After refining her culinary skills under the guidance of world-class chefs and at renowned restaurants in France and the US, chef Lanshu Chen opened her own French restaurant in Taichung, Taiwan in 2008, which serves up refined French cuisine. Chen is highly regarded in the culinary industry for her conviction to providing the best fine dining experience to her guests.

 

Hong Kong Tatler Dining: How did you become interested in French cuisine?

Lanshu Chen: It was really an accident because I started in pastry at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and I actually went to another school after the first year. Ferrandi was a very good school and I always wanted to go to there, but the pastry section was full at the time. In order to get into the school, I tried cuisine first. It was a beautiful accident, because since I started I realised the challenges of cuisine, but I also find it more fun. Now that I’ve started on this path, I can’t go back. I still like pastry a lot, it’s something I can do by myself, but cuisine is something more that I can share with my colleagues and guests.

 

HKTD: What was the greatest lesson you took away from your experience working with notable chefs such as Jean-François Piège and Thomas Keller?

LC: Prior to 2009 when Jean-François Piège was involved with Les Ambassadeurs at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris, the way in which Piège interpreted ingredients and treated each dish like a delicate piece of artwork was inspiring. It was then that I truly understood what was meant by “haute cuisine,” and the importance of details, particularly when it came to desserts.

When I went to work in Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, it surprised me how different the kitchens worked in France and in the US – the management and efficiency impressed me. During my experience in the US, I felt a cultural diversity and strong vitality; how flavours and tastes from around the world can become a source of inspiration for French cuisine. This made me re-examine and redefine what French cuisine meant to me.

 

HKTD: How would you describe your style of cooking?

LC: With classic French touches, I create my own “haute cuisine” by fusing local produce with luxury ingredients from all over the world.

In the French language of viticulture, “terroir” can be defined as the land that is part of Mother Nature and essential for growth. Elements such as sun, air, rain, soil, climate, and slope, produce differences and varieties from one harvest to another, which is why every vineyard has its own unique characteristics.

When luxury produce from around the world meets local delicacies, the kitchen sparks creations. Whether it is fresh delivered Silkie Hen’s egg, sweet baby carrot from Nanto’s organic farm, freshly plucked Angelica sprouts, line-caught wild amadai from Taiwan’s North-eastern coastline, black truffle from Perigord, the far flung beluga caviar, or the buttery wagyu beef, it is a sensational medley that belongs to Taiwan and indulged at Le Moût.

 

HKTD: What are your favourite ingredients to cook with?

LC: I like to try lots of different ingredients and try different things, so it’s difficult to pick one. But if I had to choose, it would be spices, such as Sichuan peppers and all different kinds of peppers. They bring a certain element to a dish; an aroma, a different highlight to a course – it’s more interesting for me.

 

HKTD: With your restaurant Le Moût in Taichung (Taiwan), has it been difficult to adapt European flavours and concepts for the Taiwanese palate?

LC: Five years ago when I opened my restaurant, it was very difficult. Now, it’s getting better. The dining scene in Taiwan has been growing very fast, and I think as more people get to know about fine dining, they more accepting they are of the concept. As the demand has grown, suppliers, purveyors and farmers are noticing these increased requests to do something more delicate, so they try to find exquisite products for you. It’s amazing how quickly the mind set of people have changed.