Asia's Top Female Chef's Mastermind: Tiger Boss

Method: Gourmet food was published on December 15, 2021, at 15:42 [Investor] Food investment capital is certain to be hungrier than the rice-eating crowd. Most investors nowadays, holding domestic hot money, are still eager before they fall, following the example of the past where they were hindered by their own industry. The catering industry has become the new hotbed for making money. I couldn’t help but use a slightly Cantonese pronunciation to call these ‘investors,’ which is closer to the truth ‘speculators.’ They all enter the market riding the wave of opportunity, then advance with great momentum, and by the time they reach the peak, they have almost perfected all strategies to get rid of the hot potatoes. The truly successful ones are those who entered early, reinvesting their earnings back into the business. They know that to make the sweet potato more fragrant and sticky, they must wait long enough, and it’s enough to keep moving forward without going hungry, and Tiger Boss is no exception. Tiger Boss, an atypical investor in the catering industry, is someone I met at the dinner table. He has many identities: an internet personality, a boxer, a former internet-famous B&B owner, a cook, and a folk crosstalk performer… I even think that compared to his first identity, the rest are much more interesting. Many people who talk to him are captivated by his wit and humor in the style of ‘Qi Pa Shuo’, and then they lower their voices and interrogate him like a loyal fan: You are actually the investor of Tangxiang Obscura? It’s a pity that you don’t host a talk show! He will probably reply sincerely, ‘Keep a low profile.’ At this moment, if you look at his tattoo ‘Make a fortune quietly,’ you won’t have the expression you’d have when facing a talented comedian. I admit that’s the funniest tattoo I’ve ever seen. But surprisingly, as you laugh, a flower blooms in your heart from the dust: Oh, this boss is extraordinary. Not long ago, I went to eat a meal by Tangxiang Obscura’s head chef and co-founder, DeAille Tam, the first female chef in mainland China to win a Michelin star, and the best female chef in Asia. DeAille’s slender fingers gently pointed to the ‘national trend’ series she began to play with in her appetizers, and my saliva almost trembled with her gentle vocal cords: This is Hong Kong’s salted lemon seven, that’s Beijing’s candied hawthorn made into chocolate, Taiwan’s pineapple cake shell is flavored with Yunnan’s Dian Hong black tea, and the white sugar cake is fermented with Heilongjiang’s kefir… DeAille has just won the ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list for the best female chef in Asia, becoming the first female chef in mainland China to receive this honor. I can’t help but sigh, no wonder ‘Longjing shrimp’, ‘fish-flavored eggplant’, ‘wowo head’ all have groundbreaking products in her hands, but they all seem to be wonderful accidents.
This is Tangxiang’s ‘Longjing Shrimp’, which embodies the soul of Hangzhou, China, and is presented in the artistic manner of Western cuisine, leaving people lingering. DeAille said: ‘The main ingredient of this dish is Canadian peony shrimp, paired with hot spring pigeon eggs. Longjing tea is the most important, I made it into tea powder and tea oil to marinate the shrimp. Inside, it is paired with crab shell soup, caviar, and sheep’s sorrel that looks like tea leaves. The ‘tea leaves’ soaked in tea soup, compared to the fresh tea leaves traditionally eaten, do not have a very hard fibrous texture. Before eating, you must break the yolk and eat it with ice lettuce.’ It was not easy, but finally, my facial muscles returned to a relaxed state with a bite of ‘Longjing Shrimp’ and a sip of the 2009 Robert Parker 91-point Italian Franz Haas Pinot Noir, and he still did not let me go: ‘At first, I wanted to tattoo the socialist core values of ‘patriotism and dedication’. This year, I still want to get ‘winning others with virtue’. As the behind-the-scenes boss, Tiger Boss’s daily life is quite simple, mostly in the office. In the few spare times, he is either boxing or cooking, tasting dishes. ‘Boxing keeps me sober and gives me a different perception of pain.’ When Tiger Boss talks about investing, which is a serious matter, he looks unbridled, but if you listen carefully to his words, you can understand that every sentence is not a joke. ‘First think, what is the ideal catering? I would first set investment goals. Then think, what do I really want to achieve after investing? Catering should maintain a distinct personality, it’s better to have 10% of people love it to the extreme rather than 70% of people just liking it. The highlights must be particularly eye-catching, or it’s better not to do it at all.’ When Tiger Boss decided to let DeAille take over Obscura, he was touched by her innovative spirit, ‘There is a sense of fusion that I have never tasted before, which allows me to see possibilities.’ When asked about the most important thing to focus on in investment, Tiger Boss said he values potential the most. ‘I hope the restaurant can fulfill its potential with our help. Investors are not just rich people. Good investors, in the process of cooperation, will be very much liked by the team. All new projects need a boss who can help the team and fully respect the team. I can’t make much money from catering alone. Just looking at the rate of return on investment, I don’t think it’s suitable. We need to create, this is the power that lasts for a long time, of course, we can’t lose money. Even if Western cuisine is delicious, but if it doesn’t progress, so what?’ Tiger Boss emphasized: ‘DeAille’s cooking process is about overseas Chinese returning to China to find their roots. Our advantage is that we can quickly find the essence.’ For example, most guests who come to eat for the first time will still be shocked by such ‘fish and lamb freshness.’ ‘Below is New Zealand lamb, and the caviar is the oldest, at least 20 years old, which can only be obtained from fish that are at least 20 years old.’

