Beijing, Oct. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- On the third floor of Shanghai's tallest tower, a black-clad chef carries on a treasured family tradition -cooking for royalty. Pauline D Loh goes imperial for the night.
My brother David sings his praises, and boasts of beef broth recipes he had secretly learnt from Toyo-san. That alone piqued my interest. David is, to say the least, a galloping gourmet who has eaten around the world, and if he is impressed, there must be a certain something there.
So this week, having finished a few errands in Shanghai, I decided to visit Ippoh, Toyo-san's brand-new restaurant on the third floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, a towering edifice so high you get a crick in the neck just looking up at it.
Toyoichiro Seki is the fifth generation of a proud clan from Osaka who has cooked traditional tempura for the imperial family since Toyo-san's grandfather's grandfather.
Toyo himself was educated in Los Angeles, and he came to Shanghai years ago to etch out his own place in history.
The chef had all the right reasons. Even at the time, he saw China's potential as an economic powerhouse, and Shanghai as one of its beachheads.
A month ago, he decided to plant the Seki flag firmly on Shanghai ground. He got his father's permission to use the Ippoh name, a revered family establishment that brings on tears of awe in real lovers of traditional tempura.We settled ourselves along the counter while the chef and my brother warmed up with tumblers of single malt Scotch.
The first food to arrive was a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg cradled in a bed of jellied broth topped with a smidgeon of sea urchin roe.
It was a sensual start to the meal and as the deep golden yolk broke, it was like molten lava flowing over the quivering aspic. Only it was refreshingly cool.
I am not a fan of tuna, unless it is absolutely fresh. One bite and I thanked Toyo for his attentive choice for the sashimi plate. The tuna was soft but springy, far from the flabby fish that most restaurants offer. The sashimi sole and the scallops on the plate were equally delicate.
Next was a bento box with another delicate trio of appetizers. There was a slice of pork accompanied by two tiny rectangles of aspic, a single bite of barely poached salmon and a perfectly curled prawn on top of a round of sushi rice.
A pretty porcelain persimmon hid some astringent marinated seaweed, which immediately cleansed the palate and prepared our taste buds for the main attraction: the tempura.
While we savored our appetizer, Toyo's sous chefs were prepping the tempura station. Fresh oil was poured into the copper pan, while the flour container, the iced-water-and-egg-yolk solution and the first platter of ingredients were quietly set out as the master chatted with my brother and kept a sharp eye out to make sure other customers along the counter were getting served correctly.
A perfectly fried prawn, a slice of pumpkin, a trio of gingko nuts skewered on a cocktail stick, a meltingly tender chunk of squid - these were all dipped in the light batter and fried. Each portion of tempura was presented before us with proper ceremony, and Toyo quietly gave instructions on which dip to use.Not everything gets dunked into the tempura dip. Sometimes, light anointings of lemon juice and sea-salt flakes are all that's needed.
You have to have time to sit and relax to honor the chef and his tradition. Each piece is fried to perfection right before you, and the chef times the next piece that follows according to how fast you eat.
It was an eye-opener for those who are used to long prawns on top of ramen or thickly crusted fritters still dripping oil as they arrive at the table.
Toyo-san's tempura was clean tasting, elegant and fit for royalty. The whole meal may take you two hours or three, and it will cost you between 500 to 800 yuan ($75-120) per person, but how often do you get treated like royalty with the top chef's attention totally focused on you?