Category: City: Shanghai

Heritage by Madison: The legacy of a legendary Shanghai restaurateur

I was writing this review when I came across the news of the sudden death of Austin Hu, the Chinese-American chef behind this restaurant and many other culinary enterprises in town. I did not know him. I think I never met him. Still it is a shocking news as I have enjoyed the cuisine of Heritage by Madison for several months. Let this review be an homage to his work

The visit

I began visiting the restaurant back in June 2020 in the post Covid-19 Shanghai.

It is located at the Bund Finance Center, along with the Fosun Foundation building, a designer’s mall (in the basement of the plaza) and more. Recently a Baker and Spice location opened nearby. They usually have weekend markets and the exhibitions at the Fosun Foundation, when not overly commercial, may be interesting.

The interior is slick and modern. On a nice day there is a lot of competition to secure the outdoor seats.

What I immediately liked was a streamlined menu and straightforward dishes mixing Western and Chinese elements. Austin Hu’s hallmark. I have tried almost half of the items on the menu, here’s some of my favorites.

Among the appetizers, the assorted pickles including kimchi are a nice nibble.

Even better, the fried cauliflowers are crispy and tasty.

But my absolute favorite is the crispy pork belly. The crispiness of the skin and the juiciness of the meat are hardly encountered together at this level.

Once I tried, off-the-menu, their famous pastrami sandwich. If you like sour and spicy flavors this is a great sandwich.

Their duck ragout pasta was also very good (I did not entirely liked the shredded vegetables on top).

The check

The dishes described came from two visits, costing 271 and 256 RMB respectively (38-40 USD). That’s what you may expect to pay for a couple of dishes and a drink.

During weekdays they have an economical lunch set for just 10 USD.

At weekends they do not serve the standard menu, rather they have a brunch deal. You can choose three dishes from the brunch menu for 188 RMB.

Where in Shanghai:
1/F, 600 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, near Longtan Lu.
In Chinese: 中山东二路600号1楼, 近龙潭路.
Easy bookings via Chope.

The Kitchen Studios (Andaz) Sunday brunch in Shanghai

Online you find references to the Westin and more recently to The Regis hotel as the best weekend buffets in Shanghai. Bullshit. These are very noisy, crowded, and the food is so so. (The Westin is a nice place to see expats getting drunken if it is your fetish, though).

The Kitchen Studios’ restaurant of the Andaz Hotel in Xintiandi does an excellent job in putting together a well-managed Sunday buffet (only on Sundays from noon) with quality food and at a reasonable price point.

I have been a big fun for a long time. I still remember a couple of years ago when they were launching their weekend brunch and I was among the few diners taking advantage of their promotion at the time. Now the news is out and it is almost sold out, but still, in my latest visit in November 2019, I did not feel the pressure of the crowd and there were no shortages of food. It remains a pleasant experience.

The visit

Let me take you around the buffet.

There are two spacious dining rooms around the buffet area, with both sofas and normal chairs. The decor is modern. Even if the rooms got pretty soon almost full, I did not overwhelmed.

One of the main attraction is the sushi and sashimi boat. They have tuna, salmon, and amberjack.

More seafood: lobster claws and…

… and imported prawns and crab legs.

It was hairy crab season and they were available (not a fan here).

There was an oyster station.

They would provide three oysters per order (brought to your table). I usually have at least 6, so I kept ordering, no problem.

There were various dishes that could be ordered as many times as you wish. The foie gras quite good.

Every diner could order one lobster dish.

I had the egg benedict with lobster and caviar. Nothing special, but a nice way to get my Sunday eggs. The half lobster with cheese was preferred by my friends, but had too much dish in my opinion.

Since it was almost Thanksgiving, a big turkey was available at the roast meat station along with beef.

They also had Chinese food. I tried the lobster wonton soup. Again, nothing exceptional, but I appreciated the effort.

Another dish made on demand was the Shanghai pancakes. I would not recommend it as it is super-filling and you can have it around town for 2 USD or so. But again, I appreciate the effort to have some local food.

Some dim sum dishes were available.

Many more dishes I am not posting were available, including lamb meat, pork, and vegetables. I could not try them all!

The dessert station included many treats including freshly made waffles and ice cream.

