Fine Dining Beijing: Fine Opportunities

“Fried rice and sweet and sour pork are not the only kinds of food the Chinese eat today. They want something that makes them truly happy,” says Bernhard Butz, executive chef at the Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing. Nicole Liang finds out how the German creates this happiness within and outside the hotel, for guests and staff alike.

For the longest time, the greeting “Have you eaten your fill?” has been the Chinese equivalent of “How are you?” It did not quite matter how good or bad the meal was. What mattered was that you had your stomach stuffed full. Partly due to the pervasive poverty in feudal China, food as sustenance spoke for one’s basic well being.

While this cultural idiosyncrasy remains ubiquitous in China and among ethnic Chinese worldwide, the socio-economic milieu that surrounded it has far advanced.

“Fried rice and sweet and sour pork are not the only kinds of food the Chinese eat today. They want something that makes them truly happy,” says Bernhard Butz, executive chef at the Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing and for the better.

The desire for a culinary experience forms the demand for fine dining in modern China, according Butz. “I’ve been in China for more than four years now. There is a huge market for fine dining,” the German adds. “They are growing more knowledgeable in western food. They are enjoying it and asking what they are eating”.

In Beijing, the 900-year old Chinese capital, fine dining is more vibrant than anywhere else, Butz feels. “There is space for everyone. Everyone will get a piece of the cake. They [people in Beijing] understand western and fusion food.”

But this does not mean that the Pekinese are ready for all kinds of delicacies from the other side of globe. Butz says that while the locals looking keenly towards and trying out gourmet cheese, for example, it is not well appreciated yet. “They don’t like it so much, unless it is wine dinner. They still need time to get to know this product. I’m sure it will become popular one day,” he says.

On-premise Catering

Shangri-La’s in-house restaurants make up only less than half of its F&B revenue. Butz and his team recreate the same quality culinary experience outside the hotel at on-premise catering projects. These events, together with banquets, account for the another major source of income for the luxury hotel.

There is no lack of luxury brands that Butz and team cater to. One of them was for prestige cosmetics brand Lancôme during its launch of a range of products for healthy skin. Butz tailored made the menu using organic products, because of its oil-absorbing properties. “We write the menu and explain the functions of each dish or ingredient as a personalised service,” Butz shares.

For luxury automobile and motorcycle manufacturing company BMW, Butz was required in the planning stage to offer a range of cuisines from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, today and the future. Photographs of these dishes were taken then sent to the customers for their feedback.

In another monumental event, Shangri-La and team provided service at an equally historic venue – the Summer Palace and Forbidden City. With this came great expectations and challenges.

“We shipped all the equipment there including stoves and refrigerators. As usual, everything was worked a la minute. It is always a nice challenge. The problem however is always space. We had to squeeze ourselves into the Summer Palace,” Butz enthused.

“Organisational skills and time management can make or break the catering event. It takes years of experience to build up these skills,” the veteran continued.

This profile clearly shows Butz to be an executive chef who doesn't sit back on cast-in-stone routines. “We are willing to do things that are not already in the pipeline. Our aim is to make our guests happy. Even in the restaurants, we actively ask them if they want any special orders. This is how we keep our regular guests,” he says.

A la Minute

When Butz says that everything is done a la minute, he means this literally. Even in the relative comfort of working within the hotel, he expects hiccups to happen any minute. Again, all you need is a plan, he says. With incessant food scares and animal influenzas blowing across the world, back up plans have become the order of the day.

“We have a very strong purchasing department. If certain imports are banned, we will have to use whatever local produce available. It is a lot costlier if the situation were the other way round – switching to overseas produce. But we have to do what we have to do to keep our guests safe; it doesn't matter how much more we have to pay,” Butz explains.

Suppliers Shangri-La must work with two criteria and in order of importance: quality and price. Some of the suppliers are local companies that import some of their products. About 25 to 30 percent of Shangri-La’s supplies are imported. They are mainly ingredients like wagyu beef, seafood, lamb or special items for customised functions.

Any cost increments, be it caused by contingency, inflation or quality driven standpoints, are absorbed by the individual restaurants. “If not, we will have to increase prices everyday,” Butz says, as he counts the blessings of working with suppliers are flexible when it comes to delivery and profit margins. “Over some time, it is about partnership, not just business.”

Staying Fresh

Yet even with stable menu prices, it is increasingly difficult to attract fine diners as they tighten their belts during the economic slowdown. Butz says that to stay relevant, freshness is paramount. Besides fresh produce, culinary ideas and foodservice formats must also be updated.

“To drive business and save costs, instead of offering a so-so four-course set menu, we suggest just three courses but really nice dishes. We mostly try to tailor menus and not rigidly go by A, B or C.

“We also host about four guest chefs in the hotel annually. It is totally good. With new ideas from them, we learn different things as each chef is specialised in certain different cooking skills. Guests can also enjoy live cooking demonstrations,” Butz shares.

No Walls, No Boss

As commander-in-chief behind four multi-award winning restaurants and four lounges/bars, Butz does not believe in acting like one from Hell’s Kitchen. Starring many-Michelin-starred, world-renowned and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Hell’s Kitchen is a reality-television series both in the UK and US, in which the chef hurls commands and sometimes profanity at contestants during dinner service in the restaurant. While Butz admires Ramsay and enjoys the programme, he says he is “not the big boss sitting above”.

Taking a more delicate approach, Butz leads with communications, through questions: Is something missing? Is something broken? Are we running out of stock? Are there changes in food, time, set up, or guest numbers? He even goes as far as to ask if any of the staff is having personal problems. “Everybody wants to come to work in a good mood. Kitchen staffs are sensitive people. He [the staff] will probably give up if he were driven crazy.”

“I am the team leader, not the boss. I don't want to build a wall. If help is needed in cleaning the dishes, I can do it. I like to be in operations and work with them. The human touch matters a lot,” Butz says.

True to his words, Butz shows off his culinary skills every Thursday evening at the Café Cha from May 1 to October 31 this year. German signature dishes, such as roasted pork knuckle, assorted sausage platter, and broiled beef rollups are prepared as part of a buffet.

More About Chef Bernhard Butz

Along with more than 30 years culinary experience all around the world, Chef Bernhard Butz’s previous position before joining Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing was as Executive Chef at Sheraton Amman in Jordan. He started his culinary career as a pastry chef in Café Muller German in the 1970’s. He worked for several top restaurants in luxury brand hotels such as Hilton, Inter-Continental, Marriot and Sheraton where he gained solid culinary experience.