Complemented by sweet taro layers and served with a fermented tofu sauce, the dish is adorned with Laba beans and miso, DeAille explained. At this moment, the famous Sichuan dish ‘Fish-Flavored Eggplant’ arrives! The menu at TangXiang Obscura features straightforward dish names such as ‘Stir-Fried Smoked Meat with Green Peppers’, ‘Street Skewers’, and ‘Porridge’, each of which hints at a different world. The ‘Fish-Flavored Eggplant’ before me is no exception. I have even written an article about the story behind this dish, which traditionally lacks fish. When presenting it, DeAille discussed this with me, mentioning that she has reintroduced fish to this dish, creating a ‘Fish-Flavored Eggplant’ with fish. Originally, fish-flavored eggplant is characterized by its sour, spicy, and salty flavors, but she has deconstructed the taste, using fish sauce instead of salt for seasoning the black garlic eggplant puree, and adding Beihai red Sichuan peppercorns for a delightful surprise, creating a unique layering of flavors. ‘The Japanese bonito flakes on top are pink and come from the fatty part of the fish, giving them a more pinkish hue. The orange gold beads are fish-flavored, bursting with rich sauce when bitten.’ The concept of combining Eastern and Western cultures has given DeAille’s creations a cross-cultural appeal. An Italian egg dumpling filled with Beijing’s handmade cheese, accompanied by mini side dishes of sea cucumber and green onions. Lifting the ice flower-shaped millet crisps reveals the green part to be extracted green onion oil, while the white part of the onion is crafted into triangular layers of green onion. This is a temptation for diners from both the East and the West! She admits to enjoying the combination, linking styles and dishes from various places. Uncle Tiger said, ‘Everyone has their weakest part, and different dining backgrounds can be expressed in different ways, which is very sexy. Running a restaurant must have personality! We do not cater to those who do not understand, as tastes do not overlap. Many restaurants will do public relations when they see bad reviews, but we do not make calls; this is the customer’s right, and I do not refund money. I do not want to cater too much to the market. I can earn money on my knees but stand firm in being myself. I personally like music, painting, and things with strong personalities, which excite me. People follow you because of your personal color; it’s impossible for everyone to be good. In fact, very few people have the courage to do things that stand out. The stronger the character, the more interesting friends you attract; the more mediocre you are, the more generic the people you attract.’ Initially, I thought this mindset might have been shaped by his internet genes, but the more I delved into it, the more I realized that his experience in Shangri-La gave him the courage to take risks beneath the snow-capped mountains. Swallowing the sauce, feeling satisfied, I continued to ask Uncle Tiger what he values in investing in the catering industry. He said that after graduating from university without a job, he went to Yunnan during his junior year to discuss an inn. ‘Right after graduation, while my classmates were looking for jobs, I chose to play first, deciding to be different from others, living a carefree life before going to work.’
With a jovial demeanor that belies his formidable strength, Tiger Lord’s life is filled with inevitable challenges met with a playful attitude. His legend began at the age of 22 when, brimming with youthful vigor, he was bitten by a tiger while snorkeling in Thailand. While his friends worried, he joked that the Thais comforted him by saying, ‘You look so tasty, that’s why the tiger bit you.’ He once ran a guesthouse that dates back to the Ming Dynasty, over 260 years old and known locally as a ‘haunted house.’ ‘He Long lived in that house, and if He Long wasn’t afraid, neither was I. Everyone else was too scared to stay. The first floor was a large cow shed, with no courtyard walls, so thieves would come in, so I raised a Tibetan Mastiff. In the end, I felt it was also afraid, its barking sounding like crying.’ Yet, it was in such a place that he turned into a well-known spot for visitors!

