Guest chef Paul Piret at Restaurant Ikarus

Dezember 2009 at Restaurant Ikarus: Paul Pairet

The globetrotter

"Mr & Mrs Bund", Shanghai, China

Paul Pairet is a man who wants to conquer the world. His weapons for the attack: pots, pans and an unbelievable flair for devising creative new recipes. His greatest source of inspiration is his experience which he acquired on his various culinary travels. But let’s start at the beginning:

Pairet grew up in a suburb of Marseille in the South of France. After training as a chef at various restaurants, he moved to Paris – the city of gastronomy. His first placement was at Café Mosaic on the Seine before he moved to the Fréres Costes as culinary advisor. Pairet then began a period of travel from continent to continent which he is still engaged in today: from the Restaurant Cam at the Ritz Carlton in Istanbul he moved to Asia, Hong Kong and Sydney.

He always managed to leave behind a lasting impression, regardless of the type of restaurant. The press described the Frenchman as a genius and critics praised his enthusiasm and unique interpretations, winning him lots of awards. His travels and experiences have inspired both him and his style of cooking. The smells, textures, aromas and flavours of his travels have stayed with him and help him to find ever more ideas for his culinary compositions. The former mathematics student has a simple philosophy: “A dish is only ready when there is nothing more to add or take away”.

In 2006, the Frenchman moved to Shanghai and was overwhelmed by this booming city. Here, he has transformed the Restaurant Jade On 36 des Pudong Shangri-La Hotel Shanghai into one of the top culinary addresses in the metropolis. The greatest accolade of Pairet’s achievements – in addition to his satisfied guests – is the great number of awards he has won. His cooking has won almost all the awards there are to win in Asia, starting with the ‘Best Restaurant in Shanghai’ (2005, Shanghai Tatler) as well as being elected into the ‘Hall of Fame’ in the 6th Readers Food & Drink Award (2008, That’s Shanghai) and being named ‘Best Fusion Restaurant’ (2008, City Weekend, Readers Choice Award). The excellent reputation of the Jade On 36 is also causing a stir in Europe: Pairet has been awarded the honour of being one of a very few chefs to be invited back to the Gastronomy Congress in San Sebastian and Madrid several times in a row.

But Paul Pairet would not be who he is today if he were content with these achievements. His culinary creations such as Agar Pomelo Raviolo, Passion-Choco Foie Gras Opera, Jumbo Shrimp Citrus Jar, Short Rib Rib Teriyaki, Black Cos Hon Kong and Lemon & Lemon Tart will no longer be served at the Jade On 36 in future. Instead Pairet is planning a new and even more exceptional project although he is not giving away any further details at present. He will only say this: the project will be based in Shanghai.

Pairet’s Avant-garde cuisine is simply indescribable. If forced to attempt a description, words such as ‘quirky, classic, contrary, ironic, natural, surreal and exaggerated’ would certainly come into it. As Paul Pairet himself says, “In the end, it is the feeling evoked by the dish that counts – so it needs to be interesting, new, daring, perhaps a little shocking, beautiful and above all fun!”
Pairet’s latest culinary weapon with which he captures his guests’ palates – how could it be otherwise? – is the Mr & Mrs Bund.