Polux is a new project headed by Paul Pairet, the chef extraordinaire behind Ultraviolet and Mr & Ms Bund. It is named after the cat of an old French cartoon and is located in the pedestrian area of Xintiandi, Shanghai.
If you are not familiar with Shanghai, you need to know that Xintiandi is a shopping and entertainment district with reconstituted traditional mid-19th century shikumen houses on narrow alleys. It is a very popular area, but I never associated it with good food (you might disagree if you are a fan of Wolfang Puck).
The visit
I headed to Polux on a Sunday for brunch meeting a friend, just one week after their opening on 14 March 2019. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (all day dining) with different menus. Initially they were open 7 days a week, but at the time of this post they have instituted a day off on Mondays.
The staff had my reservation on the books and escorted me to a table. I liked the cloth towels, a small luxury these days.
By the way, even if the place was rapidly filling up, the staff noticed that the table was wobbling and they promptly offered me and my friend another table.
I recognized many faces among the staff from Mr and Ms Bund and Ultraviolet. These are incredibly professional people. (Including the marketing team: by the time of my visit Polux was correctly indicated on all social media, including Facebook and Google Maps; contrast this with the Bulgari Hotel for example…) By no accident, in their second week of operations, everything was running remarkably smoothly.
Bread was complimentary, as it should be in French eateries.
While I was waiting for my friend, I ordered their sardines, a simple dish, but it was nice that they included in the menu some small snacks.
I and my friend shared a steak haché with mash and eggs. A steak
haché is basically a French hamburger. I found it very good, with the beef juice adding some flavor to the mix.
Then both I and my friend had the signature Polux burger coming with fries.
It was a relatively small burger (or I should say “compact”), with bacon and a good amount cheese melting around the patty. I think that some sauce was dripped on the buns as well. But there was a twist (in what I would call Pairet’s style): the lower bun was “excavated” to firmly accommodate the beef patty and some extra condiments (asparagus?). The overall flavor was on the spicy side.
We drank the namesake iced tea, that was not regular iced tea (again one of those twists that made Pairet’s cuisine a favorite of mine): it was a concoction with verbena, orange, lemon, apple, cucumber, and mint. The result was quite pleasant.
The check
Total check was 528 RMB (or 40 USD per person). Was it worth it? Wast it good? Will I go back?
To answer context is important. 40 USD for some regular cafe food may seem pricey, but this is Shanghai, where Western food, good one, is hard to come by at this price point. From this point of view, the final check was more than fair.
In an interview that I read (sorry, I cannot find the link) Pairet explained that they intended to offer good unpretentious everyday food, something that could be the second best for many diners. I think that they delivered what they promised and even more. Polux is good comfort food with a twist here and there (and to be fair, the brunch menu was quite extensive and I wish I had tried their cheek beefsteak, their croque, and some of the egg dishes).
Finally, you have to consider that you are in Xintiandi, an upscale district not famous for its gourmet food. Polux from this point of view is a game changer.
I totally see myself going back and digging into their menu. And that Shake Shack is just around the corner is another big plus.
Where in Shanghai:
No. 5, Lane 181, Taicang Lu, by Huangpi Nan Lu
In Chinese: 太仓路181弄5号, 近黄陂南路
Nearest metro: two blocks south of Huangpi South Road (line 1).
Note: close to Xintiandi number 1 heritage house.
For once I’ll have to disagree with you. I also went to the Polux. I had read a very positive review by a former smartshanghai food reviewer. She mentioned being run by the staff of ultra-violet and Mr and Mrs Bund. So, I had high expectations.
Instead, I found just a pretentious joint with not impressive food trying to look smart. All in all, the quality was not superior to any other good breakfast place, just pricier. The burger was really, but really, small. Also, the excavated bun made the meal lighter. The tiny bits of bacon were melted with the cheese, so I could not taste the flavour of the bacon distinctly. One thing that really annoyed me was the iced tea. It was basically a lot of mint with some tea in it. It spoiled the taste of the food. I also resented the overly attentive staff breathing on my neck while I was eating.
I think Paul is spoiling his name by running such a joint.