Knowing Tiger Lord has its advantages, as it allows me to better understand DeAille’s cuisine. Tiger Lord once opened one of China’s earliest internet-famous boutique hotels in Shangri-La, a gathering place for literary and artistic young women, and the starting point of his culinary journey. ‘Innkeepers are generally good cooks. It’s only natural for guests to dine at the inn. Next to me was a Sichuan restaurant, so I went to learn. I also had a Western cuisine teacher who made authentic Italian dishes. Foreigners who opened their own shops did not do as well as me because they were too rule-abiding. An order of pizza, from ordering to eating, took an hour, and the guests were already hungry. At my place, the pancake was half-baked, made to the taste that Chinese people like, which was more in demand than dry baking. I could make one in 20 minutes, and it was very popular!’ Later, he met his true love there. When friends asked about him, he finally looked like he belonged: ‘The requirement for choosing a wife is that she can eat more than me.’ ‘And the result?’ ‘The result is, I can’t afford it…’ He talked about his model-like wife, ‘The first time I saw her, she ate as much as a girl would in a week and a half in one night. Sometimes, she would go to three or four places in one night, eating 2-3 people’s portions each time, and still not feeling full. But her figure is still very good, and at that time, I thought, wow, this girl is so cute!’ It seems like teasing, but in fact, it is showing affection! His wife has become an uncontrollable fan on his culinary journey. As a result, Tiger Lord’s family feasts have grown into the following: Tiger Lord gradually excels in the field of cooking, making his own sauce for mouth-watering chicken, slow-cooking Sichuan-style beef ribs at low temperatures, and making Sichuan pepper tofu, cold-eating rabbit, scallion-braised sea cucumber, East Star grouper, abalone braised pork, ginger mother duck, Guangxi pickled radish stewed intestines, and shelter harbor fried crab… nothing is too difficult for him! His signature dish is the stir-fried kidney flowers that test the heat control. He pays attention to details in cooking, such as frying half a lobster with Sichuan peppercorns. And his ‘one shrimp, two ways’ Fujian-style braised noodles are also unique, with the shrimp head boiled to make the braised noodle soup, how could it not be delicious? ‘When I went back 15 years ago, my friends there asked me, ‘Are you with that very eatable woman, and is your wallet still okay?’ At that time, Tiger Lord took out the family feast photos, and the other party understood immediately.
Tiger Master humorously claims that he is quite a food connoisseur within the internet circle. ‘I have a good understanding of these things and am willing to spend money on food. Taste must be online. Western and Chinese chefs are different; I find the former more comfortable to work with. There are sometimes undesirable habits in Chinese kitchen management, like manipulating the boss. But I don’t manipulate my employees; I want to give them a large enough stage to create.’ ‘I respect the chef’s wishes and don’t confine them. In doing this, I fully trust my teammates and can let go. Although this is difficult for many restaurant owners, I believe being an athlete is not as good as being a referee, and being a referee is not as good as being an initiator. Try not to get involved yourself.’ As a Fujian native, Tiger Master says: ‘However, I also input some concepts of Chinese ingredients into DeAille. Only those who have lived in the local area for a long time will know, for example, Fujian green crabs include burrowing crabs and saw-edged green crabs, one without patterns and one with. Food requires time to study, and regional ingredients really can’t be understood just by talking; it takes time to try and do, and you need to understand the local people’s dining stories.’ His love for food has also deeply influenced DeAille: ‘The boss will come to share, and the locals have talent and inspiration.’ ‘I think those dishes are imbued with emotions, and guests can feel it. Guests themselves have their own experiences and intentions from growing up, and I try to understand from their perspective. Adding something or changing something can still be felt. The essence of different dishes is absorbed from others.’ She admits that the pandemic has also brought opportunities for the development of the catering industry on another level and believes that the catering market on the mainland has made great progress in recent years. ‘Firstly, due to changes in imports and exports, this year I have clearly seen that well-known restaurants are increasingly focusing on exploring the value of local Chinese ingredients, not just relying on imported ingredients, and appreciating domestic products. A few years ago, if it wasn’t imported, it was not wanted, but now restaurants are willing to tell you that the beef is a specialty of China. They are very dedicated to promoting it, but the supply chain for good ingredients is relatively difficult, and prices sometimes soar, hoping to reach a balance point. It is strenuous for those in the catering industry, especially as domestic good ingredients are also becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, and everyone is competing for them.’ Tiger Master encourages DeAille to explore more places in mainland China to discover ‘treasures.’ She is constantly understanding new ingredients, seasonings, and every touching detail of presentation, then surpassing them, a process that is inseparable from her meticulous observation. Even this set of ‘tableware’ was found by DeAille in the streams of Jingdezhen, disinfected, and became a unique artistic existence. She can master the Western ‘ginger duck’ to a state of perfection and can also span the entire China to the northernmost point to make the most delicious Western-style steamed buns! ‘If Tiger Master didn’t ask me to go to Shenyang, I would never have been able to do it.’
