CHEF & FOOD RELEASE

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PAUL PAIRET
Born and trained in France, Chef Paul Pairet runs two restaurants of widely different natures in Shanghai. A popular French modern eatery "Mr & Mrs Bund", and an avant-garde, experimental restaurant "Ultraviolet".

Pairet first came of notice at Paris's Cafe Mosaic, where the influences of his wandering career – by that point, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Jakarta – began to crystallize into a French-but-not-French style all his own.
Critics talked of Mosaic and of Alain Ducasse's Spoon in equal terms. In fact, Pairet's cooking at Mosaic made such an impression on Ducasse that it was the master chef himself who subsequently plucked Pairet out and arranged his next move: Istanbul. Pairet then took his talents to the Ritz-Carlton's Cam, where he turned the hotel outfit into the city's first cutting-edge restaurant. He was to repeat the task in Shanghai.

Pairet came to Shanghai in 2005 to open Jade on 36, the flagship restaurant of the Shangri-La group's flagship hotel, the Pudong Shangri-La.
Under his guidance and in three years only, he staked out an international reputation for his highly personal and completely original cuisine: often exaggerated, highly technical plays on texture, temperature, and preconceived expectations.

Where he had formed the vocabulary – surprise, precision, wit, reduction – at Mosaic and Cam, the years at Jade on 36 saw him develop these into a fluent, singular cuisine that spoke on many levels. Pairet’s food started conversations, inspired articles and collected awards. Jade on 36 became not another hotel restaurant, but a beacon for sophisticated, avant-garde cuisine in Asia, and a destination for many.

Cooking a cuisine designed, in part, to provoke and challenge, Pairet elicited ecstatic guest response from the moment Jade on 36 opened.
The sentiment that the restaurant's food was both exceptionally unique and essentially delicious echoed in media.
Pairet's rejection of rigid culinary convention won over gourmands and went to scoop numerous honors and awards, while his cuisine was profiled internationally.

Recent years have seen Pairet circle the earth to present his unique vision at gatherings of the world's culinary heavyweights. From San Sebastian's Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia (The Best of Gastronomy) in 2007, Madrid Fusion in 2008 – where, at both, Pairet was the sole Asia-based chef invited to speak – the World Gourmet Summit 2008 in Singapore, which saw him present a culinary master class, to the participation in December 2009 in the most acknowledged and cosmopolitan "Guest Chef Concept" by Ikarus of Hanger-7, Salzburg, and the latest OFF World Tour - Shanghai 2012, Pairet continues to share with no reservations his belief and study in food.

In April 2009 Pairet brought to Shanghai “Mr & Mrs Bund-Modern Eatery by Paul Pairet”.This French Eatery perched on the historic Bund, more significantly, is a quite different expression of the chef's passion.

The theme this time is simplicity and popularity, a democratic flourish that embraces French favorites and classics. Pairet has never been two things: 1. A stranger to simple, popular dishes, and 2. Easy to classify. With Mr & Mrs Bund, Pairet has tailored a populist concept of sharing simple & well-executed dishes to both critical and popular success. It is French, in the way Pairet himself is --born, traveled, globally stamped, and stubbornly perfectionist.

Within four months of opening, That's Shanghai declared Mr & Mrs Bund the "Best French" restaurant in the city. Since then, it has gone on collecting a slew of awards and international accolades, including the recent No. 95 in the World's Best Restaurants by Restaurant magazine UK in 2012, and No. 7 in Asia, No. 1 in China by "The Miele Guide 2011/2012".

Has this popular French eatery been a u-turn for the "Avant-Garde" chef?
Definitely. But only until Ultraviolet opened.
Conceived by Pairet for 15 years and supported by his long-time back-up VOL group, "Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet" is the first restaurant of its kind attempting to unite food with multi-sensorial technologies, in order to create a fully immersive dining experience.

Ultraviolet project was first presented to the world in 2010's OFF5 French Omnivore Food Festival in Deauville. After 3 years of making, it has opened in May 2012, somewhere in Shanghai.
In short, a single table of 10, a 20-course avant-garde set menu, 5 senses, and a fully immersive dining experience.Supported by the multi sensorial technologies, each course is enhanced with its own taste-tailored atmosphere, including visual, audio and olfactory compositions. Almost instantly, Ultraviolet wows Shanghai, and has been blessed with passionate reviews from the diners, trade and critics. It has been described as a culinary destination just weeks after its official launch.

"C'est magnifique et delicieux!" wrote Alain Ducasse, perhaps is the best sum-up of what Ultraviolet is presenting.Like this experimental, avant-garde project, Pairet could be "turbulent, unpredictable, unconventional" for some even in the culinary world. "In the end", says Pairet, "It is the feeling, emotion that evoked by the dish that counts".

THE FOOD
Whether using tinned sardines to produce sophisticated, avant-garde fine dining as he did at Jade on 36, or using sophisticated, avant-garde techniques to produce the simplest of French dishes, at Mr & Mrs Bund, Paul Pairet is a culinary egalitarian.

