Many of us nurture dreams of opening a specialty restaurant like setting up a new business. But what goes on behind the scenes, what it entails, how does one go about it is a story of passion, multiple skill sets and multiple talents from a group.
You may often notice that a dish eaten in a restaurant in one part of the world differs immensely even if you follow the same recipe with the same ingredients. Reason for this are many, first and foremost is the ingredient grown in that part of the world and in another would have different texture and taste. It may never be the same. It could even be the water. This is the reason chefs insist on sourcing ingredients from a particular place when replicating a particular cuisine. But sourcing is just the beginning and is not always possible.
Opening a speciality restaurant calls for an immense amount of research and travel. It is like going back to school and learning cooking methods, sequence of preparation and tasting the dishes again and again. When we conceived Asia Tang, it was more than an idea to provide Asian cuisine. It was about creating an experience in a casual ambience to bring about pieces of Asia on the plate.
We spent days in popular and some not so well known cities in Asia seeking out restaurants from fine dining to the street vendors. Tasting dishes and dissecting them, having endless conversations with the chefs, delving deeper in their sources and storage. We studied how food differs in homes and in restaurants, and how dishes are adapted from what locals consume daily to the ones served for the tourist palate. Any good chef worth his salt, will know this as one of the most important aspects of studying food. Beyond food, beverages are equally important. Recreating popular beverage choices requires skills and precise measure derived from the tried and tested recipes of the locals.
Simultaneously comes the part of decor and ambience of the restaurant. At Asia Tang, we sourced traditional pieces from jars to wall hangings. Some pieces had to be specially crafted and transported with care. Finding the source in foreign country can be a challenge and authenticity has to be validated.
As a chef, this is outside of the food domain but setting up a restaurant requires the skill and passion to own every aspect of the business. The entire experience is unmatched and one which any chef mustn’t miss.
Moreover, restaurants in most places have to be embraced by the immediate vicinity and become part of the community. Staff must recognise the regular patrons and remember their choices. The Asian hospitality isn’t something that you can train your staff with, it has to be ingrained as part of your culture. It is something that you own. To be accepted within your community is the major step for any restaurant to succeed. Asia Tang at the new Springs Souk in Dubai is an idea born of passion and experience and we are proud to work in strengthening its foundations and providing a place for residents in the Springs and in the UAE to come and enjoy multi Asian cuisine comfortably.
The intention of this article is to offer a glimpse of setting up a specialty restaurant and although I can not do justice in one article, I would recommend interested people to come and have a chat with us at Asia Tang.
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