Shanghai's sexiest chefs and their sexiest meals

Editor's Note: Click on the image gallery above to see more shots of Shanghai's sexiest chefs.

Is there anything sexier than a man -- or woman -- in uniform? Not when it’s a chef’s jacket. Starting with that premise, we asked some of Shanghai's most sought-after young chefs to walk us through their most alluring meals.

Enzo

Hometown: Naples, Italy
Restaurant: The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo, 2967D Lujiazui Xi Lu near Fenghe Lu 陆家嘴西路2967号D, 近丰和路

What's your ideal date meal?
The first one I cooked was actually for my parents. It was my first time to cook for someone I really cared about. I think I was around 16. I did tuna carpaccio with lemon dressing and a pasta. They loved it, but my mom gave me a lot of (hell) because there were so many pans to clean.

What would you cook to seduce someone?
I will cook in a way that she can really watch me. And I will do something really simple because I don’t want to lose too much time on the kitchen. Definitely I will make a pasta because it’s very simple and very Italian.

Are chefs sexy?
I think that chefs look sexy when they cook, especially when you have a chance to see them in an open kitchen. When I’m cooking, I try to not just deliver the food, but I try to pass a message to my guests.

Sexiest food?
Definitely oysters. I eat so many oysters you have no idea. I really like them, the texture … I don’t want to go too far.

Vivian Wang

Hometown: Shanghai
Restaurant: New Heights, 7/F, Three on the Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu 中山东一路3号楼7楼, 近广东路

What's your ideal date meal?
A Chinese meal. I would steam a Mandarin fish, because my husband likes lighter food. I would cook Chinese asparagus with bacon and garlic and I would make mango salad.

Are chefs sexy?
Umm… to Chinese people, maybe somebody in media or a model would be sexier.

Sexiest food?
Something sour, like lemon or berry flavor. Not chocolate, because I don’t like things that are too sweet or bitter.

What’s your best date dessert?

The Serious Chocolate Cake, my signature dessert. It’s always on the menu. It’s flourless, so it’s very soft. Even though I don’t like chocolate that much, because I usually find it too rich, I like this one to share.

Kin Lam

Hometown: Hong Kong
Restaurant: Jean-Georges, 4/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu 中山东一路3号4楼, 近广东路

What's your ideal date meal?
Oysters with champagne, so you can start to get in the mood. Then seared foie with something tropical like passion fruit, mango or roasted strawberries with balsamic vinegar. For a main course, no one would say no to sirloin with a classic Béarnaise sauce. I think that’s the exact meal I made for my girlfriend.

Are chefs sexy?
In China people don’t think of chefs as sexy, but this is why I originally liked this profession. I do think chefs are sexy. You have to have a lot of professional knowledge.

Sexiest food?
Passion fruit. It just changes everything. I like the taste, the smell, the texture, the crunchy seeds. You can use it with an appetizer, fish, meat, dessert. If everything is passion fruit-flavored, I feel so high.

Aurore Chieng

Hometown: Paris
Restaurant: Cristal Restaurant, 4/F, 269 Wujiang Lu, near Metro Line 2, Nanjing Xi Lu Station, exit 4 吴江路269号4楼, 近地铁2号线南京西路站4号出口

What's your ideal date meal?
Breakfast in bed! Eggs, bacon and toast. Because a guy is really hungry after … You want to feed him.

Are chefs sexy?
Yes, really sexy! Especially because in China a lot of guys don’t really know how to dress, so at least when they are wearing their uniform, they look really good.

Sexiest food?
Shuizhuyu (spicy boiled fish). It’s just lying in fat so it’s supposed to be really bad for you. But when you take a piece in your mouth it totally melts and you can’t even really talk because your mouth is on fire and for one second that’s the only thing you can think about in the whole world.

Ever dated a chef?
I was close to it, but I didn’t because I’m a nice girl and I listened to my parents. When you work in the field, you should not date a chef. And besides most of them are married. But I have to say they are so sexy when they yell.

Maxime Fanton

Hometown: Venice, Italy
Restaurant: Restaurant Martin by Martin Berasategui, 811 Hengshan Lu, near Zhaojiabang Lu, in Xujiahui Park 衡山路811号, 近肇嘉浜路, 徐家汇公园内

What's your ideal date meal?

You know the crème caramel powder for making pudding? That was what I made for my first date. [Laughs] You only have to buy milk, put in the powder and it’s ready. I think I was 13. Also seafood. Not too much cooking, Japanese style. I really love to make tuna tataki with sesame seeds. It’s very easy to make and women like tuna. I can’t make authentic Japanese cuisine, but I would take some Japanese ideas and make them in the Mediterranean style.

Are chefs sexy?
It’s unusual to find a beautiful woman in the kitchen. The problem is if you have a beautiful woman in the kitchen she stops the work. You end up putting in a lot of salt or you burn everything. [Laughs]. She’s a big distraction.

What's the most romantic thing you've seen in your restaurant?

One time two customers were eating at our restaurant and they found a pearl inside an oyster. It’s a very rare thing! I remember this moment -- it was very beautiful.