El Bulli

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by Buzz Archer
on Friday, October 28, 2011 12:00 AM

During my stateside travels last week I happened to sit in a chat with one of my restaurateur idols, El Bulli founder Ferran Adria. Over the course of an hour, one idea he reiterated was that the food is only one part of why people come back to a specific restaurant. Diners revisit a restaurant because the overall experience is excellent. Factors key to a good dining experience include customer service, group conversation, interaction with the chef, discovering a cocktail or glass of wine that perfectly pairs with the dish at hand. The reasons are myriad and are weighted differently for each individual.

One prime example is Howard Quan's Avalon. The restaurant is a chef carousel with 4 different ones over the past year. Normally this is the kiss of death for a restaurant as a new focus is established with each successive chef and restaurants have to rebuild their audience. However, many people come for Howard's amiable attitude and expertise with wines. No matter what new dishes are available, Howard always knows what wine to pair the dish with. This goes a long way towards reassuring customers that a new chef does not necessarily signify a major alteration in the dining experience.

Brad Turley's personality and dishes go hand-in-hand at Goga. The 20-seater restaurant ensures that you will be conversing with the gregarious chef by the end of the night. Moreover, the recent addition of California-based Bandit to the wine list lets you nab a liter of legitimate house wine for RMB200. Brad continues to innovate with his off-menu selection. Politely inquire about the carnitas risotto arancini and you may end up with a fantastic fall meal of succulent, meaty, lightly fried risotto spheres.

Regarding service, Morton's in Pudong has never steered me wrong. Whether you are dropping RMB1000 on a massive dinner or RMB40 on a discount Martini during their free-flow steak sandwich happy hour, you will still receive the same flawless table service.

The next time you have a great dinner at a Shanghai restaurant, take 30 seconds to think, beyond the dishes served, why your experience was so good. In the end, you will become a better-informed diner and understand what inputs are needed to create a killer dining experience.