Chef's Table isn't your average Q&A. We scrapped the tired interview routine and went for something a little tastier: dinner. Here we are, wining and dining with some of Shanghia's best chefs, no scripts, no fluff–just food, drink, and whatever else comes up. It's raw, like a good sashimi, but polished up so you can enjoy it too. Got a chef we should dine with? Let us know in the comments.

Copy Editor's Note: RAC Bar has been around for a while, most known in the city for their French-style crepes (the salted caramel one...mmm), and gallettes. As we began to arrange the photos for this place, we dropped a comment to Greg "this looks good, a bit of a graduation from their crepe days." And as he put it, "Yeah, I liked it. I've always liked that place. I just don't go often because it is always so full." Well, it appears there was a quiet evolution taking place right beneath our noses, because this little "crepe chain" is now serving up outstanding fare from a Michelin-trained chef. Shanghai is full of surprises.

Shan Tze Goh will tell you himself. He was never a great student until he discovered cooking. Since then, he has never stopped learning. He learned French by getting yelled at while working at Shift. He learned how to dodge the knives his first boss threw at him. He also learned why great food always has a distinct sense of origin and place. He's sharing that last lesson in RAC Bar's new seasonal menu, which showcases unique ingredients from all around China – everything from Inner Mongolian burrata to duck from Xuzhou. We sat down with Goh for a taste and to learn, which is harder, working for a chef with one star or two?

CNS: Tell us how it started

So, it must have been about 20 years ago, when I was growing up in Malaysia, I wasn't such a good student. I always skipped out on my homework. I always wanted to help my mom cook. I just really enjoyed being in the kitchen. So, when I finished school, I ended up going to this culinary school that only taught French cuisine. I became a much better student, and I graduated with honors. So, at that point, I'd pretty much decided I was going to be a chef. I told my parents. They weren't too pleased at first.

CNS: And your parents... what did your parents have for you?

Lawyer, doctor… You know, the usual. I knew I just wasn't cut out for that kind of work. I'd found my craft, and so my life started from there.

So, at one point, the college sent me to the South of France, near Toulouse, to work in a one-Michelin-star restaurant to do a three-month stage. I didn't speak any French at the time, so it was very painful. Before and after the service, the chef would speak English with me. But once service started, it was nothing but French. I guess he just didn't have the time to translate it all in his head just for my sake. So, every night after work, I would thumb through a dictionary to learn all the new words that were being yelled at me.

Then, when the three months were up, he offered me a job. A year later, I was back in his kitchen as a commis. I learned a lot from this chef. He was a true professional, and he had really high standards. I can remember to this day how clean we had to keep the kitchen. You could eat off the floor in that place.

But he was also a bit crazy. He had one star, and he was always hungry for another one. He had a really bad temper. He was the kind of guy who would throw knives around. One time, I saw him throw a pan at his pregnant wife. It caused her to fall down some stairs. One of the servers had to take her to the hospital. Thankfully, she – and the baby – were alright.

So, later that night, after service, all the kitchen staff got together for a beer. Everybody said, "We're submitting our letters of resignation tomorrow." He asked everyone to stay for another month until he found replacements. No one wanted to. I was the only one who stayed. I had to. I was on a work permit, and he sponsored me.

So, I worked for him for another three months. After that, he got me a job at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Paris, Guy Savoy.

CNS: Did your previous boss ever get his second star?

No. He was open for about 10 years. Then he had some financial problems and had to shut down.

CNS: Which was harder, working in a one-star or two-star restaurant?

Working for a one-star restaurant is harder. Trying to get that second star is a tough grind. Surprisingly, working for a three-star restaurant is much easier. Three-star restaurants function like well-oiled machines. So, it's just momentum and rhythm. If you maintain that, you're fine.

CNS: What brought you to Shanghai?

Another referral. A friend of Guy Savoy, another chef, Marc Meneau. Wanda Reign on the Bund brought him on for their French restaurant. It was called MARC. He was looking to build up a team here. Guy Savoy recommended me, and Marc took me on board to start this project as an executive sous chef. That was around 2016. Meneau had a real classic sensibility. I always thought it was a bit too old-fashioned. We always tried to convince him to change things up. No luck.

So, after about a year, business at MARC was not so good. So, the hotel ended its cooperation with Meneau. We changed the name to Ruiku. I was in charge of Ruiku for another year and a half.

Then RAC Bar brought me on about four months after it opened. At first, they were mainly doing galettes. After I joined, we started doing a dinner menu too.

CNS: Tell us about the concept behind your seasonal menu.

My career started in France. I spent a lot of time exploring Europe, and I like the concept of appellation of origin, the classification of regions for things like wine and cheese. I like the idea that food has a sense of place, and I figured, "Why not China?" So, I started looking around the country for ingredients that I could showcase here. And I've found some great stuff, like burrata cheese from Inner Mongolia, Wagyu Beef from Heilongjiang, and duck from Xuzhou.

CNS: What ingredient do you think is totally underrated?

Chicken hearts. They're so good!

CNS: Give me an overrated ingredient.

Caviar.

CNS: What's your favorite thing about the restaurant scene here?

The chef community is great. It's not like in France, where everyone tries to hide their suppliers.

CNS: What do you like most about this job?

You get to try so much food. I just love going everywhere and experiencing what they eat.

If you go

RAC Bar

Opening hours: 8am-10:30pm

Address: Bldg 6, 322 Anfu Rd, near Wukang Rd 安福路322号6幢1楼