/ Reviews / Interview
Howard Quan General Manager of Avalon
by
on Friday, May 14, 2010 12:00 AM
You advertise yourself as a wood grill and wine bar, but your menu is much more complicated; what is the concept behind the restaurant?
My original concept for this place was a Mediterranean wood grill, but then we got our chef, Hilary Ambrose. Hilary has more of a French-American style, but he also serves up molecular cuisine. We wanted to be excellent fine dining that appealed to Chinese tastes without being super expensive. There are fish tanks where we're going to be featuring live lobsters and fish - things you see in Cantonese restaurants. I was thinking the Chinese really love seafood, so why don't we bring them something different - olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs and more.
How did you meet Mr. Ambrose and get him away from Jean Georges?
This is actually a really strange story. We met on the internet - no not like that! We met on the Craigslist website. I had posted an ad asking for a chef and Hilary seemed perfect for the job. He has a lot of working experience in Asia already, around HK and Macau. He knows Asian guests' tastes and expectations - and he also understands the work conditions, which is very important.
How did you get into the restaurant business?
At the very beginning, I actually started in the restaurant business cooking for Jamie Kennedy, the famous Canadian chef. Man, it was really intense, everything was done to order. After five years in the kitchen, I'd had enough and moved out to the front of the house. Then I worked with ASC Wines for almost 10 years before I came back to the kitchen. I always had the intention of getting into the wine business, so I fulfilled that dream and decided it was time to open up a restaurant.
What is your favorite sort of food to eat?
I have to admit, I'm a little selfish creating Avalon. I love wood grills with smoky, charred flavor. I'm combining what I want in a restaurant with what the chef is good at.
What do you do to enjoy Shanghai?
Unfortunately, I have to say DVDs. But also the weather is so fantastic right now that just walking around the French Concession is a real pleasure.
