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One-starred Michelin restaurant Taian Table closed for operating without license
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A day after receiving a Michelin star, Taian Table, a western restaurant in Changning District, has been forced to shut down for operating without licenses.
The restaurant was run by Stefan Stiller, a German chef, since April.
Taian Table had neither business or catering license, the Changning District Market Supervision and Management Bureau said. Both licenses are required to operate a restaurant in the city.
The restaurant had applied for licenses in April, but as per regulations catering venues cannot be located in a residential building, bureau officials said.
The restaurant had been ordered to stop operation in this June and its refrigerator and kitchenware products were also sealed a month later, the bureau confirmed. The restaurant will move to a new location, and the bureau has ordered it to make a public a statement on the move, officials said.
The restaurant owner has confirmed in a message to Shanghai Daily that they were relocating "to a larger space where we can apply to all required licenses."
"Constructions and renovations are under progress. The new space will have a larger kitchen and we have more capabilities to work better and increase our quality," Stiller said.
"When my friend and business partner Ji Wen Yuan and I started this project early this year our idea and concept was to build a small place to entertain our friends and to have some foodies and chef friends around to create new and creative dishes.
"We certainly never intentionally planned to violate any rules, regulations and laws," he said.
A notice, dated yesterday, was posted on the entrance gate to the restaurant, telling the public that it would suspend business operation due to internal rectification.
Residents of the building said district's environmental protection authorities, market watchdog and urban management officials have visited the restaurant many times, but it always refused to open its door.
Some residents said Taian Table still kept its door tightly closed Thursday night when district officials wanted to enter it and ordered the operator to suspend business.
"The standstill lasted for some time until the intervention of police, and all the chefs and management staff, including some foreigners, ran out in a panic," said a senior woman surnamed Yu in her 60s, who was a witness.
Meanwhile, Michelin said it only selects the best restaurants, and it does not consider whether the restaurants have licenses or not.
"The job of Michelin inspectors are tasting and judging food, and they never ask for any materials from restaurants," said Sun Yuan, a Michelin PR.
"Michelin guide is just restaurant recommendation, and anything related with restaurants' operation is none of our business," she said.
The quality of ingredients, chef’s personality as revealed through cuisine, the preparation and combination of flavors, value for money and the ability to produce excellent cooking with consistency over time and across the entire menu are the five criteria sought after by Michelin inspectors.
The Changning District market watchdog said it would step up checks over whether Taian Table really suspends operation.
The restaurant could seat up to 28 guests, according to the website. The full menu at Taian Table with 14 courses costs 1,288 yuan (US$198) per person, and 10 courses 988 yuan. The menu is seasonal and is updated on monthly bases, while the style of cooking is predominantly western fine-dining with an Asian touch.
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