大紅大紫之前的Top Chef

Sooner or later Jacky Xue will end up in a European-style house with a nice garden and terrace in Shanghai’s prestigious French Concession. His Italian restaurant might still be called “Top Chef”， as the current one on the humble Mengzi Road. But the new restaurant won’t be so easily accessible. We might have to wait for three months for a table， even if we are happy to swallow an astronomic bill， for Jacky’s will almost certainly be a Michelin one-star or two-star， even three-star restaurant hotly pursued by movie stars， celebrities and everyone else who wants to be seen at the right place. It is unlikely that Jacky will come to pick up the phone himself and humor our willful dining habits anymore. Before that day inevitably comes， let’s “Occupy Top Chef” for the moment.

A restaurant that might delight a TV playwright

I have watched a lot of Japanese TV dramas and I think Jacky’s restaurant on Mengzi Road in Shanghai might delight an observant Japanese playwright. One walks in and can immediately sense that there are many stories going on， and there are many colorful characters with interesting life stories coming to this place. But why Mengzi road? Why not the French Concession， Xintiandi， the Bund and Lujiazui?

“This is my first own restaurant and I don’t want to start with an exorbitant rent，” admitted Jacky， “But I know guests would find out and come， for my dishes are simply too good，” he was quick to add. Indeed， the restaurant broke even in three months. Don’t take your chance with Top Chef – you need to book in advance to secure a table.

“Out of 100 guests， 96 come back frequently， 4 regret that they don’t live in Shanghai. They always take away a large pile of cards to distribute to their friends，” Jacky proudly told me.

“Your guests seem to be rich guys of leisure?”

“Probably， I don’t see a lot of young couples.” Jacky has a lot of Japanese guests， who seem to be particularly fastidious on the one hand and extremely appreciative on the other. There is this Japanese guy who either eats in or goes to Jacky’s; there are no other options. He often takes a taxi at midday， coming all the way from Jiangsu Road， has a full course for two hours， and leaves with great satisfaction.

Our conversation was frequently interrupted， for Jacky had to stand up to say hi to guests constantly walking in. The reason he knows his guests so well because he spends half of his time chatting with guests and finds out what they really like， so he can serve better.

Jacky is at the restaurant for 365 days a year. In principle he doesn’t take days off. When he did， he went away for a month to Europe. His guests were supportive， knowing he would come back with great new ideas. Some told him， “Don’t worry about the restaurant， we will watch it over for you and make sure your staff work as hard.”

Jacky had an unforgettable meal in Tre Caci on the outskirt of Florence. He had lobster grilled at 450 degree with sea salt. He loved it so much that he put it on his menu as soon as he went back to work.

Senior expatriate executives sometimes beg Jacky to offer catering services for their corporate functions for 200， 600 people. Jacky summons his part-time crew， his old pupils and protégés. The crew would often have to work for 24-hour in a row for a large event. They work hard but are always gratified.

Jacky is not thirty yet. Top Chef cannot quite conceal the purity， innocence， energy and excitement of the young chef and his young crew. As the Brits love to say， Jacky’s is the best-kept secret of the town.

“Not talented”

I watched Jacky making a new dish in his small kitchen - lamb sausage. Jacky used New Zealand lamb and took the part on the leg with some fat. An assistant put the lamb in a grinder for half an hour， adding a dozen of imported spices – sea salt， black pepper， shredded onion， garlic powder， olive oil， button， cumin and locally-sourced rosemary. Jacky took a spoon and put it in the oven. He tasted it and added more salt to the grinder. He then used his fingers to carefully open the small intestines of the goat and added some olive oil， to make the inside smooth. He inserted grinded lamb into the intestines and had a knot at every 6cm interval.

“Once clients have ordered， we would cut three sections and put it into oven，” explained Jacky. “This is a classical Spanish dish， and we are probably the first restaurant in Shanghai to offer it.” said Jacky.

“Jacky， is top chef born or trained?”

“I had no talents whatsoever，” Jacky was very honest. “I grew up in an ordinary family and was happy to be fed with whatever available. I started to appreciate fine food only after I studied with my Japanese master. I was the dumbest one and was scolded more than anyone else. But nobody worked as hard and eventually I turned out to be the best.”

Jacky wouldn’t tell me the name of his Japanese master， except that he was the No. 1 Italian chef in Japan and rather low key. Jacky studied under him for four years， including two years in a Ginza restaurant in Tokyo. He had to put in 14-15 hours of work every day， but he never complained and it simply never occurred to him to give up. Nevertheless Jacky is extremely grateful to his master and for his experience in Japanese. He said it proved better than spending 6-7 years in Italy. He had learned the Japanese work ethics and pursuit of excellence， which is extremely important.

