity to travel around China and experience the flavors of more different places.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Welcome. We are never stingy with our friends. I believe you will be welcomed wherever you go."

Ten chefs, selected as the top ten restaurants of the year by the International Gastronomy Association, met at Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant and chatted about their ideas on cooking.

Each of them gained a new understanding of different dishes from their own unique ideas. (End of Chapter)