He approaches cooking, ingredients, techniques, textures and flavors with an equal lack of prejudice and unbiased opinion without regard for national boundaries or 'class' devoid of context, and reputation.
Pairet calls this the "newborn eye": tasting something as if it was being tasted for the first time, and perceiving without discrimination.
"A tinned sardine" is not a lesser sardine than a fresh one, but simply a different product. He insists, that foie gras is not intrinsically more suited to fine dining than a piece of bread, or a truffle more interesting than the Coca Cola.

There is no "better" or "worse" when it comes to flavor, there is simply a universe of flavors, a palette of differences to paint with liberal doses of imagination.
"Above all flavors should taste divine, assertive, sending taste buds into raptures, and the mind traveling on a bite through countries or found memories".

Aside flavors, Pairet plays with texture and smell, he tricks the eye, cracks jokes in dishes, challenges preconceived ideas, and expectations, makes you think for a second: Wonder how? Wonder why?
He designs and wraps dishes in eye-catching, conversation-stopping, plain beautiful presentations.

A single noodle, presented in a concentric circle, made of fresh cuttlefish. A beef short rib, glistening on an over-sized bone. A lemon tart appears as a whole edible lemon…

The former scientist student has a simple philosophy: "a dish is ready when there is nothing left to add or take away. A dish could be: interesting, new, daring — perhaps shocking — beautiful, maybe comforting, even funny, but always good."

With revealing Ultraviolet, Pairet returns to his author's cuisine, yet, a 20-course meal lends to a blend of experimentation and comfort, of avant-garde and simplicity.
It is Avant-Garde, yes, but figurative Avant-Garde, not abstract: with flesh and bone!


WHAT OTHERS SAID

PAUL PAIRET BREAKS THE RULES, HAS FUN IN REINVENTING THE MEAL, UPDATE THE SOCIAL CONCEPT OF FOOD, AND KEEPS ON CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE CHEFS OF HIS TIME.ALICE BÉGUET, LE FIGARO (FRANCE), FEB 12

ULTRAVIOLET – AN ODYSSEY INTO THE PSYCHE OF PAUL PAIRET… PAIRET IS AN OCD PERFECTIONIST WITH THE SOUL OF AN ARTIST. MONICA LIAU, THAT'S SHANGHAI, JUN 12

YOU'LL OOH AND AHH AND FORGET ANY EFFORT TO CONTAIN YOUR EXCITEMENT. IT'S DINNER AS THEATER, IT'S FOOD AS YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE… IT'S TOTALLY, UTTERLY WORTH IT. GEOFF NG, CITYWEEKEND, MAY 12

ULTRAVIOLET IS RADICAL AND IT WAS VERY MUCH WORTH THE WAIT… THE FOOD IS CENTRAL TO THE NIGHT, NEVER JUST A PROP; EACH METICULOUSLY CRAFTED BITE IS SO DELECTABLE, WE'RE LEFT CRAVING MORE AFTER NEARLY EVERY COURSE. CRYSTYL MO, TIME OUT SHANGHAI, MAY 12

WOULD PROBABLY BE BY FAR THE LEADER OF THE CONTEMPORARY CUISINE JP GABRIEL, GENTLEMAN (BELGIUM), DEC 07

PAUL PAIRET IS THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN THE 90’S AND THE THIRD MILLENNIUM. OMNIVORE DEAUVILLE 2010 / OMNIVORE.FR, (FRANCE) FEB 10

COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE EBB AND FLOW OF FASHION AND SIMPLIFIED DOWN TO THE VERY ESSENCE OF PERFECTION. ROLAND TRETTL, ESSEN & TRINKEN (GERMANY), NOV 09

THE CHEF IS MASTERFUL, TURBULENT AND TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE. HIS PRODUCTS ARE TOP-NOTCH. FRANÇOIS SIMON, AIR FRANCE MAGAZINE (FRANCE), MAY 07

PAUL PAIRET, MAGNIFICENTLY EXILED SINCE THEN IN SHANGHAI WHERE HE IS COOKING UP A STORM WITH JADE ON 36… SINCE THEN, INNOVATION FADES OUT IN PARIS. FRANÇOIS SIMON, FIGARO SCOPE (FRANCE), MAY 07

I KNOW THAT FOR MY LAST MEAL ON EARTH, NOTHING BUT JADE ON 36 WILL SUFFICE. JOANNE HARRIS, THE TIMES (UK), OCT 06

HIGH CULINARY STYLE COURTESY OF AVANT-GARDE. PARISIAN CHEF PAUL PAIRET, AN ARTIST WHO RETAINS A SENSE OF HUMOUR ABOUT HIS SERIOUS CUISINE. JANE LASKY, DAILY HERALD (US), JAN 07

