Tan Yifan Cicitan2011@gmail.com AN electronics engineer-turned food and beverage veteran, Michael Loh claimed himself to be a workaholic and a man who prefers to be outside of the circle Monday, when he was talking about his career ambition with Shenzhen Daily. Loh, who was once a chief chef of his own restaurant in Hong Kong, was appointed four months ago as the director of restaurants, bars & events at Marco Polo Shenzhen. With a personality that’s a bit perturbed but passionate, Loh said he always had a way of turning things upside down, and he was ready to revamp the hotel with a new dinning space, a place that can be regarded as his own brand and a signature brand that reminds people of the hotel. “I have carried on over the past three months to make it happen, and tonight the renovation will start,” he said. “I named it Deli, which literally means ‘grab and go.’ It will be a restaurant at which people will have an unexpectedly healthy dining experience.” Deli will offer foodies pastries, cakes, snacks and health drinks, such as a specially-made milkshake, according to Loh. “At Deli we will provide only five types of food in each category. The menu will be very simple but we’ll manage to redesign the menu weekly and only provide the freshest food,” he said. “We will combine taste with stellar presentation, which will both delight people’s taste buds and their eyes and cameras.” Born with a strong sense of artistry, Loh said he enjoyed the process of creating nice food presentation. “I have stored countless pictures of wonderful food presentations in my cell phone and when I managed my own restaurants in Hong Kong I thought all day about creating good-looking food and drinks with good taste. In fact, I usually drew pictures of the food and drinks before I actually set about cooking,” Loh recalled his previous experience when cooking at his restaurant in robatayaki style. “I served guests with fresh ingredients that I handpicked at the market every morning. We did not provide menus to diners, but they loved it. Gradually the restaurant, which was called by my friends the Hong Kong version of ‘Shinya Shokudo,’ got attention, and it got coverage from both local and Japanese media.” He said he was working on bringing elements from his past life to reshape the food and beverage offerings of the hotel. “Besides Deli, we also changed a little bit of the food here. For instance, we changed food for dinners at Café Marco every two months and will provide semi-buffet soon,” he said. “We have so many high-end hotels at the central area of the city and we must do things differently.” To achieve the goal Loh said he has trained the staff members twice as hard as he trained his employees in Hong Kong. “They are encouraged to think independently but have to follow strict instructions. Deli will have only female staff members as it aims to provide more gentle services,” he said. To cope with challenges in a positive way, Loh realized that the key to developing food and beverage is to localize the products. Instead of putting all resources and energy into promoting special sets at imported festivals such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, he emphasizes embracing local dining habits. “We don’t have to change the trend [of people’s dining habits], but we can discover the potential of the local market, just like how Deli is trying to cater to people’s pursuit — a healthy lifestyle. In the future we may put more effort into presenting localized dishes,” he said. “I don’t want to be in the center of the circle. I want to be different, always bigger than the circle, which will give me a new angle to create from.” Loh is an overseas Chinese who was born in Malaysia and graduated from Monash University in Australia. He has over 15 years of experience in hospitality and culinary arts, with vast international experience in many international brands and dining groups. He once worked under Michelin chef Alain Ducasse in his restaurant called “Spoon.” He also helps design and open new restaurants. Deli Opening date: Jan. 28, 2018 Venue: Hotel lobby, 1/F Specials: Lots of benefits and offers will be presented to guests during grand opening period Cafè Marco Operation hours: 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. Venue: Hotel lobby, 1/F Specials: 20 percent off for WeChat followers from Jan. 1, 2018 For inquiry and booking: 3339-7715 | 