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FEB. MAR. 2019 VI MAGAZINE traditional recipes that have been taken from the traditions of less-explored regions: Sichuan, Hunan, Dongbei. These are the new Chinese restaurants that have opened in recent years in that laboratory of culinary trends that is Milan. In the most exciting areas, in the historic “Chinatown” of Paolo Sarpi, but, above all, in the emerging neighbourhood of NoLo (North of Loreto) which until recently was stigmatized (and avoided) for the high rate of immigration, and is today a hotbed of talent. We talked with the protagonists of this new wave is trying to understand how the trend was born. And if there are ideas to take inspiration from - as we believe by using them also in other cuisine, including Italian. FROM RAVIOLI TO TRATTORIA: LE NOVE SCODELLE “We’re trying to bring a change, I do not come from a family of restaurateurs, I started from scratch and I created a restaurant as I imagined,” says Huijian Zhou immediately. It all began in December of 2015, with the pioneering ravioleria Sarpi – “A courageous initiative, or, better, reckless because there had never been such a small place that only served quality ravioli, made on sight and with certified ingredients. There were too many Chinese restaurant myths to debunk such as the low price and low quality. Moreover, the processing and cooking on sight are based on the Chinese tradition.” In particular, that of Donbei, in north-east China, an area three times the size of Italy, with a broad culture of ravioli. In March 2018 ‘Le Nove Scodelle’ will open with a particular cuisine of a little-known region, the Sichuan. “A few simple dishes that reflect the tradition and do not necessarily reflect the cuisine now found in China. We studied very ancient texts. And we went back to the habit of preparing nine-course menu during the holidays (nine is an important number in Chinese culture), served together, studying the balance between the dishes, a thought that matches what we want to do. It isn’t a cuisine to please. We use selected cuts of Piemontese meat, locally-sourced eggs, organic flour. Everything is from Italy except for the Sichuan pepper.” A native of JiJhian in the south of China, where the first Chinese restaurateurs came from, Zhou is a graduate in Economics in Italy while his partner is the chef. How has your choice been received? “The Italians understand it better than the Chinese, they are more attentive, they want to have the guarantee of eating healthy food with quality ingredients.” People need something authentic, indigenous? “There is always the search for a new cuisine, in particular, a strong taste in a world that is increasingly conformist, even in the flavours. And the cuisine is rich and diverse, and has an endless variety.” Will there be others? “I hope so, the Chinese have become known as people who copy, but we have 6000 years of history, we are only scratching the surface of an immense source. In Milan there are many young people who cook new things, I hope that they do something genuine, authentic, and wonderful”. MU: BETWEEN MILAN AND TURIN, BETWEEN GOURMET AND STREET FOOD “With MU dimsum we wanted to open a restaurant a year ago to help understand what is true Cantonese cuisine, and in particular Hong Kong,” explains Suili Zhou, also born in China and grew up in Italy – We wanted to demystify the image of the Chinese low-quality cuisine, that with the wave of sushi has certainly not improved. Generally, it is thought that a Chinese restaurant has low prices, the dishes are difficult to digest and very bad quality. All negative things, and I wanted to bring something positive from my culture.” The restaurant has an elegant but simple atmosphere, which is dominated by wood (mu in Chinese), it’s open from noon to midnight and serves ravioli and bao in the afternoon, according to a typically oriental vision. Quality and organic ingredients complete the work. Central to the proposal is the tea. “We are planning to offer tea tasting in the afternoon with dim sum (pronounced dim sam, ravioli) we have a menu with a dozen different types, but we will expand further. Even in high-level Japanese restaurants, tea is not good quality, instead we, in addition to an excellent product take care of the water temperature and the correct infusion time. In December 2018, was born the street food “creation” MU bao in Turin. Steamed filled sandwiches – a typical street food in China – in six different versions are prepared by the chef Kin Cheung in the laboratory of Milan. “In China people eat on the street, it’s very widespread just like the pizza for you, it’s another way to get to know our culture, and in fact we propose them, as is the tradition with soy milk fresh that we do with a suitable machine.” MAO, MAOJI, MOOD: DIFFERENT FORMATS Entrepreneurship and the DIY spirit are mixed in the history of Mao Hunan, one of the first new wave restaurants to open in the city. As explained by Marco Iannone. “Mao was created almost as a game by three partners that did other things: I am a management engineer, my girlfriend Jieni Hu who worked for Class TV after graduating from Bocconi university in Milan, like her friend Angela Lai. They are originally from Changsha in Hunan, and wanted to reproduce the dishes that they ate when they were children. The biggest difficulty in the beginning? To make it clear to Italian customers that the dish is cooked according to the tradition, as