Hong Kong-based restaurateur Paul Kwok believes that it will take more than a stroke of luck to launch a restaurant and survive in this cutthroat arena.
“To be a market leader, you have to have the best food simply because food forms the core of the business. Moreover, you have to pay particular attention to details. For example, you come to my restaurant and you will see that everything—the dishes, interior design, music, lighting, down to the plates we use—have been carefully picked. People will remember and come back when they see that you have great dishes and environment,” points out Kwok, originator and owner of popular restaurants including Japanese, Italian, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese in Hong Kong and the Philippines where he opened Modern Shanghai, in collaboration with The Bistro Group of Restaurants.
Kwok, together with executive chef Ben Lueng, was in town to personally oversee the introduction of new dishes at Modern Shanghai which has been receiving rave reviews. Notably in spot.ph’s Top 10 Everything Food List, Modern Shanghai’s Xiao Long Bao was voted No. 1 in its category.
Modern Shanghai serves authentic Shanghainese cuisine amid a modern setting conceptualized and designed by award-winning interior designer Steve Leung. The restaurant has branches at the SM Mall of Asia and Glorietta 2.
What makes a successful resto
Before Kwok agreed to bring Modern Shanghai to the country, he came to Manila to study the market. “If I open a restaurant, I will not just offer the same food. I will make everything better, “he says.
Prior to inking a partnership with Kwok, The Bistro Group’s president William Stelton was looking for good Xiao Long Bao (small steamed bun with soup inside). “He found Modern Shanghai’s food and Xia Long Bao better than anything he had tried in other restaurants,” Kwok enthuses.
When asked why Modern Shanghai is such a huge hit with Filipino diners, Kwok says: “Like Filipino food, Shanghainese food is simple yet requires a lot of skills to produce the exact flavor. The ingredients also make Chinese food authentic. If the sauces and spices are correct, then the flavor would be perfect and that would make the difference. I think this is what Filipinos love—full, bold and authentic flavors that remind guests of home. Also, Chinese and Filipinos both love to eat rice so we offer a variety of rice dishes,” Kwok explains.
Future of franchise
Kwok is visibly pleased with the bustling restaurant scene in the country. He attributes the thriving food industry to the Filipinos’ creativity in coming up with excellent ideas that keep the food-loving public curious and fascinated.
“I think the Philippines has the highest ratio of retail and F&B than any other country. There’s an amazing number of restaurants here,” says the veteran restaurateur. (Kwok started working in a restaurant at age 17, was executive chef at Raffles Club in Hong Kong at 27, then served as F&B director of Planet Hollywood for 32 years, a career that brought him to more than 50 countries.)
At Modern Shanghai, tastes and techniques are brought to the fore in every dish. “What makes dishes uniquely Shanghainese are the use of sauces and marinades. It’s all about flavor and the clever balance of different taste profiles like sweet and salty,” explains Kwok.
It is really a work in progress because Kwok considers constantly improving and updating the menu as an important element in staying relevant and successful in the food business.
For inquiries on Modern Shanghai, call 551-1110 for MOA or 556-4167 for Glorietta branch. Restaurant operating hours are 10 am-10 pm Monday to Sunday for Glorietta, 10 am-11 pm from Sunday to Thursday, 10 am-12 midnight from Friday to Saturday for MOA. Also check out www.facebook.com/ModernShanghaiPhilippines