PAUL PAIRET COOKS LIKE A DREAM... PERHAPS THE BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE. LUCY WAVERMAN, THE GLOBE & MAIL (TORONTO), OCT 06

THE MAXIMUM LEADER - PAUL PAIRET, THE MASTERMIND IN CULINARY, HAS REDEFINED FINE DINING IN SHANGHAI.
JÜRGEN FRANKE, EAT MAGAZINE (GERMANY), DEC 09

IT IS A HYPNOTIC SEESAW OF EXTREMES.
‘IF THERE WERE NO ONE HERE,’ MY COMPANION WHISPERS, ‘I WOULD LICK THE PLATE CLEAN.’ CRYSTYL MO, CITY WEEKEND, APR 07

PAUL PAIRET, THE CHEF, TRIUMPHS WITH THE MOST UNEXPECTED COMBINATIONS. FINE DINING IS RARELY THIS MUCH FUN. ECONOMIST.COM, MAY 07

A MUST FOR ALL EPICUREANS IS JADE ON 36. AMY VAN, MILLIONAIRE ASIA (SINGAPORE), SEP 07

THE BEST WESTERN CUISINE IN SHANGHAI IS AT JADE ON 36 ... CHEF PAUL PAIRET COOKS AVANT-GARDE CUISINE WITH FRENCH INFLUENCE - UNFORGETTABLE GOURMET DINING. HANS SCHLOEMER, WELT AMSONNTAG (MUNICH), DEC 06

ASTONISHING EXPERIENCES FROM FRENCH PAUL PAIRET AT JADE ON 36. ANNE-LAURE QUILLERIET, L’EXPRESS (FRANCE), NOV 07

ABOVE THE FABULOUS DECOR AND THE SENSATION TO DINE IN THE STARS, IT’S THE PLATE THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS. DOMINIQUE HOFFMANN, EDGAR (FRANCE), AUG 07

DISHES AS ASTONISHING IN TASTE AS THEY WERE IN ARTFUL APPEARANCE. CRYSTYL MO, CNNGO, SEP 09

THIS FRENCH CULINARY MASTER OF SURPRISE HAS REDEFINED SHANGHAI’S DINING SCENE WITH HIS WILDLY INVENTIVE, CUTTING-EDGE CUISINE. KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI, AMERICAN WAY (AMERICAN AIRLINE, US), SEP 10

“MAD GENIUS” TONES DOWN TO HONE KITCHEN ARTS... JADE ON 36 PUT THE CITY ON ASIA’S CULINARY MAP. AUBREY BUCKINGHAM, SHANGHAI DAILY, MAY 09

PART CLASSIC, PART AVANT-GARDE FRENCH CUISINE IS EXECUTED WITH FLAIR AND FINESSE. EVELYN CHEN, THE INDEPENDENT (UK), NOV 09

SHANGHAI’S TOP 20 – THE PLACE TO EAT IN SHANGHAI? MR & MRS BUND. CATHERINE ROIG, ELLE (FRANCE), APR 10

MR & MRS BUND – 100 BEST NEW FOOD EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD. CRYSTYL MO, FOOD & WINE (US), MAY 10

ANYONE HEADING OUT TO SHANGHAI SHOULD NOT MISS A DINING EXPERIENCE AT MR & MRS BUND. EVELYN CHEN, THE WORLDS50BEST.COM, AUG 10

FOR GALLIC GASTRONOMY THERE’S NOTHING GREATER IN SHANGHAI THAN THIS BUND HOT SPOT. THAT’S SHANGHAI, SEP 10

UNSUNG PICASSO – THE MAN IS AS FAR FROM A DIVO AS POSSIBLE, BUT PAUL PAIRET’S CULINARY CREATIONS BELIE TRUE ARTISTIC VISION AND STRONG CULINARY KNOW-HOW. SIM EE WAUN, FLAVOURS (MALAYSIA), JUL 08

CREATIVE, DELICIOUS AND EVER SO SUBTLY REFORMING PERCEPTIONS OF THE FOOD ON OUR PLATE. ELIZABETH SORIANO, APPETITE (SINGAPORE), SEP 08

WHY A SET DEGUSTATION MENU?

The set menu is the foundation of the synchronization between food and ambiance, upon which Ultraviolet's concept is built.
It is also a guide for the guests to go with the flow, to experience the set balance of rhythm and experimentation.

HOW ABOUT THE BEVERAGE PAIRING?

Ultraviolet will match wine with the courses, but as well tea, beer, soda, infusion, cocktails, waters, spirits,juices…Drinks. Wine is not the sole answer to beverage pairing, specifically when the meal spreads over 20 courses or so.

IS ULTRAVIOLET A 'MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY' RESTAURANT?

No. The term "molecular gastronomy" is obviously restrictive. Paul Pairet uses modern techniques as well as old and primitive ones. In his kitchen, technique is a tool used to craft a cuisine and a style, not the style on its own.