Qualitaly_109

FEB. MAR. 2019 VII we presented it. Everyone complained of the spiciness and we lowered a little the level, without however changing the substance. We have fought to offer this cuisine. Which also has ingredients to which we are not accustomed to as offal and chicken feet. Now many customers come only for those.” A success story that has created its “offshoots”. Because another characteristic of these Millennial entrepreneurs is the ability to diversify the offer to express it according to the various needs and times of the day. Moving from restaurant to street food, or vice versa. “We opened Maoji before and then Mini Maoji where we offer the street food that you can find on a street in Changsha such as bao and the terracotta rice.” The cook? “We went to look for one in China and he gave us a big hand because he manages the kitchen and now also the chefs of the other restaurants.” The latest adventure is a supermarket, Mood market, where in addition to selling typical local products they prepare ravioli, to take away or to eat on site and there is a bar that serves creative cocktails based on Chinese and Japanese spirits. Look to the future and propose new things to a bored but curious customer, demanding, but in search of authenticity and quality. In the end, this is a recipe applicable also to the large- scale - and maligned - Chinese cuisine. Just think of the resources of the products and culinary practices in our country. It is a demanding job, a research that is difficult to do and to transmit. But the formula – as demonstrated by the case of Milan – can give great satisfaction. 5 STEPS TO A CUSTOMER THAT EVOLVES 1. - The “classical” Chinese. The first Chinese restaurant in Italy, Shanghai, opened in Rome in 1949. But the great spread started in the 1980s. For decades, Cantonese cuisine was revisited and adapted to distinguish Chinese restaurants by spring rolls, sweet and sour pork and generous doses of glutamate. 2. - The pizza comes... and goes . In the ’90s, many Chinese restaurants added the pizza to their traditional menu to attract customers. Low prices, forgettable quality, the pizza best left alone: luckily it soon passed. 3. - Sushi . Playing on the ignorant misconception that everything oriental is alike, many Chinese restaurateurs rode the success of the Japanese specialty, whether or not combined with classic Chinese dishes. Not everyone survived, many customers didn’t trust it, associating the food with Chinese low-quality. 4. - Wok restaurant and All You Can Eat . Since 2010, quantity and low prices have continued to be offered. Impressive wok restaurants were opened, some occupying former factories or warehouses. And the “factories” of flavour and food, with a menu, where there is grilled meat and fish along with the usual Oriental pot- pourri of sushi and braised ravioli. 5. - The new generations: young, authentic and quality . From the outpost of Milan came the rescue. ______________________________ BOX THE HOT POT IS THE LATEST TREND And now comes the hot pot, the pot of boiling broth, where meat, fish, tofu, noodles or vegetables are cooked. But also offal, dumplings and dim sum. We call it a chinoise and we think of it as a lighter French fondue, but in reality, behind that stockpot, there is – once again – an ancient culture made up of flavours and pairings, yin and yang, spices and combinations. Convivial food par excellence, with the pot shared at the centre of the table – even if, in the most well-equipped restaurants each has his own broth, kept warm by an induction plate – it is certainly fun. You can choose from different varieties and plenty of sauces for accompaniment. there are various in Milan, from Little Lambs e Tesoro in Paolo Sarpi, to the more peripheral Carnivore Union, this last started in a multi-ethnic via Padova. The play between the coolest Milanese is already to search for the more authentic and extreme experience... ______________________________ BOX THE NEW CHINESE IN 5 POINTS • The menu: “taken” from the regional tradition offering authentic flavours without too many concessions to customer tastes. Love it or hate it. • Ingredients: Italian, often locally- sourced, traceable and quality. From China arrive, sometimes, spices. • Table settings: a few dozen or none in the case of street food. • Street food: as in China, some products – bao, dim sum – are prepared and sold on the spot, live, meeting the desires of the Millennials who like to eat anywhere. • The decor: original, full of reminders (perceived or direct) of popular Chinese tradition, often hand-made by the owners. ______________________________ AT PAGE 20 IN DEPTH Ethnic and world cuisine The future of food between Asian restaurants that change their skin and new cuisine from all over the world to win-over The Bel Paese. Interview with Chef Kumalè By Mauro Garofalo Ethnic and worldwide. Traditional Italian and new Asian-veg cuisine. For Vittorio Castellani, Chef Kumalè, gastro nomad, food writer, journalist, food designer: “After Expo 2015, Milan became the workshop of Italy. What happens here, if it works, becomes a point of reference for everyone.” So much so that he moved. Cuisine is changing and the demand of the sector, increasingly driven by young people in search of the ‘new’ but also a return to the traditions of dedicated quality and supply chain is changing the main reasons for an increasingly competitive market. “In the meantime, a first distinction should be made,” says Castellani, “it is always confusing when we speak of PHOTO: M. D’OTTAVIO