Hot French chefs dish out in China
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Robuchon has been rated the greatest French chef of the last century.
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(CNN) -- Food fans in Southern China are being lured to restaurants run by two of the finest French chefs in the world, as the Francophile cuisine takes off in this part of the world.
Joel Robuchon has been described as the greatest French chef of the last century, with two restaurants in France and two in Japan.
Yet in the Lisboa Hotel the chef can be seen overseeing the kitchen of Robuchon a Galera restaurant in Macau, the South China gambling enclave.
And the search for perfection is still in evidence. Robuchon's restaurant is a place where every single grain of wheat is checked for imperfections.
But before setting up in Macau, Robuchon had to reach for a map of the world.
"I didn't even know where Macau was," he said.
"So no, I could not imagine having a restaurant here. I knew Hong Kong, yes indeed who doesn't? But I never dreamed I would come and work in this part of Asia."
Across the Pearl River delta in Hong Kong, Alain Ducasse is another Michelin-starred chef who has just set up shop in South China.
Last year the 9-Michelin star chef opened the doors to the first SPOON in Asia, the fifth in the SPOON family.
Ducasse is based in Paris and like Robuchon he has a team of chefs who carry out his instructions.
But the reason these chefs came to Asia wasn't because they wanted to break into a new fast-growing market, but because they were invited.
Both Ducasse and Robuchon have their restaurants in hotels where their name helps bring in an appreciative clientele.
"He's become really quite a global brand," says Jennifer Fox, who works at the Intercontinental Hotel and convinced Ducasse to open up in Hong Kong.
"But I think the difference with Ducasse is because he is so quality oriented, he hasn't grown to the extent that he can't be personally involved in every project."
In the kitchen, the two Frenchmen have a very different approach.
Robuchon favors a more traditional style of cooking while Ducasse' SPOON provides a more contemporary style of French cooking.
But both restaurants have been quick to adapt to the tastes of their mostly Chinese diners.
"I didn't want to do Franco-Chinese Food," says Robuchon.
"I wanted to do typically French food that adapted to Chinese tastes which is an altogether different concept. The challenge was to use French techniques to adapt food to Chinese tastes."
Over at Ducasse's SPOON, his executive chef, Laurent Andre says he doesn't change many things but he does adapt to his new home.
"I have to adapt for the guest," he says.
Asian food fans can expect to see more of the big brand name chefs in their part of the world. Robuchon already has two restaurants in Tokyo.
The star chef's reputation ensures a healthy following, which is a big plus for hotel restaurants.
But it will always be the quality of the food that decides whether the guests return for seconds.
