SOCIAL media is redefining how we think about eating. Among those at the forefront of new trends is a Qibao Town chef who goes by the online name Potato and runs what he calls a "weekend restaurant."

Potato never reveals his real name or weekday workplace. He just advertises his culinary services on mobile food apps and on his WeChat "Moments" page, offering to cook for customers in their homes or inviting them to dine at his home. In his home, the diners on a given evening may not even know one another beforehand.

In essence, Potato is a one-man restaurant without walls, putting "home" back into the concept of home cooking.

"Young foodies love to make friends with other foodies on social media," said Potato. "They are tired of ordinary restaurant food, and they would rather eat home-cooked meals."

Potato brings more than 20 years of culinary experience to the task. His dishes have been gleaned from trips around China to study various cuisines and ingredients.

"I love to see the reaction of people to my cooking," he said. "I love to see those expressions of pure happiness when they bite into something that really tastes good."

Potato has his own specialties. One is stir-fried pea pods. Shanghai people, he said, typically shell peas and throw away the pods. That wasn’t always the case. In leaner times, the pods were cooked, too. During the right season, they can be tender and tasty if handled correctly.

"I learned from the father of a friend that stir fried pea pods were both delicious and nutritious, so I tried to restore the original recipe," he said. "And it has become one of the most popular dishes on my menu."

He said that many people assume a pod is too tough to chew or swallow, but the pea shell actually has two layers. The inner layer, which is semi-transparent, is hard and not edible, but the outer layer is soft and crispy.

Preparing the dish is therefore a bit complicated. After shelling the peas, Potato said he separates the two pod layers.

"The whole process requires great patience and energy, but then again, cooking is about patience and energy," he said. "No matter what you cook, the preparation can be boring, but if the taste meets your expectations, then all the effort is worth it."

Potato shares his menus and thoughts on good food with WeChat followers. He likes to get feedback from customers. The return rate of happy diners says it all.

On a recent weekend, Potato served up a seafood banquet in his home and posted comments and photos on his WeChat account.

The foremost rule in cooking seafood: make sure it's the freshest possible. Potato said he patronizes markets where he knows he will get the freshest ingredients. He goes out early in the morning to buy seafood and keeps it chilled in his fridge until it's time to cook.

He has strict criteria for handling seafood. For a whole snow crab, for example, he does all the pounding and chopping within 30 seconds.

"The longer crab meat and roe exposed to air, the worse the taste becomes," he said. "The freshest crab meat doesn’t need any seasoning — no salt, no vinegar, no soy sauce. Its natural flavor is heavenly."

Potato treads a fine line between costs and prices. He said he doesn't want to skimp on buying the best ingredients available, and he doesn’t want to charge customers exorbitant prices.

"I always promise the same high quality and the lowest prices I can manage," he said. "I am really more interested in providing a creative platform for people to discuss food than I am in making money."

Comment from the Potato customers on WeChat:

@linda-悟家乖乖

It is the only "restaurant" that has enticed me back twice within one week. Every time I am eating his feasts, I come away so full that I need the support of the wall to walk.

@ziva

I went again with friends and everything was just as delicious as I remembered from before. The roasted shrimp were so fresh, and the steamed king crab really was dreamy. The banquet made me feel that no other restaurant would ever satisfy me again.

@jackey

I drove all the way to Qibao from Pudong for a dinner at Potato's. Besides the excellent tastes, Potato tells diners the stories behind the dishes. He explains how he chooses ingredients and then how he prepares them, step by step. The dishes are his babies.

@lily

I had a Potato dinner at a table with total strangers, but I didn't feel awkward. The other diners were from all walks of life, but we were all true foodies. I loved the home-like atmosphere and the food was too good to be true. I recommend the knuckle stew. I usually don't like fatty meat much, but I couldn’t resist this dish.