SHANGHAI’S Kanpai Classic restaurant, featuring Australian Wagyu beef in a big way, has been awarded a coveted Michelin Star just 14 months after its launch.
In a great showcase for Australian Wagyu beef, the Kanpai Classic menu features a range of 15 beef cuts supplied by Australia’s Sher Wagyu out of Victoria.
The restaurant is located on The Bund, Shanghai’s famous historic waterfront precinct not far from where the ground-breaking and highly successful Toowoomba & Surat Basin Enterprise Access China trade delegation stayed last week (see earlier report).
The first-ever mainland Chinese edition of the famed Michelin Restaurant Guide was launched in Shanghai last month, with a grand total of 31 stars being awarded to restaurants in China’s buzzing financial capital.
Kanpai’s president Soji Hiraide credited Sher Wagyu owners, Nick and Vicki Sher, based at Ballan in central Victoria, for their role in the process in gaining the coveted Michelin Star.
“We are excited about the achievement, and could not have done it without the support of Sher Wagyu,” Mr Hiraide said.
The Shanghai venue is the first foray into China for the Taiwan-based Kanpai Co Ltd, which has developed a chain of successful Japanese Yakiniku style restaurants and bars in Taiwan featuring Australian Wagyu beef. Yakiniku is a Japanese table-top self-cooked barbecue style of cuisine.
Only in North Asia could a diner find a Taiwanese-owned, Japanese-inspired restaurant in a Chinese city, receiving an award issued by a French culinary authority.
Sher Wagyu founder Nick Sher said the award was a great demonstration of the value in creating strong customer relationships and the value in working closely with a customer to be able to showcase such a large range of cuts from one producer in one location.
“We are very proud to supply Kanpai Classic and congratulate their whole team on the achievement,” he told Beef Central.
Michelin is widely recognised as the world’s premier restaurant guide and awards stars to a small number of select establishments. The acquisition or loss of a Michelin Star can have dramatic effects on the success of an establishment.
Shanghai’s list of starred restaurants included in the recent guide were uniformly higher-end establishments, although dim sum restaurant Canton 8 became the world’s least expensive restaurant to be awarded two stars.
The honor of being the only three-star restaurant in the city was awarded to T’ang Court, a Cantonese restaurant at Shanghai’s Langham Hotel. This three-star effort equals that of its sister restaurant in Hong Kong, which has been a regular in the Hong Kong Michelin guide.
In total Shanghai now boasts one three Michelin starred restaurant, seven two-starred restaurants and 16 one-star establishments.
- Kanpai Classic is located at No.5 The Bund, directly across the Huangpu River from Shanghai’s financial precinct.
Congratulations Nick and Vicki.
You helped pioneer WAGYU as a new breed in this country in the early 90’s and have gone on to be one of the leading brands with your beef.
Well done — a great team effort.