Dialogue 对话 Paul Pairet

“I like the idea that something is delivering more than what it initially promises.

我喜欢事物传递出超越它自身意义的讯息。”

Chef：主厨

Highly-regarded chef Paul Pairet is the co-founder of two of Shanghai's most exhilarating dining experiences: Mr & Mrs Bund and the world-renowned Ultraviolet.

明星主厨Paul Pairet与友人在上海联合创办的两家餐厅：Mr & Mrs Bund以及世界顶级餐厅Ultraviolet，以美食和独特的用餐体验惊艳食客的感官。

When you go to a restaurant, what are you looking for?

I look for honesty. I look to be over-whelmed. I like the idea that something is delivering more than what it initially promises. I'm open to everything, even fast food. If it's a good pizza, I'm going to enjoy it. I hate things that are not honest and there's a lot of that, which is a shame.

Can you tell us about the new res-taurant you will be opening soon at XINTIANDI?

We're going to open a French cafe, an all-day space where you can have breakfast, then lunch, then seamlessly move into tea in the afternoon. The idea is to have something understated done properly. This is inspired by the success of one of my other restaurants, Mr & Mrs Bund, which seeks to give customers a shared eating experience.

You must have picked up ideas and concepts about the idea of the eating experience in all the countries you've visited. In France there's definitely a different attitude to eating than in the UK, and in Shanghai it's something else entirely. How has that affected how your work?

One of the concepts behind Mr & Mrs Bund is that it is a translation of the way Chinese restaurants are slowly relating to the ideas seen in Western restaurants. It's not about starting a revolution, it's about making something relevant that can be understood by a lot of different people at the same time. With The Chop Chop Club we are doing something that seems obvious, but does not actually exist in other restaurants. That's why I say eating at The Chop Chop Club is like having a Sunday meal at home. We do things like cook whole roasted legs of lamb on the grill. That's interesting because you don't often come across whole pieces of meat in restaurants for the simple reason that when you cook a whole leg of lamb, what do you do with it? You need to sell it right now, at the peak of the roasting! You need to find people who can all share it together, at once. We took it even further with Ultraviolet later on, which offers a 22-course menu. When you are serving 22 courses over a three-hour period, that is the ultimate freedom for a chef.

Is that why you started Ultraviolet?

Like a lot of chefs, I wanted the opportunity to really cook at my best. If you have the ability to control the time at which people are sitting down to eat, and also what they're eating, then it enables you to cook at your highest level.

What do you reckon is the ideal number of people to be seated around a table?

The ideal number of guests around a table is between eight and 10. That's why I designed Ultraviolet to only seat 10 guests in total. The best thing about Ultraviolet is that until you actually make a visit, you won't really know what to expect. Curiosity is the main ingredient that draws people in.

What is your all-time favourite dish?

My grandmother's recipe of Capsicum Catalane, which is grilled or roasted peppers – that's a speciality of my countryside – cooked and served quite plainly on a plate. You have the smell of the smokiness, and on the top you put big anchovies from Collioure, a French town that is famous for them. Then you put a bit of garlic and parsley on top, a little bit of vinegar from Banyuls which has a strong taste, and then a beautiful olive oil.

“It's about making something relevant that can be understood by a lot of different people at the same time.

我所坚持的餐饮体验是能让东西方人都能理解和接受。”

当你去一家餐馆时，你最期待什么？

一种对待食物的真诚以及被惊艳的感觉吧。我喜欢事物传递出超越它自身意义的讯息。我其实接受度很高，快餐、披萨如果做的好吃也可以很美味。我最不喜欢的就是缺乏诚意的食物，遗憾的是确实不少餐厅正是如此。

你能跟我们谈谈你即将在上海新天地开设的新餐厅吗？

上海新天地的新店将会定位为一家法式咖啡馆，人可以在里面泡上一天，从早餐、午餐、一直享用到下午茶。这家新店的创立灵感是想让一些稀疏平常的食材呈现出不一般的美味，这个想法也缘起我的另一家餐厅Mr & Mrs Bund，那儿主打家庭式聚餐形式的食物分享。

你应该从你游历过的各个国家了解到很多关于饮食的文化差异，比如法国和英国肯定有些不一样，对上海来说，又是另外一番景象，这些不同的经历对你的工作有什么影响吗？

Mr & Mrs Bund背后的概念是体现中国餐饮方式与西方餐饮方式的不断交融，这个不是指要颠覆其中的某一方，而是应当让东西方人都能理解和接受。我们在The Chop Chop Club的尝试比较显而易见，但是你在外面基本找不到第二家这样的餐厅。在The Chop Chop Club用餐，就像在家举办周日派对，我们会烤整只的羊腿。通常餐厅如果烤这么一整只腿的话，需要在它口感最好的时候立刻全部售出，所以很少人能在餐厅里见到这么完整的一只羊腿，你必须同时找到这么多人一同分享。这点在Ultraviolet做得更为极致。我们提供一份22道式的菜单。当你得在整整三小时内出品22道菜品的时候，靠的就是厨师极致的自由发挥了。

这是你创立Ultravoilet的原因吗？

和许多厨师一样，我想要做到真正的完美。如果能掌控用餐的节奏和菜品内容，我应该可以把创作发挥到极致。

你觉得围坐在同一张餐桌的理想用餐人数是多少？

理想的同桌客人数应该在8至10人之间。这就是为什么我把Ultraviolet设计成10个席位。Ultraviolet最棒的地方是除非你自己亲身体验，否则你根本不知道接下来会发生什么，好奇心会把人们自然地吸引过来。

能跟我们分享一道你最爱吃的菜吗？？

那应该是我奶奶的独家菜谱—加泰罗尼亚烤甜椒（Capsicum Catalan），这是一道很有农村特色风味的小菜，做法、摆盘都很质朴。你能闻到它烘烤后散发出幽幽的烟熏味道，可以在上面撒上来自凤尾鱼之乡Coulliere的特产—大块凤尾鱼，然后加点蒜粒和西芹，少量Banyuls产的醋能增添强烈的香味，最后淋上些许橄榄油就算完成了。