Yes, Chef! Willy Trullàs Moreno on Making Spanish Cuisine Fun and Sexy

Asia is one food-crazy continent! We take great care to pick restaurants based on culinary vibes, rankings in international gourmand guides, mentions in magazines, Instagramability, and added allure. Yes, Chef! features the region’s chefs' stories of love and labour in kitchens, making some of our restaurants the next big thing in Asia.

Fifteen years ago, Chef Willy (Guillermo Trullás Moreno in real life) opened his first venture as a restaurateur with the debut of his eponymous el Willy restaurant in a colonial-era villa on Donghu Road in Shanghai. That foray not only introduced a dining concept with a funky personality to a city steeped in traditions, but also turned a loss-making restaurant into a profitable one through a “sexy” rebrand.

From its spot in the former French concession, el Willy relocated to The Bund, a premier historical district in Shanghai. The recipient of various culinary awards that tick off superlatives—including “Best Restaurant in Shanghai” in 2013 and “Best Chef” in 2009 and 2010—el Willy is your north star if you’re lost in Shanghai craving authentic Spanish cuisine.

Since making waves in Shanghai, Chef Willy, known for his bold and adventurous flair, has taken his contemporary interpretation of Spanish cooking and extended his foothold in the rest of Asia by conceiving “fun” F&B concepts in the region. These days, he straddles between cities with his other F&B ventures—including sexy tapas bar Tomatito in Manila, Shanghai, and Saigon; La Paloma in Hong Kong; and what started it all, el Willy in Shanghai and Bangkok. He is currently based in the Thai capital, where he opened el Willy Kitchen late last year. But his journey in the kitchen began some 10,000 miles away, working as an executive chef at a small restaurant in his native Barcelona.

The Beat Asia spoke with the funky chef to know more about his humble beginnings, how he reintroduced Spanish fare to Asian dining, and his favourite Spanish food.

Hi, Chef Willy. Thanks for having this interview with us. For those who don’t know, what brought you to Asia?

I was a chef de cuisine for a small restaurant in Barcelona in my late 20s. But after three and half years of working in the same restaurant, I found an opportunity to work in Shanghai as a chef in charge of organizing gastronomic events for a wine company. This was in early 2007.

Then, an opportunity came up to partner with a Japanese guy. He tried my dishes at one of the events I organized. He already had a restaurant, but it was [operating at a loss]. I partnered with him to open my own restaurant concept in the location that he already had. Once my contract with the wine company finished, I began my new venture: rebranding his restaurant in Shanghai.

How did you manage to introduce Spanish cuisine to local diners in Shanghai, who are really proud of their own cuisine? How do you cook Spanish to the Chinese people?

Chinese people have an amazing cuisine, and they take pride in it. But at the same time, it’s hard to get them out of their own cuisine. That's very challenging. So, what I did was travel all over Greater China during my first year there. I traveled to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China.

I tried to understand the psychology and the thinking behind how they eat. It was wonderful. For example, in many countries, you have an appetiser, main course, and dessert. In China, it’s sharing-style that’s very familial. You also have to consider the balance of the yin and the yang. The meals are for sharing and have to be portioned in such a way that you can eat them with chopsticks and spoons. Then, you have big Chinese menus that are very long with a lot of choices. I learned all those things.

In reinterpreting Spanish cuisine, I preserved the original flavours but ensured that the dishes were something people would be comfortable to eat.

You have restaurants spread across Asia. How do you adapt Spain's style of cooking and strong identity to suit the local palate?

The markets are very different from each other. For example, for Tomatito in Manila, my partners helped me to understand how Filipinos eat. In the Philippines, what I noticed was that Filipinos go ballistic over two items there: one is cochinillo, or lechon as they call it. And then the paella. I mean, Chinese love pork and paella, but Filipinos can survive with just these two dishes.

You’ve always positioned your restaurant concepts as the “fun” F&B group. What makes your version of Spanish cuisine fun and sexy?

Generally speaking, I don’t think Spain has the sexiest cuisine. So, my mission has been to update the concept of a Spanish restaurant. When you look at years ago, a lot of overseas Spanish restaurants were very old and folkloric. Even old-school. So, I try to make my restaurant concepts dynamic and contemporary. We are used to seeing the flamenco dancer and the bullfighter in exported Spanish cuisine—which are all good because they are part of our culture—but I want it to be more fun, sexy, and dynamic.

Having travelled across Asia, do you see any emerging trends that will drive demand or new interest in the region?

I think the so-called affordable luxury is a bit trendy. Of course, you have fine-dining in Michelin-starred restaurants or hotels. But for people who are tired of that but want high-quality food in a more casual setting, I see this as a growing trend.

Fine dining and fast food will still be there. But more emphasis on bistro-type establishments in smaller venues, with more personality and high-level ingredients. So, [that means] offering quality cuisine without it being formal fine dining.

What's your advice for aspiring chefs?

The advice I always give is that you have to remember this is a passion-driven job and a passion-driven industry. If you're not sure if it's your passion or not, I think it's better to do something else. It’s a very intense industry. The people who do well in this industry are those who are passionate about it, and they live in every moment. It is more than a job; it is a lifestyle. If your heart is in the industry, then go for it. If not, then maybe go somewhere else.

What other F&B concepts do you have in the pipeline for Asia?

We’re developing a bistro-like, French-style neighbourhood spot in Ho Chi Minh, where we already have one Tomatito and one Mexican restaurant. We’re experimenting with this new concept, which is going to be a very casual neighbourhood, similar to Tomatito.

But we'd like more French cuisine. I'm from the north of Spain, in the border with France in the Catalonia area. I lived in France for training. I'm a little bit familiar with French cuisine, and so is my partner. And so, we're gonna try this new concept to see how it goes.

What do you think is your role in promoting Spanish cuisine to cultural melting pots like Hong Kong?

I think as ambassadors of our country, it's our collective responsibility to bring a piece of our culture to the places that we go to, and to do the best that we can to promote it. It is important to add value to the communities [through] exposure and [knowledge-sharing]. I think it’s a win-win situation to share your culture through gastronomy.

My last question, what's your favourite Spanish food?

Wow, that's a good one. My favourite ingredient, I would say, is Iberian pork. I'm a huge fan. I think it is one of the most valued and unique ingredients from Spain. It's a gift from heaven!

I’m also a huge fan of the Mediterranean red prawns, which I think are an absolute delicacy.

Thank you, Chef Willy!

Thank you, too!

To know more about Chef Willy's restaurants and latest ventures, visit the El Willy "Fun F&B Group” website or follow him on Instagram.

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