Jacky did eventually go to Italy， spending two years at ICIF， a famous cooking school in Turin. Before graduation， the principal recommended him to the chief executive of the Italian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The chief executive had asked him to make two courses as an exam. Jacky made a simple mixed appetizer and the chief executive said， “Don’t bother making the second one. You are superior to us Italians.” Jacky ended up working for 6 months at the Italian pavilion， working on Berlusconi’s 1600-people banquet， the Ferrari reception and all the other high-profile events.

“Jacky， why are you so great?”

“I learn the best of three worlds – the exquisiteness and dedication of the Japanese， the artistic expression and fine tastes of the Europeans and the flexibility of the Chinese. I simply put it all together.”

Jacky told me chefs need to be extremely sensitive about the quality and possibility of ingredients. Without best ingredients， all the skills in the world lead you nowhere. That’s why some Michelin chefs came to Shanghai and eventually left in dismay.

In a business with notorious high turnover， Jacky’s team is remarkably stable. Jacky said his employees would not leave for double the pay. At Top Chef， it is not just a job; it is a dream， a stage where you can change your life with your hard work， just like the boss that you adore.

Michelin star not a dream

Mainland China doesn’t have a Michelin three-star chef yet. Will Jacky be the first one?

“It is certainly my dream， but let’s take one thing at a time.”

Jacky dreams of opening a premium restaurant in an old European house with a garden in the French Concession; one that serves 60 people at maximum at the same time. To be awarded Michelin one star， two stars and even three stars， Jacky thinks his cooking skills are more than enough. But a top restaurant “worthy of a special trip” offers more than food. Everything needs to be perfect， interior décor， table setting， lighting， fabric， cellar and services. “I want to focus on what I am doing now， building up a fantastic team. I am not into making fast money quick. I will focus on quality and my dream. And to make finest cuisine， one has to be freed from financial considerations. This is in conflict with economic interests.”

Isn’t some wise woman saying that after London in the sixties， and Hong Kong in the seventies and eighties， it is Shanghai having the best of times now? They will be balls， parties， weddings， receptions for those who have made it. Jacky will have enough clients who are more than willing to pay for his ingenuous creations regardless of costs. But that will take him away from his restaurant more and more. I am a bit lost at what we eaters really want， masterpieces or delightful， relaxed and above all affordable dining experiences? Jacky speaks Japanese like a native. He also speaks English and Italian fluently. How long can the unassuming Mengzi Road keep this unstoppable rising star?

幾年之后，也許要不了那么久，Jacky會藏身于上海曾是法租界的花園洋房，他的餐廳門口掛上米其林的標牌。那個常來餐桌邊跟客人聊天，親自接客人電話，滿足他們各種任性要求的主廚，也許就此消失。而我們這些在他大紅大紫之前支持他的本埠客，大概也要每次等上3個月的時間，才能定到一張桌子。趁他被美食界、媒體、名流追捧之前，一定要多去幾次蒙自路上的Top Chef意大利餐廳，讓美味和幸福，綻放你的齒尖和心尖。

Jacky的店里故事多

蒙自路雖然在上海市中心的盧灣區，但怎么也擠不進大上海的美食和時尚地圖。老上海的外灘、法租界、西郊，雖歷經滄桑劫難，仍不失排場、貴族品質和風情，自有懷舊客流連；新上海的新天地、陸家嘴、聯洋，引領潮流新概念，是雅皮士們see and to be seen的地點（“看別人，被人看”）。自稱Top Chef（頂級主廚），為什么要屈身蒙自路呢？

“因為我對我的菜品有絕對的信心，不怕真正懂得美食的人不上門。”Jacky（薛哲君）這樣回答。果然，由于租金壓力小，Top Chef的性價比極佳，開店3個月就盈虧平衡。如今，中午和晚上客人隨便走進已不會有空桌，必須事先訂座。

“100個客人中96個成為回頭客，另外4個嘆息他們不住在上海。臨別時他們會帶走一大疊我的名片，介紹他們的朋友來上海時一定要到我的店來吃一頓。”Jacky不無得意。

“你的客人，一定都有錢又有閑吧？”我問Jacky。

“可能是這樣，小年輕是沒有的。”Jacky答，經常光顧Top Chef的客人很多。有位久居上海的日本客人，從來不去上海的日餐廳，外出就餐只有Top Chef一家餐廳。他住在江蘇路，常常中午叫輛出租車來，吃上兩個小時，從前菜、主食，一直吃完整個全套才心滿意足地離去。

Jacky不斷地跟走進來的客人打招呼，聊上幾句。之所以這么熟悉客人，是因為他一半的時間都在外場（就餐區）。Jacky認為跟客人聊天，才知道他們喜歡什么，可以更好地為他們服務。

Jacky去歐洲度假，客人們都很期待，希望他帶回一些新菜的靈感。有些客人對他說，“你安心地旅行，我們幫你看店，看你的員工表現如何。”

