Douglas Williams/Shanghai Daily

Azul provides a good atmosphere and better food.

Chef and restaurateur Eduardo Vargas first appeared on television in his native Peru at the tender age of nine. He was a guest of his grandmother Theresa’s popular show:
“Cooking with Theresa.” His chocolate cake tips were well received apparently.
Now, having lived in no less than 13 countries, with three restaurants (Azul, 239, iiiit), one outside catering company and a consultancy company, Vargas is firmly established here in Shanghai.
“We had a huge kitchen and we needed it, there are twelve in my family,” said Vargas of his formative days back in South America: “Meal time was a big occasion, we’d sometimes have a whole suckling pig, my father was the king of the barbeque.”
So it was no surprise that Vargas followed his grandmother and made a career out of cooking. Where he’s succeeded better than most is that he has encouraged a good many of his employees to regard working for him more as a career than as a job.
“I don’t believe in jobs, I believe in careers. I’ve got a chef working with me who I brought from Singapore.
He’s been working for me for eight years. It was a chef  who has been with me for a while who I’ve set up iiiit with,” he said.
Vargas’s manager’s wages are moderate, he claims, but they are heftily buoyed by a monthly percentage of the profits and generally this policy shows in their service.
One of Vargas’s mantras seems to have sunk in  “success depends on repeat customers.”
The mother restaurant in Vargas’s kingdom is Azul at 18 Dongping Road. Vargas claims that it’s the best medium priced Western restaurant in town. It’s quite a claim but one that would be hard to argue against.
Personally, I don’t like the ergonomics of the main course knives but beyond that it’s mostly good.
He’s a mercurial, multitasking man of mantras, catch phrases even, possibly a legacy of his TV appearances.
“Price, food, service and ambience” is another of the Pervuvian’s — so let’s break it down in that order.
Azul isn’t cheap but then, for what it is, it’s not that expensive either. A good two person, two course dinner with a half decent bottle of wine can be had for 400 yuan (US$49.38). Lunch is 58 yuan for two items, three items 88 yuan. So without further ado and to put the price into context, let us move swiftly and mercifully on to the food.
Latino cuisine Vargas’s description of the food is thus: “Spanish, Latino cuisine with strong flavors and a colorful
attractive appearance.” No arguments on any of those.
The food is mostly quite simple: tapas, salads, soups, pastas, mains and deserts. The little starter breads with the condiment plate start things off in an agreeable manner as do the proper sized wine glasses.
These glasses can be filled by the glass, the wine list has an unusually large array of wines available by the glass, bottles start at 178 yuan.
Portions are generous, presentation is good and as Vargas acknowledges, mistakes are acknowledged:
“We all make mistakes, if there’s something wrong, our staff are quick to take something off the bill or give something for free.”
Crab ravioli, large pasta pockets of proper crab, is a good example of an Azul dish: robust, simple and packed with flavor, 68 yuan.
Service is mostly very good with staff actually looking like they’re at least semi-enjoying what they’redoing, always a bonus.
The ambience is very designed and considered contemporary, trendy and modern and works just about. It also dates rather
rapidly. Mosaic tiled bar, rock stools and large tables.
Morcheeba (who ate in Azul when they played Shanghai) are typical of the kind of tasteful modern ‘ambient’ music that’s played, good again, but also at risk of sounding late 1990s.
The ambience is comfortable, informal and easy without detracting from the calculated coolness.
“I’m a people person and I’m sure that’s part of why I’ve been successful,” said Vargas: “Many good chefs just don’t come out of their kitchens, I do.”
A mantra of mine now: Cooking food that people enjoy eating requires a depth of understanding of both food and people, once attained that understanding can unlock many doors.
Vargas is proof. December 14th at 239 (on Shimen Road, near the Four Seasons), Vargas is hosting a special charity dinner. The name of the dinner will be 777 because it will feature seven of Shanghai’s best chefs (yet to be confirmed), each cooking one of seven courses to be served with seven different wines and costing 777 yuan. All proceeds will go to an AIDS charity in Henan Province in central China.

Call 6253 2837 to reserve a place.
For Azul call: 6433 1172