1901September 17, a western restaurant with an area of about 100 square meters was officially opened in the middle street of the French concession (near the intersection of Jiefang North Road and Harbin Road in Tianjin). The large plaque of "Cheshire Western Restaurant" is particularly conspicuous in the bustling Middle Street of the French Concession. It was also from this day that western food came to the table of Tianjin people. ...
The legendary scholar Lin aroused Tianjin people's desire for western food.
1900, Eight-Nation Alliance captured Tianjin. Subsequently, soldiers from various countries stationed in various parts of Tianjin, under the command of the government and commanders from various countries, took on the defense of Tianjin. In the kitchen of the German barracks, the ingenious private Albert Schilling cooked delicious food, which was deeply loved by officers and men. Everyone in the barracks knows his ability and background: before joining the army, Albert Schilling was the chef of German Emperor William II. It is said that when Li Hongzhang visited Germany from 65438 to 0896, Han Chan personally cooked western food for him. But the name Chilin is well known in Tianjin and has a lot to do with Yuan Shikai.
After Yuan Shikai became governor, he often held receptions in Tianjin in order to improve relations with diplomats from various countries in Tianjin. After several rounds of Chinese food, Yuan Shikai thought of inviting foreigners to eat western food, so Albert Jinlin went out at Yuan's invitation. This time, Albert Jinlin had a little brains. He selected several famous dishes from France, Germany, Russia and other countries among the national cuisines. Cold dishes and hot dishes complement each other. He carefully prepared appetizing red soup for Yuan Shikai and other dignitaries to eat as "beauties". In his spare time, Yuan Shikai wants to meet the foreign chefs who cook for him to show his satisfaction with his dishes, and also to show the courtesy of Governor Yuan to foreigners here.
Albert King Lin is a royal chef. He is not only a good cook, but also proficient in manners. In addition, Yuan Shikai is very happy because he learned to speak fluent Chinese in China in recent years. So Yuan Shikai asked someone to give him 100 as a reward. At a loss, Albert didn't care that he was still wearing the chef's clothes. As soon as his foot touched, he raised his hand and gave a military-like salute to Yuan Shikai. The standard military posture and the disharmonious clothing formed a very funny contrast, which made everyone present laugh. The next day, the story spread in Tianjin. For a time, Chilin's cooking became more and more profound, and many rich people in Tianjin couldn't wait to taste western food in person.
190 1 year, there is a western restaurant in Tianjin.
1901September 17, a western restaurant with an area of about 100 square meters was officially opened in the middle street of the French concession (near the intersection of Jiefang North Road and Harbin Road in Tianjin). After a burst of firecrackers, many gentlemen, accompanied by the boss, walked into the restaurant with the words "Business is booming" at the door, and several large plaques of "Cheshire Western Restaurant" were particularly conspicuous in the bustling French Concession Middle Street. The owner of this restaurant was none other than the aforementioned Albert Hilding, and it was from this day that western food entered the catering industry in Tianjin.
Isn't Shilin a soldier in the military camp? When did you leave the army to open a restaurant? It turned out that after receiving a tip of 100, Zhilin had the idea of opening a restaurant in China, and this idea never stopped. Later, Qin Gui asked Yuan to intercede, retired, and went to Yuan Jia to be a private chef. A few months later, Albert Chilling's wife, Fitty, came from Germany to visit relatives, and his idea of opening a restaurant sprouted again. Later, with the help of German Hannagan and Tianjin Comprador Happy Bridge, Albert managed the first western restaurant in Tianjin history in the French Concession at that time.
Three people went into battle, and fame propped up Shilin.
After the opening of "Cheese Forest", in addition to serving German and French dishes, it also produced exquisite candy and bread. Albert is in charge of the kitchen, his wife serves as a waiter, and employs a German named Roriz as an assistant. In the early period, Cheshire Western Restaurant was mainly run by these three people.
The appearance of Zhilin has added a good place for foreigners living in Tianjin. Authentic craftsmanship and customer-oriented business philosophy soon enjoyed a high reputation in Tianjin. During the daily meal time, there is often not even an empty seat in the small restaurant. Qilin even dedicated his specialty dishes-braised pigeon in butter, German steak, canned beef and red vegetable soup to every diners. In addition, the technology of making bread and cakes has also been fully exerted. After the introduction of Happy Bridge, the company contracted the bread supply for the Jin-Pu railway line. With the extension of the railway line, Zhilin's reputation spread all over China.
Albert is a kind businessman. In his view, the reputation of Cheshire Western Restaurant is more important than anything else. When customers eat or buy cakes in Cheshire, the first thing is the feelings of buyers and sellers, which is the bond that keeps them together. Moreover, he insisted that Cheshire restaurant should never cut corners. Shilin was angry with the soldiers and was forced to move.
Why did Zhilin Western Restaurant move again? This is the result of the conflict between Albert and French soldiers.
Zhilin Western Restaurant is close to the French Chamber of Commerce (now the Tianjin Cultural Relics Bureau Building). There are many French diners, many of whom are officials of the French Chamber of Commerce. One day, two disheveled French soldiers walked into a restaurant. The most important thing in western restaurants is gentle and dignified manners. Seeing the appearance of two French soldiers, Fetti hurried forward to dissuade him. Unexpectedly, the French soldiers not only refused to listen, but also accused and humiliated Fitty and the restaurant. Albert, who has always been in honest and frank, was so angry that he got into a fight with the French soldiers, which led to a group fight among all the French people who ate. Finally, officials in the French Concession ordered Chilin to move the restaurant out of the French Concession within three days, otherwise it would be forced to move out. In desperation, Albert had to go to Guanglu Cinema in the Middle Street of the German Concession (now Tianjin Beijing Cinema) and relocate to open a shop, but this time the shop area increased to 500 square meters and was named "Cheshire Restaurant". Business is booming, and dignitaries compete for their favorite scholar forest.
After the opening of the new site, the business has not been affected, but it has become more popular. In addition to frequent visits by expatriates and officials from various countries, Tianjin's dignitaries also have a special liking for Cheshire. On Yuan Shikai's 46th birthday, he packed the whole restaurant. Albert decorated the venue according to western customs, making the atmosphere noble and elegant, and won Yuan Shikai's praise. Albert let everyone taste his specialty, and then held out a hill-like multi-layer cake. The lighted candles are swaying in the dining room, and the walls are shining brightly. Such a beautiful cake is piled up in layers of pyramids. The bottom of the tower in Huang Cancan is engraved with patterns, and the top of the tower is inlaid with birthday characters, surrounded by flowers made of cream, which makes people see things in a blur. Since then, every birthday of the rich people in Tianjin, they want to go to Cheshire restaurant to celebrate and make a unique birthday cake named Albert. Later, when Li celebrated his birthday in Tianjin, he asked Kirin to give him a square birthday cake. The cake with a height of 1 m and a width of 1 m is decorated with 48 birthday characters, which are colorful and embellished. It is simply a work of art. It is said that Yuan Shikai was jealous when he learned about it. The next year, he asked Chilin to make a cake bigger than that.
Zhilin's western food spread western food culture, and Zhilin's story is also a legendary chapter that the older generation of Tianjin people talk about. From exquisite tableware to all kinds of western-style dishes, from well-decorated shops to thoughtful service, Zhilin has written a beautiful chapter for Tianjin's catering industry. No wonder, in this year's letter to Cheshire hotel operators, Wino Cheshire, the son of Albert Cheshire, once again expressed his idea of traveling to Tianjin. He said in the letter: "We will feel very lucky to be able to return to Tianjin again in 2004."