New year on a plate

As we enter the Year of the Monkey, Mike Peters takes stock of where China's food scene has been, and where it's going.

Judging by the global press coverage, 2015 was not a great year for restaurants in China.

The restaurant that seemed to get the most international ink: Modern Toilet, where diners in Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong "sit on toilets, drink out of urinal-shaped cups and eat curry out of toilet bowls". The economy is still slowing, and the government says banqueting and gifting are still no-nos, though French cognac importers think they see light at the end of the tunnel. Meanwhile, baijiu at home and abroad is getting lighter and fruitier, to attract a young and increasingly female drinkership. Star chef Alan Wong slipped into Shanghai with his Hawaiian fare in late December, but we're still looking on the mainland for Michelin-starred French chef Alain Ducasse, who has program for food in outer space but has yet to open a long-rumored restaurant in Beijing. Ditto Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and other culinary glitterati. And while Michelin-starred chefs continue to parachute into the mainland's top eateries for special events, the French guide continues to love only Hong Kong among China's cities.