Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/386731
The dragon is a strong influence on Wazuzu's design, from the walls to the plates. Theo Schoenegger: For me, it is very organic; it's about the feeling of the ingredients in your hands. And it is about gathering inspiration from these places of high energy and influence—like when I worked at Patina [in the Frank Gehry–designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles] and I was working from the palette of the farmers market in Santa Monica. There is nothing more beautiful than the color of a purple carrot, or a glistening pomegranate. There you have your inspiration. Ming Yu: The idea for a dish is conceived in my head, and I play around with it for sev- eral weeks sometimes. There's a lot of trial and error. But with the renovation of Wing Lei, which is so sparkling and new, every aspect of the food had to reflect that cleaner, brighter, more colorful aesthetic. One of the dishes that is almost a literal interpretation of the art in Wing Lei is a smoked salmon "flower"—inspired by the golden chrysan- themums in the restaurant. But as a signature dish, the crab salad with bright mango, avocado, and miso-yuzu dressing is an example of that bright new ideal. Does art influence the way that you compose your dishes? Chen: When I stepped into Wazuzu for the first time for my interview, the 27-foot crystal dragon made with 90,000 crystals in the middle of the room just caught my eye. It is a mas- cot and the symbol for Wazuzu, and as a chef it became important to incorporate it into our new dishes. In fact, we use a custom-made iron to brand our Wazuzu signature Dragon Slider with a dragon—and we serve it with our private stock Australian Sher Wagyu beef. Wagyu beef served on a crispy noodle basket at Wazuzu. "I like to put every ingredient on a piece of paper so I can imagine how I can present it well." — chen wei chan Wynn 55