I like Europe in midsummer, it’s always sunny every day, and I only need to take a small suitcase to travel around, even if I can’t stand the temptation of delicious food and gain weight on the way, I can feel at ease. Food and attractions are naturally the focus of every traveler. After two years of goodbye, besides embracing the sunshine and beaches of the Mediterranean Sea again, my trip to Europe has two important purposes. One was to get together with Li Sen, the famous chef of Shang Palace in Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, and the other was to meet Zhang Jianxin, the famous chef of Hekfan who specializes in Hong Kong cuisine in Milan for the first time.
The author wrote this article on September Day, remembering the conversations with two famous chefs during this summer trip to Europe, and I also understood their mission and indifference.
About Rae Kung: The lucky one who only loves to travel and eat delicious food from all over the world. Also, because he has been in charge of the China Restaurant Awards for 14 years, he has encountered many palaces and legends in the food industry on the road of searching for flavors. @ChineseRestaurantAwards
in Paris
Shang Palace gold leaf caviar with fried oysters, using the oyster industry "Rolls-Royce" – Gillardeau oyster No. A wonderful palate full of marine flavors.
I met Li Sen in 2016. At that time, he was invited to Vancouver to prepare two dinners for the 8th edition of our first Famous Cuisine Chinese Restaurant Awards together with 3 other celebrity chefs. Born in the 1980s, he is already experienced. Before he was appointed to Paris in 2014, he worked in the Hong Kong Jockey Club and several Shang Palaces in China. The Shang Palace in the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, which specializes in Cantonese cuisine, is under the culinary leadership of Li Sen. After so many years, it is still the only Chinese restaurant in France that has received a Michelin star. Last year, it even won the honor of the second diamond of the Chinese Black Pearl's overseas debut. 
It is a rare experience to see Master Li Sen cooking in the kitchen. It is a joy to hear him share the food experience he found in Europe. He has integrated into the life in Europe and hopes to spend more time together next time.
Blue Lobster Ball Fried Noodles: If you go to France, you must eat the best blue lobster among lobsters. Chef Li Sen made it. This is one of the dishes that night, which is the perfect food journey for the last stop of this European tour.
Although he is already a well-known Chinese chef in the European catering industry, even celebrity chef Alain Ducasse, celebrities Pharrell Williams, Lang Lang, and Jay Chou have all become guests of Shang Palace because of Li Sen's delicacies. However, we have known each other for so many years, Li Sen is still easy-going and not proud.
He has a better grasp of cooking Chinese dishes with European ingredients, rather than changing the basic dishes to suit local tastes, or trying to cook some dishes that are only for "camera food first". Or dishes that show technology on the outside, but have no connotation. The only thing he wants to do is to enhance the status of Chinese cuisine in Europe, and he believes in the priority of taste and the foundation of dishes, proving the strength of Chinese cuisine. Cook with a constant heart, and make a living in France, where there are many famous restaurants.
in milan
Unexpectedly, there are also high-level Hong Kong dishes in Milan. Hekfan "dining" advertises the promotion of Hong Kong cuisine. During the epidemic, a high-end Hekfan Restaurant was opened in an area where there are many famous restaurants in Milan. At the same time, three Hong Kong-style tea restaurants called Hekfanchai and a steamed rice cake were opened around Milan. A Hong Kong-style bakery where you can also buy wife cakes.
To be honest, I have been to Milan many times, and I have never found the right Chinese food, but the appearance of Hekfan satisfies my craving for a cup of tea, a mouthful of refreshing thin-skinned shrimp dumplings with lard and a serving of The intimacy of being a Hong Konger.
Don't think that this Xiaolongbao is Shanghai-style. In fact, the filling is very Hong Kong-style, with a little ginger and a touch of green onion.
Swordfish pomegranate balls – pomegranate balls originate from Chaozhou Italian dishes, and are served with different fillings in Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong. Chef Zhang Jianxin uses local fresh swordfish meat and shiitake mushrooms as fillings to wrap in the crystal skin. The soup base is pumpkin clear chicken soup. The whole dish is very fresh.
Hekfan celebrity chef Zhang Jianxin. We met for the first time but already became like friends. We have famous chefs who know each other, and we are also proud that the chef can bring some forgotten Hong Kong flavors to the dining table in Italy.
Chef Zhang Jianxin and founder Eric Yip of Hekfan "Dining" may work harder than the Hong Kong Tourism Board to promote Hong Kong cuisine!
Before meeting Chef Zhang Jianxin, I searched Google and found no Chinese articles about Hekfan. Instead, there were many large-scale reports in Italian. I really admire it. Chinese culture can enter the Italian circle. Of course, they promote Hong Kong. The positioning of the cuisine is already unique, because many people will wonder if Hong Kong cuisine is Chinese cuisine? Hong Kong cuisine is actually a collection of Chinese and foreign tastes. taste.
Chef Zhang Jianxin, who is also from Hong Kong, has won many personal awards, including the award from Le Cordon Bleu, and has established a foothold in Italy for ten years. Like Master Li Sen, what Hekfan founder Eric Yip wanted to do was not to cater to the tastes of European natives, but to introduce Chinese food culture in a real way. The two just met and hit it off. One is a celebrity chef who has many years of experience, but saw many possibilities during the epidemic.
Paris food favorites
Clamato
Managed by the team of Septime, No. 24 of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, gourmet Xie Yanwei recommends Clamato, which mainly eats seafood in District 11. Really don't just look at the small size of the store, the seafood is handled just right, and everything is fresh and sweet, which makes me think of it at this time and have an endless aftertaste.
Apicius
It is not difficult to find a good-looking restaurant in Paris, but the one-Michelin-starred French cuisine Apicius is particularly beautiful inside and out. The restaurant is named after the ancient Roman culinary master Apicius. The beautiful scenery of the green open-air garden and the main building of the French classical style building seems to be outside the world. With a sigh of lunch, you can stay here for three hours, and it is also close to the Champs Elysees, which is convenient for your trip in Paris.
