Lan Zhai

The goal of Lan Zhai should be to become a restaurant that truly represents China, rather than just "making better vegetarian dishes than Jing Zhao Yin/Fu He Hui". After all, if we are talking purely about the quality of the dishes, Lan Zhai is definitely in the top ten of mainland China's high-end restaurants (personally, I think Lan Zhai and this year's Asia Best 50 #2, Tokyo's Sezanne, are on the same level), and it certainly surpasses the current Fu He Hui. Fu He Hui's dishes have increasingly shown signs of inexperienced chefs hastily putting things together in recent years. Lan Zhai is more cohesive; the progression of flavors is clear, and there is an understated Eastern aesthetic that seems to have matured over time.

However, all this praise is only for the dishes. In terms of restaurant management and service, it's quite lacking. If the dishes are comparable to a Michelin three-star level, adding management and service would bring it down to one star.

If Lan Zhai aspires to achieve a higher Michelin rating, the priority should be: 1, to hire the best restaurant manager in the market at all costs, requiring years of experience as a manager in a Michelin two-star or above restaurant, professional appearance, fluency in foreign languages, and the ability to remain calm and observant; 2, to adjust the communication strategy, focusing on telling Eastern stories to the West, rather than immersing itself in its own artistic narrative framework.

A restaurant that truly represents China should not only reflect the local terroir and ingredients but also embody the local religion, arts, culture, and historical heritage.

Lan Zhai's summer menu, priced at 1680+15%, includes 12 pre-dinner snacks and 10 dishes before the main course, plus one main course and dessert. In my version, I substituted the main course with braised mushroom rice from another menu, plus an additional dessert.

The welcome drink, a tomato and lemon soda, was quite refreshing. The opening 'pre-dinner snack' was impressive in its finesse, a rarity in fine dining. The three snacks were corn, cactus, and morel mushrooms: corn arranged in a sunflower shape with corn kernels and finger corn slices on a thin melon seed cracker; cactus, an innovative ingredient choice, being the edible Mibon cactus from Mexico, primarily grown in the Yunnan-Guizhou area, served as a green and white tartare with green apple dices, topped with jelly and garnished with white and purple flowers; morel mushrooms, soaked in broth, reminiscent of the amber-sealed chicken fir mushrooms from three years ago at Shan He Wan Duo. This set of pre-dinner snacks set the tone well. If they wanted to go further, they could have added more props.

The first dish, 'Century Egg', felt like a challenge to Fu He Hui's century egg tofu. With a flowing heart century egg topped with pink pickled ginger, a base of tofu paste, and surrounded by olive oil and black vinegar, the ginger was the star, sweet with a hint of spice.

The second dish, 'Winter Melon', was a sophisticated take on the seasonal theme of cooling in summer. Steamed with finger citron, the winter melon was not the usual mushy texture found in Cantonese winter melon soup but was chewier, adding a unique twist.

The third dish, 'Lotus Seed', was visually poetic under the light. The lotus seed and lily bulb paste mimicked a pond, a scene of lotus leaves just emerging. Underneath were substantial ingredients including lotus seeds and water caltrop, with a slight bitterness typical of summer, hidden lychees adding a restrained sweetness, and some crushed water chestnuts. It was accompanied by a lotus seed drink, tasting like a less sweet Luo Han Guo tea.

The fourth dish, 'Lotus Root', linked lotus seed, lotus flower, and lotus root in a coherent theme. Fried crispy rice, sticky rice, and lotus root with a hint of sugar and vinegar, and a touch of black truffle, marked a shift in the menu's flavor profile, providing a good rhythm.

The fifth dish, 'Wasabi', used wasabi leaves to wrap taro tempura, water chestnuts, and other ingredients, eaten with a spicy satay sauce. This added an interactive element for the guests and maintained the pace of flavor changes from the previous dish.

The sixth dish, 'Bell Pepper', contained tiger paw mushrooms, wheat kernels, and pickled bamboo shoots wrapped in bell pepper, garnished with strips of bell pepper, and served alongside bell pepper milk sauce. This dish was simple yet detailed, adding a splash of color after four green dishes.

The seventh dish, 'Tofu', was hot and steaming, topped with fermented rice, accompanied by chili and soy milk. It had a

street food vibe, approachable and invigorating. At this point in the menu, the progression of flavors felt complete, like pressing the heaviest key in a musical piece.

The eighth dish, 'Bergamot', paired bergamot with sour lantern pepper soup containing bamboo fungus wrapped in snake gourd. This dish was not successful; the bergamot was too bitter, and the chili from the previous tofu dish should not be followed by more chili but rather something acidic to cleanse the palate.

The ninth dish, 'Yam Bean', was several small yam bean vegetable dumplings, feeling like a pre-main course snack. It was forgettable, similar to dishes I've had at Fu He Hui and Tian Yu Shui.

The tenth dish, 'Braised Mushroom Rice', should have been delicious, but I forgot to mention my dislike for celery, which was unfortunately a prominent ingredient.

The eleventh dish, 'Mung Bean' and 'Seaweed', served together as I was in a hurry for a meeting. Mung bean was paired with yogurt ice cream and cream, and seaweed was a savory ice cream. One dessert would have been sufficient; the addition of a second seemed excessive.

My dissatisfaction with Lan Zhai's restaurant management and service might seem harsh, but compared to the dishes, it does make one concerned for the restaurant. My specific feedback was given during the meal, so I won't repeat it here, showing a bit of favoritism for the restaurant. In summary, the service details must be more professional.

Regarding Lan Zhai's concept, positioning, and goals at a higher level, if the chef and investors agree that Lan Zhai's goal is to become a restaurant that truly represents China, then, as mentioned earlier, such a restaurant should reflect not only the local terroir and ingredients but also the local religion, arts, culture, and historical heritage.

Vegetarianism in China is largely rooted in religion. Lan Zhai, positioning itself as a plant-based cuisine, might be trying to distance itself from these religious elements to appear more modern and forward-thinking. However, this distancing does not align with the "Western imagination of the East" and could hinder its chances in awards.

My biggest concern for Lan Zhai is that its dishes are distinctly Eastern and classical, but the restaurant operates like a Western restaurant, creating a slight but noticeable disconnection.

Lan Zhai has its own artistic expression. However, the lack of bilingualism, difficult-to-understand narratives, and no dedicated website are not foreigner-friendly. It could choose to focus only on a small group of loyal customers, but this depends on the chef's and investors' goals. In the entertainment industry, it's said that "popularity nurtures talent," and the same applies to high-end restaurants. You need to be well-known to have a greater impact. If Lan Zhai cannot achieve greater fame and influence, it will drain the chef's creativity. What does it mean to "tell Eastern stories to the West"? One could look at Aman's style in their hotels in China, Bhutan, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, and other places for inspiration.