When Jereme Leung was asked to open a Shanghai restaurant at the Venetian, instead of going ahead with it, the chef proposed Jiangnan cuisine, and that is what the newly opened Jiang Nan is serving.
“It took me two months to make them change their mind,” the chef, who is based in Shanghai, told The Macau Post Daily when he was in town back in November to prepare for the soft opening of “Jiang Nan by Jereme Leung” located on the ground floor of the Venetian.
Leung said that as people are already quite familiar with the popular Shanghai cuisine, he suggested Jiangnan cuisine that features a diversity of ingredients, flavours and culinary techniques because it not only covers Shanghai, but also Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi and other cities south of the Yangtze River
The Yangtze River is also known as “Changjiang” which means “long river”, while Jiangnan means “south of the river”.
The variety in Jiangnan cuisine gives Leung many culinary possibilities, and so while the menu at Jiang Nan delivers the essence of Jiangnan cuisine, it will be complemented with culture and collective memories of each dish, giving guests a richer gastronomic experience.
“It’s not just about a pretty presentation,” he said, “I want people to have the food and appreciate its freshness, uniqueness and taste, and the environment.”
Taking into consideration the serving of hot food to guests, particularly something as simple but as important as a bowl of rice, Leung created a cart that is wheeled to the table where rice is then spooned into bowls, to ensure guests get the rice hot, just like guests would get at home from their rice cooker.
His signature dishes at Jiang Nan include the region’s classics with a twist, such as the presentation of “Jiangnan style oven-baked fortune chicken’ which resembles a “yuanbao”, a type of gold ingot used in imperial China, and guests get to crack it open before serving.
For the “Mahjong full house – Shanghai white rabbit coconut candy” dessert, Leung based it on the famed white rabbit sweets, resonating childhood memories of many Chinese people.
These photos taken in November last year at “Jiang Nan by Jereme Leung” show some of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Photos: Staff Reporter
