Chef Tony Xu takes the helm at the Shangri-La Paris's Chinese table

Interpreting the splendor of Chinese cuisine right in the heart of Paris's 16ᵉ arrondissement: that's the challenge awaiting Tony Xu, new chef at the Shang Palace. From the famous Peking duck to lesser-known local specialties, Tony Xu's dishes will soon be available to sample.

Morgane Mizzon Published on 6/14/24 at 2:05 PM

The Shang Palace restaurant (2 toques), located within the Parisian Shangri-La hotel, welcomes chef Tony Xu to the helm. Trained as a chef in China, his country of origin, and having worked behind the stoves of major international groups, the chef has been chosen to head up one of the capital's most prestigious Chinese restaurants.

Chinese cuisine in a jade setting

From Belleville to the 13ᵉ arrondissement, Paris has a good number of Chinese restaurants to discover. Among them, however, one stands out. With its tablecloth-covered tables, hushed decor and tie-dyed service, Shang Palace offers a gastronomic version of cuisine from the Middle Kingdom.

It's in this establishment, whose reputation is well established, that chef Tony Xu puts down his knives. Freshly arrived from Chengdu, a city in China's Sichuan province, Tony Xu brings with him a wealth of experience. The chef has spent over 20 years in the kitchens of various international groups operating in China. His most recent experience: leading the brigade at Mi Xun Teahouse, a world-renowned vegetarian Chinese restaurant based in Chengdu (China).

Peking duck, dim sum and a Szechuan touch

On the menu, Shang Palace is keen to retain its identity: "We don't want to change the DNA of the restaurant: authentic Chinese cuisine and sharing. We're keeping around ⅔ of the menu, like the famous Peking Peking duck, the restaurant's most popular dish," explains Julien Bardet, general manager of Shangri-La.

With such a menu, the idea is also to show that Chinese cuisine extends far beyond the noodles and baos to which it is still too often reduced in France, and that it is a regionalized cuisine. "Chef Tony will continue to offer dim sum, a specialty of the Canton region, but will also add a few signature dishes from Sichuan, his home region, where the cuisine is rich in spices", continues Julien Bardet.

The director of the Shangri-La also emphasizes the work undertaken around the locality of products: "In the popular imagination, people don't think of Chinese cuisine with French products, but we're trying to show that it's possible. The wagyu beef will be sourced from Normandy, the fish from Brittany", explains the Shangri-La manager.

Sweet tooths are not forgotten either, as Tony Xu is working in collaboration with Shangri-La pastry chef Maxence Barbot to develop the dessert menu: "A four-handed dessert will even be offered in September," says Julien Barbet.

The chef is taking the summer to train his brigade, discover the local produce he will be working with from now on, and tame the tastes of French customers. He will unveil the precise titles of his menu in autumn 2024, but it's sure to be a feast. In the meantime, there's always Tsui Hark's Chinese Feast (1995), a comedy that deliciously blends kung fu and Chinese gastronomy.