Whisky bar's stovies will be the toast of Shanghai

Chinese chefs certainly know their way around a stir-fry and a bird's nest soup. But they just can't make stovies like your old Ma' did.

So when Edinburgh man Tam Lang opened the first Scots bar in Shanghai, there was only one way he could make his tartan cuisine authentic.

As the slow boat to China was out of the question, the 50-year-old flew his friend's mum half way round the world to make the first batch of the traditional fare as authentic as possible.

And she watched with eagle eyes to make sure the local chefs he took on got the hang of the dish.

Now Tam, who left his flat in Easter Road for China's most populous city, is toasting the success after winning the palates of locals and ex-pats alike.

"It was a boyhood dream to travel the Far East, so to find myself running my own bar in Shanghai is kind of the dream come true", said Tam, who previously ran Scottish & Newcastle bars in the Capital for more than 11 years.

"When I left Scottish & Newcastle they were very good at sending my CV around in the region and I eventually got a job managing some bars in Nanjing and then O'Malley's in Shanghai."

However, Tam, who lives with wife Li, and sons Donal, 5, and Andy, 1, wanted to establish his own pub, the Tam O'Shanter, which he opened last May.

"There's whisky bars in Shanghai but not proper Scots ones - and not run by a Scotsman.

"There are plenty of mainstream Scots whiskies in China but we have brought some of the lesser known ones.

"We also wanted to bring the best food the Scots had to offer out with us, haggis, mince and tatties, and stovies.

"One of the local Scottish guys here, Wallace Reid, brought his mum out from Scotland to show my chefs how to cook them the way they're really cooked.

"The bar is popular with successful businessmen, many of which bring their clients in here. Also most nights of the week there's a bunch of ex-pats from Scotland gathering in the bar."

One popular China holiday guide says The Tam O'Shanter "manages to capture the atmosphere of an Edinburgh pub".

Tam, who was last back in Edinburgh in the Hearts stand for November's derby, said although locals were getting used to the Scots pub, there were a few noticeable cultural differences.

He said: "There is the odd thing which stands out. Clients clapping and clicking their fingers to get your attention is one. If you did that in Edinburgh you'd get hauled out.

"Adding green tea to whisky is another. The Chinese say it helps with the hangover but I'm almost certain that's not true.

"A few really interesting ones come up. If you ask a Scotsman to smell an Islay whisky he'll say smoky and peaty."The Chinese will say 'it smells like South Korean barbecue'."