Growing up in the restaurant industry has given me thorough insight into day-to-day food service operations. When I was a child in America, my parents would sit me at the back table of our family restaurant, Oriental Court, an experience that taught me what it takes to run a successful place Stateside. But I was eager to see how restaurants operate in China.

The game is different here—language can be a barrier, as well as service, and while the Chinese clientele are ready to experiment, they’re still adjusting to Western flavors. To help me learn more, Chef Jordi Valles of Agua was kind enough to invite me into his kitchen to shadow him for a day.

I arrive at 11am to see servers setting up tables, cleaning wine glasses and calling to confirm reservations. The kitchen is bustling, kitchen staff at each station are cooking lunch or preparing for dinner. Each station is in perfect order, with all ingredients the cooks will need neatly lined in a row. One chef is casing the chorizo sausage, a few are prepping suckling pigs, and I start peeling potatoes, the signature task of many a chef’s first day on the job at the bottom of the kitchen hierarchy.

At 6:30pm on Saturday night, service starts. We have reservations for 100 people. I reminisce about my days as a fuwuyuan, anticipating the rush of diners, worried about falling behind. But in the kitchen, the chef is boss, and Jordi runs his kitchen staff like a general commands his soldiers. Communication in the kitchen is essential, and as the orders come in, Jordi is very vocal about what needs to be done, and his staff dutifully reacts.

This business requires a fastidious attention to detail. Jordi supervises each plate, and when an order of mushrooms is just a bit too large, Jordi removes some—not to be cheap, but for the sake of consistency. “I don’t want these diners to be disappointed next time because it’s a smaller portion from their last experience,” he explains. “Consistency is key, as is building a team and making sure they can work together smoothly. I would rather always be a consistent ‘eight’ every single night of the week rather than a ‘ten’ for just one night.”

Service comes to a close. We’ve successfully served over 100 plates, and I am impressed to see the order and timeliness with which Agua is run, from the back of the kitchen to the front of the house. My experience tonight at Agua makes it clear that while each kitchen operates differently, it’s consistency and reliability that keeps diners coming back.

DETAILS

What: Agua

Where: 4/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, 三里屯北路81号那里花园4层

Tel: 5208-6188