Jacky去了佛羅倫薩郊外的Tre Caci（三兄弟餐廳），吃了一份一開二的海鹽胡椒450度焦香烤龍蝦，感動不已。回滬之后，整只烤龍蝦果然上了菜單。

有些公司的外籍高管，央求Jacky給他們做一場600人的出場餐飲活動，Jacky答應了。Jacky有一支兼職游擊隊，都是他以前的徒弟或下屬。做一場600人的活動，這支團隊要24小時連軸轉，辛苦并幸福著。

Jacky的餐廳，是那種你在歐洲城市后巷，偶然發現讓你驚喜不已的秘密。這個不到30歲的小伙子，悄悄在謙卑的蒙自路上書寫自己的傳奇。

“沒有天分”的偶像主廚

我走進Jacky的小廚房，他正帶領助理做一道新菜——羊腿肉腸。新西蘭羊腿肉帶肥帶精，先在絞肉機里上勁約半小時，加入十幾種進口香料——海鹽、黑胡椒、洋蔥碎、大蒜末、橄欖油、黃油、孜然和本地的迷迭香。Jacky從絞肉機中舀了一勺肉，送入烤箱中烤，嘗嘗味道，感覺不夠味，于是又往絞肉機中補了一點細鹽。然后，他用手指撥開潔白的羊小腸，加一點橄欖油，潤滑腸內壁，把絞好的羊腿肉輕松地塞進去，在每6厘米處用繩子打個結。

“客人點菜后，剪下三段進烤箱，然后就可以裝盤了。這其實是一道西班牙古典菜，我相信我們是上海第一家推出這個菜的餐廳。” Jacky向我介紹。

“Jacky，名廚是天生的嗎？”

“我一點天分都沒有，小時候生活條件一般，吃飽算數，跟了日本師傅學藝，才知道什么東西好吃。我是最笨的那一個，經常被師傅罵。但是，沒有人比我更用功。最后，我是最出色的那一個。”

Jacky的日本師傅，據說是日本第一意大利名廚。Jacky跟他學藝4年，在日本銀座餐廳的兩年，每天工作14~15個小時，矢志不渝。

Jacky非常感謝他的日本師傅和這段在日本的經歷。他坦言，如果沒有學到日本人全力以赴、精益求精的工作態度，哪怕他在意大利學藝6~7年，也不會有今天的成就。

Jacky在都靈的ICIF廚師學校學習了2年。畢業前校長把他推薦給上海世博會意大利館的館長，館長要求他做2道菜作為考試。Jacky只做了一個混合前菜拼盤，館長就說，“第二道菜不用做了，你比我們意大利人的手藝還好。”就這樣，Jacky在世博會意大利館工作了6個月，為意大利總理貝盧斯科尼1600人的宴會服務，還做了法拉利的招待會等無數活動。

“Jacky，你為什么這么棒？”

“我只是學什么像什么。日本人的精致和執著、歐洲人的藝術品味，中國人的變通，我把這些糅合在一起罷了。”

廚師要對食材有特殊的敏感，沒有好的原料，再高的手藝也沒有用。Jacky說，好幾個米其林大廚來到上海，找不到滿意的食材，黯然離場。

“那你怎么解決食材的問題？”

“我有很多供應商。生蠔的，龍蝦的、毛蟹的，等等等等。我平時很隨和，一進廚房就換了一個人。我的供應商壓力都很大，知道他們稍有懈怠，就過不了關。”

Jacky的員工都把老板視為偶像，對他們而言，Top Chef不只是一份工作，而是實現夢想、靠雙手改變生活的舞臺。

米其林之星不是夢

中國內地似乎還沒有一位米其林三星廚師，Jacky能否率先問鼎這一殊榮呢？

“我當然有這個夢想，但是我并不著急。”

Jacky的夢想，是找一個花園洋房，開一家容納60人左右的高級餐廳。他認為要評上米其林的1星、2星乃至3星，他的烹飪技術早已不是問題。但一家頂級餐館，要給客人帶來一次整體的完美體驗，還需要室內裝修、餐桌餐布、燈光配飾、酒窖、服務等等細節。“我要慢慢地建立起團隊的能力，我想的不是賺錢，而是品質和夢想。而且，真正頂級的菜品，要不惜代價來制作，這跟商業利益是有沖突的。”

如今的上海，又有點十里洋場的味道。我想將來Jacky一定有足夠的舞臺，施展他的絕藝——上流社會的婚禮、生日宴、紀念日？世界級公司的慶典、發布會？領館的宴會？下一個世博級的盛事？

即使沒有米其林的加冕，Jacky薛的傳奇也不會褪色。可是這個會說流利日語、英語、意大利語的年輕廚師，蒙自路還能留他多久呢？