Q&A: Lanshu Chen

"In the beginning, I was very French, very classic. But these past few years I've been doing a lot of experiments on contrasting flavours and textures based on my knowledge of French cuisine. I use a lot of products from Taiwan. The flavour profiles are something not familiar to diners in Taiwan, perhaps because I use ingredients they know but the presentation and flavours are quite interesting."

"I come here several times a year. I think you have the best Chinese cuisine because the chefs preserve traditions. It doesn't matter if it's an old or a new dish, I feel touched by the flavours - they are strong and very straightforward, something you don't see in French cuisine, which is very delicate. Cantonese is delicate but well balanced, full bodied and complete. With a Chinese dinner you don't need wine, tea is fine to cleanse the palate, but in French restaurants it feels strange if you don't drink wine. I am always searching for completeness in flavours. Chinese cuisine has been inspiring me recently because it has so many flavour profiles that have existed for thousands of years but are new to me."

"I like to eat, I guess! My family - my aunties, uncles, parents - they pay a lot of attention when cooking dishes. They try to present food in the best way possible. And they enjoy the food with the family. For Lunar New Year everyone comes back home and I cook with my grandmother and my aunties for several days."

"When I was about 14 years old I became amazed by French cuisine. I thought it was so beautiful. When you taste it, you feel comfortable, satisfied and beautiful. And I wanted to do that. So I started with pastry, which is delicate and romantic."

"I came back to Taiwan in 2008 [to open Le Moût] and, at first, I imported a lot of produce from France. Then I kept changing the menu and challenging myself to explore new things. Gradually, I found that the quality of local vegetables, fruit and seafood is quite good, but they have unique textures and flavours, so I needed to make different sauces to accompany them. People were happy to eat these dishes because they never imagined the ingredients could be used in a different way."

"He is so talented and I love him a lot. I started as a patissier in his restaurant [Les Ambassadeurs, in Paris] in 2006 and he inspired me to be a cuisiniere. I was working in the pastry section and he was in the gastronomy section, and there was a glass window between us. In pastry, you can work at your own pace, if you're organised, whereas, in gastronomy, it's intense and very fast. His style was very royal, elaborate, like art, with lots of textures and layers, like a sculpture of true flavours. Nowadays he focuses on a more casual style."