Kiwi restaurateur Richard Xavia says there's "a really massive
gap" to fill: classy restaurants that are sexy, sophisticated and
not killingly expensive. He's helping to fill it, writes Rebecca
Palmer.
Shanghai is a sprawling city, but Richard Xavia's life is
confined to a small part of it. The New Zealander lives right above
his latest project - a restaurant and bar in the 1931 building
Hamilton House, a short stroll from the Bund.
Xavia is in love with his own neighborhood and it's not hard to
see why. His "penthouse" on the top floor gives a 360-degree view
of Shanghai. Hamilton House is one of four Art Deco buildings at
the intersection of Fuzhou and Jiangxi roads. The four make a
graceful curve round the intersection.
"I think this is the most Art Deco intersection in China," Xavia
says.
Hamilton House restaurant, which opened yesterday, is on the
ground floor, allowing customers to watch the lively street life
outside.
"You actually feel like you are part of what is going on," Xavia
says. "I love it because you get to see the real Shanghai here,
which you don't normally see get to see on the Bund."
Xavia was born in the south Auckland suburb of Mangere, known as
one of the toughest neighborhoods in New Zealand. He believes his
upbringing helped him learn to communicate with and respect people
from all walks of life.
He started cooking at the age of 15. "I decided I wanted to
explore the world and the best way to do that would be through
hospitality. Instead of going to university, I got a job as a
trainee chef. I did that for a little while and decided I was more
attracted to front of house."
At the age of 18, he decided to move to London. "I went to
London because I couldn't learn from anyone in New Zealand at that
time. I didn't know anyone, didn't have a job.
"My trick was to put myself in positions that I could learn
from. I landed in London and ended up working with some interesting
people."
After working for some time as a cocktail barman, he found work
with a company that ran seven brands of restaurants. He was placed
with one called Cafe Rouge, and gained experience in the business
side of restaurants.
He also had a brief stint working as a private butler in the
Bahamas. But at the age of 28, he tossed it all in and went home to
New Zealand. "I had been in the UK for about 10 years and I'd just
had enough. It was just a bit too cold for me."
He lived on Waiheke Island, off the coast of Auckland, for a
while and did some consultancy work, turning a pub into a
restaurant. He also lived in Queenstown, another place he had
always wanted to live.
Eventually, he decided to move on to Sydney, where he worked for
some of Australia's best restaurants and was also general manager
of the Sydney Opera House. He spent seven years there. "Then I was
invited to do Three on the Bund and I just got hooked on
China."
He came to Shanghai to become the first general manager of New
Heights. "I went in and opened it, set the standards."
He later went to work on some restaurant projects in Beijing. "I
got to know the Beijing market and it made me understand the
Shanghai market. They are two different cities. Beijing is very
politically led and Shanghai is very money-led. You've got to have
two different approaches."
"That was a really good experience for me, but Shanghai is home.
I came back to Shanghai a year ago. Shanghai has just got this real
sexiness going on about it."
He and business partner Wu Qianqian have launched a consultancy
company Hatch, which helps international restaurant groups get into
the China market. At the moment, they are talking to a restaurant
group from Beverly Hills, California.
They hope Hamilton House restaurant will be just the first of
many projects. "We are building a lifestyle group so Hamilton House
is just the first. We are already looking at other locations."
The restaurant, which serves "French comfort food," is aimed at
expats, tourists and the emerging "lifestyle-driven Chinese
market," Xavia says.
"Shanghai is all about work, so the way to relax is going to
restaurants and bars. This is the lifestyle that is exploding at
the moment. We see there's a really massive gap in the market.
Hamilton House is sort of between Element Fresh and Laris."
Xavia says the designers have tried to retain the 1930s style of
the Hamilton House building. It has Art Deco fittings and a black
lacquer bar. "The whole thing is about being sexy and sophisticated
but not being overwhelmingly expensive."
The restaurant also has some very innovative features. The
unisex bathroom has a mirror on one side and transparent glass on
the other, allowing restaurant patrons to see people putting on
make-up. There's also a space for people to just sit and chat.
"We believe the toilets are quite a social area," he adds. "You
can decide the standard of the kitchen by the standard of the
bathroom."
He has brought chef Philippe Leban, who has worked in
Michelin-starred restaurants, over from Australia and has also
brought over a bartender from one of New Zealand's best bars, the
Matterhorn. "The reason I wanted him here is that the whole bar
thing is starting to kick off."
Xavia was in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics and is looking forward
to the Beijing event. "I think Shanghai is going to get a lot of
tourists from Beijing." And of course, there's the 2010 World Expo
to look forward to. "2010 is just going to be incredible."
Xavia says he has always been very ambitious but never had any
idea he would end up opening a restaurant in Shanghai.
"As a kid, I wanted to turn into a particular man. But the man
I've turned into, there's no way I would ever have imagined this,"
he says. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm so involved
in it."
(Shanghai Daily November 6, 2007)
