Is this the Best Chinese Restaurant Dubai has to offer?
Chef Luo Bing graduated from culinary school in 1992, with a degree from Sichuan Culinary College. Having spent 3 years training with nationally-renowned and recognized mentors from all over China, such as owners of the renowned Ron Le Yuan as well as award-winners of such as the team of chefs that ran the renowned Rong Le Yuan - Chef Liang, Chef Wang– both of the National Master Chef title by the Chinese government.
As a hands-on chef, Chef Bing’s multi-faceted expertise was honed in the very heart of bustling kitchens. He now runs the kitchens at the best Chinese restaurant, Dubai’s Maiden Shanghai.
Previous Experience
Chef Luo Bing’s first ever memories of food revolve around spending time with his grandmother, Mrs Luo, in the kitchen. With a natural knack for flavours, textures and aromas, he was instinctively drawn to the art of creating multi-sensory dishes from a very young age.
He began his professional journey working in the kitchens of a five-star hotel in Chengdu, which helped him develop his knowledge of Sichuan cuisine. As a quick learner, he started leading a kitchen team of 18 people as Head Chef at the tender age of 21.
Following this, he spent seven years working in Shenzhen as well as in Guangzhou with chefs from Hong Kong and Macau, further developing his understanding of Cantonese cuisine.
After running his own culinary concept in Chengdu from 2000 to 2003 - 9 Bowls, named after a traditional, Sichuanese 9-course meal, his gastronomic adventures took him to Hong Kong and Malaysia between 2004 to 2011.
He then travelled all over Europe to countries like Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, and London, before eventually moving to London to head 1 Michelin star, Hutong as the Executive Chef in 2014.
In May 2017 he conceptualised Maiden Shanghai at FIVE Palm Jumeirah, now the best Chinese restaurant in Dubai. Chef Luo Bing’s vision was centered around bringing an exceptional and authentic, MSG-free gourmet Chinese dining experience that would match the vibrance and energy of Dubai.
What makes him different is that he uses long-established cooking methods with modern-day equipment; for example, the dim sum steamer in the Maiden Shanghai kitchen uses a high-pressure steaming method that cooks dumplings quickly, ensuring the meat is cooked evenly.
Habitually, Kung Pao Chicken is boiled but Chef Luo Bing’s recipe uses a combi-oven to steam and bake the chicken, which keeps its nutritional value intact. All the fish and chicken items in Chef’s kitchen are steamed at a high temperature of over 100 degrees Celsius to allow for even cooking.
Furthermore, we’ll let you in on a fact, we love about Chef Bing; he incorporates sustainable galley practices – wherein vegetable scraps are utilised efficiently in the formulation of stocks and sauces, thereby significantly reducing wastages.
“Guests come to FIVE for a 360-degree dining and entertainment experience that awakens your senses of sight, sound, touch and taste - so it’s important for the dishes at Maiden Shanghai to be ‘stand outs’ in a vividly competitive gastronomic environment.”, says Chef Bing.
Cooking Philosophy
Chef Luo Bing’s philosophy is based around using organic products and premium ingredients to create MSG-free, gourmet Chinese dishes that are an ode to the food from the region – Sichuan, Cantonese, Shanghai and Beijing. Fascinated by the cuisine of the four main regions of China, Chef Luo Bing has designed an expansive menu with a modern flair.
Capitalizing on his highly developed palate, Chef Luo Bing has curated dishes that burst with exceptional flavour in every bite, offering each visitor that walks through the doors of Maiden Shanghai, an unforgettable and immersive dining experience.
His signature, Organic Peking Duck, the recipe of which he has evolved from his learnings across China uses a delectable dipping sauce, which has a hint of spice and sweetness coming from a blend of plum, soy and hoisin sauces, adding more layers to the dish.
The organic Kung Pao Chicken uses his faithful recipe made up of a mix of 6 different sauces and ingredients such as rock sugar from China and the famed Chinese black vinegar. Each step of the preparation process is executed precisely - using the same amount of heat and cooking duration, each time. Chef Luo Bing ensures his chefs are trained diligently on each recipe, ensuring diners are served a consistent dish at every single visit.
Braised Short Ribs are another wildly popular dish amongst visitors. With a base of 5 spices, fresh ginger and organic rock sugar this dish is slow-cooked to perfection for 4-5 hours.
He says, “For any Chef, the key to preparing genuine Chinese cuisine is finding the right balance of seasonings in order to create a flavourful climax– the recipe may be simple but it’s the combination of ingredients that make all the difference.”
Having served celebrities such as US-based star Nelly, supermodel Rosie Huntington Whitely, cricketer Chris Gayle and beauty mogul Huda Kattan, Chef Luo Bing offers up a plethora of hits in a contemporary menu that allows its carefully chosen, fresh and ingenious components to take the lead on your palette. It’s not the best Chinese restaurant in Dubai for no reason!
It’s time to experience the explosion of flavours Chef Bing has curated for you at Maiden Shanghai, dubbed the best Chinese Restaurant Dubai has to offer. Book your table now via e-mail: [email protected] or by calling us at +971 4455 9989.