Head Chef Christopher Pitts @ Table N° 1 By Jason Atherton, The Waterhouse At South Bund

Head Chef, Christopher Pitts, joined Table No. 1 By Jason Atherton at the end of 2012 after previous Head Chef, Scott Melvin, moved on to open Atherton’s second project in Shanghai, Commune Social. Über sleek Table No. 1 is located on the ground floor of the boutique Waterhouse At South Bund hotel, specialising in world influenced, modern, European cuisine. Talk joined Chef Pitts for lunch at the restaurant to mull over his past year, discuss the future, taste his delicious dishes and, of course, beg him to impart some of his cooking knowledge upon us in the form of a recipe. 

Although a career in the kitchen was not Chef Pitts’ first calling (he was actually originally a professional bike rider) he turned his passion for cooking into a career after shattering his foot in a bad accident and realising that he should perhaps downgrade biking to a hobby. He then went on to attend Texas Culinary Academy in Austin, and worked in the States before travelling with his mentor to Shanghai for the opening of Sir Elly’s restaurant at The Peninsula Hotel, Shanghai. 

Chef Pitts insists that during his time as Sous Chef in Sir Elly’s, Table No. 1 was one of his favourite places to eat in the city, which is a shame for him as now the restaurant is all about work and pushing his culinary boundaries, rather than the simple pleasure of enjoying a meal. He mused, “In my opinion, the first year I spent at Table No. 1 was all about re-establishing what had been created at the beginning. When they removed the previous scene, it was a whole new challenge because we had to keep it up to the same standards as before and then move up from there. But, in the last three or four months, I think we have really surpassed the level.”

Table No. 1 is renowned for its simple and rustic interior design with long, cafeteriastyle tables, however, although plans haven’t been finalised yet, a renovation and extension is on the cards for next year. Chef Pitts told us, “I don’t want tosay that in China, dining is very fickle, but there are so many new restaurants coming up all the time. People always want the newest, latest and greatest. I like to keep improving the food, but people still want to see different things when they sit down. Maybe they want to see new cups, new plates and all of these things.”

Over lunch, Chef Pitts encouraged us to try his carrot soup. Although sceptical about this choice when looking over the vast array of magnificent sounding dishes, we took his advice. It was honestly, handsdown, the best carrot soup we have ever tasted (sorry Mum). It was rich, nourishing and sweet, poured over diced pickled apples and brown butter powder for that extra thickness. We were shocked to later hear that the flavoursome soup itself did not contain any stock, and, in fact, only called for five ingredients. “I think a lot of people are surprised when they ask what dish I recommend. But the science behind it is what really makes the soup pop and become really delicious. The first time I had the soup I remember thinking that I had never tasted this flavour before and for a chef, it’s so exciting to discover a new flavour.” This unique flavour Chef Pitts was so enthused with was due to the chemical effect formed when baking soda is heated to 120 °C creating a Maillard reaction resulting in the rich, umami taste permeating the soup.

The last bit of culinary wisdom that we were to receive from Chef Pitts was to remove the core from the centre of the carrots before cooking our carrot soup, as it is slightly bitter, thus making the soup sweeter. Although scientifically technical, this dish is relatively easy to make at home and only involves a few ingredient. The cooking method can also be applied to other soup flavours; we suggest tomato!

Carmelised Carrot Soup

Ingredients

3.5kg Carrots

(peeled and cored)

800g Butter

210g Water

35g Salt

17.5g Baking Soda

Method

Melt the butter into the water in a pan over a stove. Once the butter has completely melted, add the salt and baking soda. Add the peeled and cored carrots to the liquid in the pan ensuring that the carrots become coated in the butter. Transfer all ingredients to a pressure cooker and cook at 15psi (high pressure) for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove from heat and release pressure. Blend the soft mixture and pass through a strainer before serving warm.