High Life

品 60 #8 2017 年 5 月 HIGH LIFE #8 May 2017 61 W ith more than 40 years of experience in the kitchens of prestigious Beijing establishments including the Beijing Hotel, Master Liu Guo Zhu of Wynn Macau’s Golden Flower is a Master of Chinese gastronomy. Specializing in Tan cuisine, he prepared culinary wonders for dignitaries around the world before making his way to Macau. Deng Xiaoping, Henry Kissenger and the Queen of England were just some of the people on his VIP list. Fascinated by his impressive array of clientele, I ask about his experiences with Deng Xiaoping. “He was not picky and preferred simple things. Very easy to deal with,” Master Liu says, as if talking about a guy next door. Those who know Master Liu well call him “Papa Liu,” because he greets everyone warmly like a loving father. In the 1960s, the Chinese government chose Liu – who was just a teenager at the time – to apprentice in the Beijing Hotel. The young Liu, in addition to being ambidextrous, quick on his feet and academically gifted, was a perfect fit for the Tan kitchen, where he learned many secrets of Tan cooking directly from the chefs of the original Tan household. He even heard stories about Qing government officials from the kitchen’s elder chefs. 永 利澳门「京花轩」总厨刘国柱曾于北京饭店等北京高级 食府工作四十余年，享有“中国烹饪大师”的称号。他 专长谭家菜，曾为中外各地的名人政要烹制佳肴。中国领导人 邓小平、前美国国务卿基辛格以及英国女王等，都曾是他的座 上宾。 如此豪华的宾客阵容着实引人惊叹，我不禁问起了他为邓 小平下厨的经历。 “他不挑剔，喜欢简单，很容易相处，”刘师傅如是评 论，仿佛在谈论一个普通的邻家友人。 熟悉刘师傅的人称他为“刘爸爸”，因为他会热情地招 呼每一个人，如同一位慈爱的父亲。上世纪60 年代，年少的 刘国柱获国家甄选，到北京饭店做学徒。他心灵手巧，勤快利 落，加之有厨艺天赋，与谭家菜厨房完美契合。他从谭家菜嫡 系厨师那里，学到谭家菜的烹调秘技，甚至得悉清政府官员的 传奇故事。 刘爸爸解释说，“谭家菜由谭宗浚始创。谭宗浚来自广 州，是清末官员，对珍馐百味怀有极大的热忱。他定居北京， 官至翰林，将南方美食的烹饪元素带到北方，集北方菜系与 南方菜系之大成，创造出以精细微妙的口味取悦味蕾的谭家 菜。”