AVANT

AVANT, borderless cuisine in Shenzhen

AVANT is a fine dining restaurant located in Shenzhen, China, which opened its doors in the autumn of 2020. Its proposal is defined as borderless cuisine, with a menu designed as a boarding pass that invites you to travel the world through flavors. The establishment has received One Diamond in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide in the 2023 and 2024 editions.

Concept: gastronomic journey and Fun Dining

The restaurant offers a "Fun Dining" experience that combines culinary techniques from different countries and regions with seasonal ingredients. The menu, conceived as a series of airline tickets, presents each dish as a travel destination. The team describes its cuisine as an experimental space of flavors rather than traditional Western cuisine, seeking resonances and reinterpretations of global culinary traditions through modern techniques.

AVANT's philosophy includes exploring local ingredients and their cultural context, as well as participating in the development of the local supply chain. The restaurant presents itself as a refuge within the city, a space where diners can escape the urban pace.

Menu and experience

The menu is structured around a journey through global flavors. The proposal includes dishes such as Milo's Table and Roman Holiday, and pays attention to sustainability through the use of organic ingredients and waste reduction. The menu design is created in collaboration with graphic artists, combining travel memories with taste experiences. The table is conceived as an interactive space where flavors travel and remain in the diner's memory.

Team

The executive chef is Zeyu Tian (Jerry), graduated in Enterprise Leadership from the University of Iowa (USA) in 2018. That same year he joined the Alinea Group in Chicago as a chef, and in 2019 he worked as Chef de Partie at the restaurant Oriole, also in Chicago. In 2020 he returned to China and co-founded AVANT.

The chef de cuisine is Hungche Lai (Kenny), graduated in Engineering Science from the University of Chi Nan (Taiwan) in 2015 and in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America in 2018. That year he worked as Chef de Partie at Le Bernardin (three Michelin stars, New York) and in 2019 at The Modern (two Michelin stars, New York). Since 2020 he is chef de cuisine at AVANT.

Awards

AVANT has earned One Diamond in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide in 2023, 2024 and 2025. It also appears in Tatler Best Asia 100 and has received the Three Glass award at the China Wine List Awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In 2024, chef Jerry Tian was included in the Forbes China 30 Chefs list and received the Best Chef award from Forbes Creative Chef.

Location and contact

Email: avant.shenzhen2020@gmail.com