“People in the Northeast eat soybean paste just as those in the South eat soy sauce; traditional families would make their own. I’ve replaced the tomato sauce with mountain grape sauce, giving it a sweet and sour flavor. Using local hazelnuts, which are roasted and smoked to give off a truffle aroma. The taste of hazelnuts is unique to the Northeast, coinciding with the truffle season. The paper is made from mulberry bark, a craft from Anhui, part of China’s intangible cultural heritage, and even used in the Forbidden City. Wrapped in this paper, it becomes a small burger.” Tiger Lord says they have an osmanthus tree in their backyard, and the scent inspired the dessert before us. “Everyone at Obscura puts their heart into it; I’m truly grateful for such a great team.” Even when it comes to desserts, DeAille introduces them meticulously: “This is snow bean paste. The red bean filling is made with dried tangerine peel and small green citrus tea leaves. The orange juice is a bit sour; if you like sour taste, you can add it in.” This Muscadet sweet wine is very rare at present, a treasure. The sommelier behind it speaks with a gentle baritone: Italian terracotta collection, from France, with a different aroma from the past, apples, peaches, apricots, honey, and floral scents, each well-balanced, the aroma concentrated. It’s recommended to drink it slowly, as the alcohol content is as high as 15%. When drinking, there’s no alcohol taste, and it pairs well with desserts. I can taste the bright acidity that balances well with the sweetness, indeed comfortable. In this way, Tiger Lord looks at me and says, if we were in Shangri-La now, it would be time for barbecue, fortunately, Tang Xiang has… I say, fortunately, you didn’t say eating with yaks haha. The following excerpt is from a blog Tiger Lord wrote on the Tianya Community in 2006: Every day I wake up. Squatting on the stone steps, watching the clouds roll and relax in the sky, my mind is empty. How should I spend today, how should I spend tomorrow. The wood of the house is already 170 years old, shining with the brilliance of history. Witnessing every passer-by in this house, the former slave owners, the former slaves, He Long who once lived in this house, those who were assigned to this house after the land reform, and me today, and everyone tomorrow. In the courtyard under the sun, those stones have long been polished smooth, sometimes I doubt that facing these stones, one can reflect on one’s past and present lives. The tender green grass grows wildly in the courtyard, between the crevices of the stones. After graduating from university, I came here, leaving the noisy big city. I didn’t look for a job because crowding with them at bus stops and subways is not the life I yearn for. Maybe I’m too idealistic, many people have said so. But I have no regrets about this choice. I can’t tell whether I abandoned the city or the city abandoned me. In short, I left there and found a house with nearly 200 years of history in Shangri-La Ancient City, realizing my dreams.
Recalling my college days, I gained a lot and also lost a lot. What I do every day now has nothing to do with anything I learned in college. I left home, was admitted to a so-called key university. I was at a loss in class and wasted my youth in the dormitory. Then, I left school alone and came to such a place. I came to this old house to pursue my dream. In school, I was always resisting. I didn’t want to be made into a screw, a part without personality that goes wherever it is needed. Therefore, when I graduated, I discounted the employment rate of the school. I just want to stick to my belief until everything is shattered. An very old house. It took me a long time to tidy it up. The original owner put a lot of effort into this house. I thank him. I renovated this house according to my own wishes. Just as I am transforming my own life. What do I do every day? Photography, walking the dog, receiving guests, yawning, drinking and chatting with guests, and watching movies together. No. 17-18, Cangfang Street, Old Town of Shangri-La, Diqing, Yunnan. I often stare at this address in a daze. From now on, this address will be the symbol of my existence. The large prayer wheel opposite is the coordinate of the old town and also the coordinate of my small courtyard. —– I often ride a bicycle and speed on the road, then find a grassland. Not those scenic spots, but the most ordinary pasture. I lie down and close my eyes, but the sunlight can still shine through my eyelids and illuminate my sight. Yaks graze lazily. I face them and speak loudly to them. They ignore me and just mind their own business. So I continue to tell them many things because they are the most loyal listeners. So when you pass by the grassland, you can always see a person squatting on the meadow, muttering something to a cow… I talk about many things, such as the hustle and bustle of the city and the loneliness in Shangri-La, and the stories of some people far away in other places. Yaks don’t understand these. They just chew grass in front of me and then stroll leisurely. Regarding loneliness, everyone has their own opinion. Sometimes I often think of Guangzhou and those good friends far away in various places. Then I ask myself again and again whether I have made the right choice this time. Many people have asked me, what are you here for? I also ask myself again and again whether it is simply to escape pressure. I admit that there is pressure in the city, but in fact, sometimes I need to bear more burdens for my current choice. And these burdens can only be finished here or told to the yaks.
Sometimes, I also come here with guests to talk to the yaks, and they are very happy because they have confided many things they dared not say. If you wish, I can accompany you to the grasslands, and let you share your concerns with the yaks. Let’s indulge in some idle chatter. The divine witch asks what you think about the dining trend? ‘I enjoy boundless leisure before the flowers even bloom.’ — Li Yu Food Bless You! Advisor to the China International Food Expo Producer of ‘The God-like Dining Table’

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