In honor of the restaurant's tenth birthday, we sat down with T8's head chef, Adam Liston, to find out how he's keeping things fresh.

How have you been pushing things forward at T8?
Well, the philosophy has always been that it’s a group effort. It’s not just about what’s happening in the kitchen. The idea was to reinvent T8, one of the oldest fine dining restaurants in Shanghai. We wanted to make the food a little more contemporary, more approachable, and to bring more of an earthy, local aspect to the food. We work with flowers and leaves a lot, trying new stuff that’s local where possible. The concept that we’re trying for here is “from the farm to the plate.” It’s a big thing everywhere now; the best restaurants in the world are built around that concept.

Has going local been challenging?
In some areas it’s actually more exciting, because you have to show your skill level and treat the products in a different way. I can take the best beef I have coming from Australia, pan-fry it and serve it, and you might then call me the best chef in the world. But if I can find a piece of fish from China that’s maybe a bit tough and I find a way to cook it and make it taste good, there’s more art in that.

DETAILS

What: T8

Where: House 8, North Block Xintiandi, Lane 181 Taicang Lu

Tel: 6355-8999

Photo sourced from www.adelaidenow.com.