Interviews
Thursday, 11 March 2010 02:03
Written by Xinlei Wang

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Urban Promos asks top chefs from around the region to share their insights into food and life in Shanghai.

Shanghainese Chef Alex Zhang has been hard at work in the kitchen for over 11 years.  Previously the Sous Chef at New Heights (inside 3 on the Bund), he has since outsourced himself to N’ More restaurant, where he works as executive chef in charge of two kitchens and more than 15 chefs.

Interviews
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 02:02
Written by Xinlei Wang

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Chinta Mani Sharma - Executive Chef at the Punjabi Indian Restaurant

Urban Promos asks top chefs from around the region to share their insights into food and life in Shanghai

Picture this: You’re trying out a recipe created by a professional chef, but after getting half way through it you realize you don’t understand how to follow it. Wouldn’t you love to be able to ask the chef some questions?

This happens to me all the time, especially when it comes to foreign dishes that I have never made myself, for instance, certain Indian ones. Fortunately, as an editor at Urban Promos, I’m often lucky enough to have the opportunities to speak to some of the best chefs in town and to get to the heart of the food and the culture behind it.

Interviews
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 02:02
Written by JFK Miller

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Simply Choon
The man behind the brand

An endearing aspect of the Simply story is that it just happened. Choon, the founder-owner of the business, was, in his own words, “very gung ho, very ambitious,” but there was no master plan, no grand business strategy to conquer the China market. Choon, an accountant by profession, was in his late 30s and firmly entrenched in corporate life as CFO for Pillsbury in Shanghai. It was a good life with a reassuring career path, but Choon decided it wasn’t for him. Walking back from dinner one evening in late 1998, he and business partner Richard Lim, an old colleague from Pillsbury, noticed an empty villa on Dongping Lu and decided there and then to “make a restaurant.” They chose the type of cuisine which both of them could happily eat every day of the year. That’s how Simply Thai was born, 11 years ago last month.

Interviews
Thursday, 07 January 2010 03:01
Written by Justin Fischer

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In the ring with Boxing Cat’s brewmaster

What was the first thought that came to mind when beer first passed your lips?
“Thanks, Dad!”

And what beer did he keep in his fridge?
That would be Pearl, which is brewed in Texas, land of 1100 springs, Lone Star and Schlitz.

How did you get into brewing beer?
When I was 12 years old, I had this neighbor. He was a quadriplegic named Glenn Baker, I used to help him out around the house – you know, mow the lawn, clean the pool. One day he said, “Hey man, you wanna brew beer?”And I was like, “Yeah sure.” Our first batch was horrible! We just overcooked that f****r… Then I began taking notes, comparing batches and seeing what I did right and wrong, and eventually I got pretty good at it.

Interviews
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 07:12
Written by Hailey Meng

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Jiang Liyang is Shanghai's most celebrated – and well fed – foodie. Often referred to as Shanghai's 食神 (shi shen) or Gourmet God, the 66-year-old food critic sat down with us for a quick bite…

How did you become a food critic?
I've always had a big interest in food ever since I was a young man. I cooked a lot when I was at university and wanted to be a chef. When the Cultural Revolution started somehow I became a 'counterrevolutionary saboteur' and had to stop cooking and studying at university. After the Cultural Revolution, I decided to study my masters in ancient Chinese and got the opportunity to read lots of ancient recipes in the library.