Nestled in the heart of San Francisco's vibrant North Beach neighborhood, a quiet alley leads to a secret doorway that opens to a hidden gem of fine dining, Eight Tables. This restaurant is well-reviewed, with comments like “elaborate and luxurious” and “everything was tantalizing and service was divine.” The best review I found: “The thoughtfulness of the service, quality of ingredients, and creativity of the dishes was on par with many of the 3/2 Michelin star restaurants I've enjoyed in the area—Bird Song, SingleThread, French Laundry, and others.” It’s true, this restaurant doesn’t have a Michelin star yet, but it deserves one. (Note: The dearth of Michelin stars for Chinese restaurants is known as the “bamboo ceiling” in the business.)
However, Chinese restaurants that take on fine dining face another challenge, Chinese cuisine tends to resist “fancification.” Put a foie gras soup dumpling before a typical Chinese patron, and he’ll likely say, “Aiyah! Only one dumpling!” Chinese food is comfort food for the world, and it’s hard to modify it in a way that doesn’t move out of that comfort zone. Lovers of Chinese food are a tough crowd to please.
Nevertheless, the tasting menu at Eight Tables is a symphony of meticulously crafted dishes, designed to surprise and captivate the palate. The chef's dedication to sourcing the finest seasonal ingredients is evident in every course. The first dish, a signature offering, is Jiu Gong Ge, Nine Essential Flavors of Chinese Cuisine. Instead of a single amuse bouche, you get nine—that offer the essence of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, numbing, hot, fragrant, nutty, or smokey. The morsels came in a striking presentation of nine bowls. It’s almost like they’re training your palette to distinguish flavors. Plus, it certainly overcomes the problem of “only one dumpling?”
The pursuit of excellence is evident. Having just watched the comedic TV show that celebrates fine dining, The Bear—reviewed and analyzed in a previous post—I was curious about themes like finding passion in work. I spoke with the chef de cuisine Floyd Nunn, who was incidentally sous chef or chef de partie at three Michelin-starred restaurants, including Quince and Benu. (The founder of Benu was the executive chef at French Laundry, and this restaurant is sometimes jokingly referred to as Chinese Laundry. Now is this racist? I'm not sure.)
My most pressing question: How do you inspire passion and commitment to excellence in your team?
I wanted to understand the larger philosophical aspect of his work and creative process. Chef Floyd replied, “I've had many young cooks come through kitchens I have managed. If a mistake is made it’s usually okay because we can probably learn from it. I ask them, ‘Do you not know how to do it? Or do you not care enough to do it properly?’ Their answer tells you everything you need to know about them because I can work with anyone who doesn’t know how to do something but cares enough to learn. I simply cannot work with cooks that don’t really care. This may seem simple but it's the core philosophical aspect of working in my kitchen.”
I suspect that this would become something every manager will want to try saying soon to an underperforming employee, “Do you not know how to do it? Or do you not care enough to do it properly?”
This passion for excellence and service was evident in the hostess, sommelier, and wait staff. They really wanted to provide extraordinary service naturally and organically, without being ostentatious or obsequious. It was like they were an Olympic team for customer service. I couldn’t help thinking, “How can we bring this level of customer service to other businesses, with this kind of passion and commitment to excellence?” Is it even possible for, say, a technical support worker who is on the phone for hours a day?
I remembered watching The Bear, a poignant reminder of the profound importance of committing wholeheartedly to one's life and work. Embracing your life's purpose and investing in yourself will lead to personal fulfillment. When the entire organization does it together, miracles happen.
Committing in this way brings determination and resilience. It’s the fuel you need to overcome challenges and maybe even, someday, dare we say, achieve greatness. We must each ask ourselves, are we pursuing our goals and aspirations with passion? Or are we just going through the motions? Are we investing our energies into creating a life that aligns with our values and brings us joy, or are we settling and quietly preparing to quiet quit some dead-end job? And then, we must ask ourselves, “Do I not know how to do this thing called life? Or do I not care enough myself to do it properly?”
In the end, true inspiration comes only from within. To lead a fulfilling life, we must at every moment and with every breath choose to embrace passion in every endeavor, savor every moment, and fully commit to the beauty of life in the present moment. This is the basis of an intentional life, like the difference between fast food and fine dining.
PS. Dessert was Dun Nai, a light milky custard accented with fresh fruits. It’s a simple but rare dish I’ve never seen in a US restaurant. It was something my mum, who passed away last year, used to make in my childhood. She was an amazing cook. When it was served, the flashback scene like in the animated movie Ratatouille happened to me. I was taken back to childhood and all those feelings for my departed mother welled up, and a tear escaped from the corner of my eye. Man, that dish was powerful. Talk about comfort food.
References
What "The Bear" Teaches Us About Life and Entrepreneurship
See Youtube.
How Culinary Innovation Can Drive Passion and Meaning
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28.04.2024
Nestled in the heart of San Francisco's vibrant North Beach neighborhood, a quiet alley leads to a secret doorway that opens to a hidden gem of fine dining, Eight Tables. This restaurant is well-reviewed, with comments like “elaborate and luxurious” and “everything was tantalizing and service was divine.” The best review I found: “The thoughtfulness of the service, quality of ingredients, and creativity of the dishes was on par with many of the 3/2 Michelin star restaurants I've enjoyed in the area—Bird Song, SingleThread, French Laundry, and others.” It’s true, this restaurant doesn’t have a Michelin star yet, but it deserves one. (Note: The dearth of Michelin stars for Chinese restaurants is known as the “bamboo ceiling” in the business.)
However, Chinese restaurants that take on fine dining face another challenge, Chinese cuisine tends to resist “fancification.” Put a foie gras soup dumpling before a typical Chinese patron, and he’ll likely say, “Aiyah! Only one dumpling!” Chinese food is comfort food for the world, and it’s hard to modify it in a way that doesn’t move out of that comfort zone. Lovers of Chinese food are a tough crowd to please.
Nevertheless, the tasting menu at Eight Tables is a symphony of meticulously crafted dishes, designed to surprise and captivate the palate. The chef's dedication to sourcing the finest seasonal ingredients is evident in every course. The first dish, a signature........
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