Chasing perfection in the kitchen

English chef/restaurateur Jason Atherton has opened two dining ventures in Shanghai.[Photo provided to China Daily]

While restaurants opened by Michelin-starred chefs have been mushrooming in Shanghai over the past few years, Atherton believes making his mark and staying true to it is essential for sustainability in the market.

"We just cook the food we cook, so that when people are done with Robuchon, Jean Georges and Paul Pairet (who opened Ultraviolet in Shanghai), they still come to us," he says.

"The problem with 'following the trend' is that trends come and go. But good food is always good," he says.

There is nothing he would like to change for his two culinary satellites in Shanghai－but his two head chefs there, Scott Melvin and Christopher Pitts, are free to shake things up at least once a week, and they do. The goal is to make the restaurants "relevant to the marketplace", which Atherton sees as critical.

The changes are made mostly on the menus, and they are inspired by the seasons.

"If you are a really sensitive chef, the seasons can write the menu for you," he says.