FRENCHMAN Gomes Philipp has more than 10 years' experience in running restaurants and clubs. He has opened French restaurants in various regions of France, Monaco and the United States before coming to Shekou to run French restaurants that specialize in food and sound.

Philipp opened "The Paris French Kiss" on Sea World Plaza on July 1, very close to the famous Minghua ship. He is very keen on recommending French cuisine to Chinese as well as foreigners at a reasonable price. For less than 100 yuan (US$12.5), diners can enjoy a whole set of authentic French or continental European food, including a starter, a main course, a dessert, coffee and soup.

Before the restaurant opened, Philipp had expected 20 percent of his clients to be Chinese. Now more Chinese have become his patrons. "I love Chinese food and culture, and I wish I can help Chinese people appreciate European food," he said. So he requires his staff to give advice to guests on which wine should go with which dish. He has also designed special menus for diners to taste a bit of almost everything.

The handsome Frenchman is definitely a hard worker. He stays in the restaurant the whole evening, sometimes well after midnight, and takes care of everything. If he finds someone stopping at the entrance, he immediately goes out and shows them around the restaurant. He remembers clearly how many courses were sold the day before, and which were the favorites. He organizes activities at the restaurant every Wednesday. He also has a trade company in Shenzhen that exports wood flooring from Shenzhen to France and Portugal. He works in the trade company during the day.

"If I work only 12 hours a day, I would not be satisfied," he said, adding that four hours' sleep every night is perfect for him. On Sunday he sleeps through the morning before brunch.

"I am not a Chinese in China. So if I want to succeed, I have no time to rest. I should learn from Chinese and know about them. If not, how can I sell them food and give them advice?" Philipp asked rhetorically.

Editor: Wing