3 replies to this topic

[Shalmanese]

In Jennifer 8 Lee's The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, she goes on a quest to find the best Chinese Restaurant outside of China and settles on Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine in Vancouver, Canada. I recently learned via a slate article on Vancouver that this restaurant is already out of business which is incredibly depressing.

While there is a profusion of low-end Chinese around the world and even quite a few vibrant mid-high end Chinese places, it seems almost impossible to find a Chinese restaurant outside of China that is serving Michelin 2* or 3* level food. About the only one I can think of is the Flower Drum in Melbourne.

How come high end Chinese has never been successfully exported and will it ever happen?

[johung]

This would be news to me if true. I would have thought scores of Chinese restaurants in Vancouver and Torinto, that few Westerns are aware of, that are equal to or better than Flower Drum in Melbourne.

Edited by johung, 24 January 2010 - 10:56 PM.

[Kent Wang]

Which restaurants in China are you comparing against? Yung Kee? I don't think there's that many Chinese-cuisine restaurants in China that have been awarded 3 or 2 stars.

[Fengyi]

High-end Chinese food in China - I think it's got a LOOOONG way to go yet!
After all, even in the mid 90s the situation was fairly dire - I remember trying and trying to find good places to eat at... but even the laozihao restaurants were pretty dire. Post-2000, things improved and now it's much, much better but I would still say that there is almost nothing in the mainland running at a 2/3 star level.
I'm pushed to think of restaurants like this in Shanghai and Beijing. Hong Kong, yes - but that's not China (well, technically, but not in reality).


Also, what makes a great Chinese restaurant? It's so hard to say, there's so many regional differences and expressions and do you want Old Skool or New? I like Nanmen hotpot for instance, but you even have to eat in your overcoat...!