They paid homage to the local milk candy called White Rabbit with a cake made from the same milk. (White Rabbit company was on a diversification spree at the time of this posting… perhaps it was a marketing initiative.)

Soft drinks and some wine were also included and freely available.

The check

The check was picked up by a friend so I do not have a picture to post. The price per person was 446 RMB (63 USD), way less than similar buffets on the Bund. I was extremely pleased by the efficiency of the operations (even during the first hectic half an hour after opening the service was pretty good and fast) and the quality of the food.

PS: for a luxury semi-buffet, my favorite remains the Cathay Room.

Where in Shanghai:
2F of Andaz Hotel 88 Songshan Lu.
In Chinese: 嵩山路88号.

Ministry of Crab experience in Shanghai

Ministry of Crab, the famous Colombo’s restaurant, has started an international expansion and opened a branch in Shanghai in 2019. I visited it twice.

The visit(s)

Ministry of Crab set shop in the ground floor of Barbarossa, a Middle-Eastern themed lounge/restaurant located inside People’s Park. Getting to the restaurant may be a small adventure. Tip: enter the park from the entrance near the Shanghai History Museum to maximize your chances to find it quickly.

The restaurant is finely appointed and seating is comfortable. The menu, called “Amendments” to their “Constitution” showcases crabs and prawns imported from Sri Lanka (shipped live twice a week).

In my first visit my main dish was one of their large prawns (the largest available at the time of my visit, around 400 grams). You can choose the sauce: pepper (my choice), chili, curry, garlic chili.

I also had their clams.

And a prawn skewer (the prawns came already de-shelled, which was nice).

In my second visit I went for one of their famous crabs. I opted for the “large” one (around 900 grams). They have bigger ones. They showed me the crab that was really not happy about the situation and tried to escape…

I was provided (and I used) the branded apron.

The crab came in its garlic chili sauce and was already cut in six parts. There was a substantial amount of meat, I think two people could have shared it. The sauce, that is a special creation of one of the founders of the restaurant, was really delicious.

Appropriately, I had a reserve of “cube” bread that was very useful to scoop up the sauce.

My second dish was the pot with prawns and curry. The great thing about this dish was that the prawns were already cleaned from the shell. The curry was perhaps too sweet, but still a great dish.

The check(s)

The first check was 563 RMB (80 USD). The big prawn accounted for around 50 USD.

The second check was 994 RMB (140 USD), the large crab was around 90 USD. I believe that this second menu could have been split by two (not excessively hungry) diners.

The seafood was expensive, but it was also really good. I think the checks were proportioned to the quality and it makes a great experiences for a seafood lover.

Where in Shanghai:
Inside People’s Park, 1/F, 231 Nanjing Xi Lu.
In Chinese: 南京西路231号1楼.
Website: https://www.ministryofcrab.com/

Three absurdly good chocolate desserts in Shanghai

Stop reading if you do not like chocolate or sugar is not your thing. Also, I urge moderation. But if you have a sweet tooth, these three desserts are to die for.

1. Le Bec’s chocolate cream pudding

Épicerie & Caviste 62 Le Bec sells some great sweets. My personal favorite is their chocolate pudding: I am not sure what chocolate they use (probably milk), but the result is a delicious pudding with chocolate flavor emerging at any bite. Check: 35 RMB (5 USD).

Where in Shanghai: 62 Xinhua Lu, by Panyu Lu.

2. Yuzu and chocolate cake from Baker & Spice

Baker & Spice is a popular bakery and cafe chain in Shanghai. All of their cakes are pretty good, but the yuzu and chocolate cake is a stunner. The yuzu offers a nice counterbalance to the chocolate natural bitterness. Check: 35 RMB (5 USD).

Where in Shanghai: 195 Anfu Rd, Xuhui and many more locations.

3. Valrhona chocolate cake from 325 Roof

Valrhona is a French premium chocolate manufacturer and is a premium ingredient for pastry. Roof 325, the rooftop restaurant perched on top of the Shanghai Museum, has an outstanding cake made from Valrhona chocolate. One of the interesting things is that the cake has two layers with two distinct textures. The restaurant location on top of what used to be the Race Club House is another highlight. Check: 68 RMB (around 10 USD).

Where in Shanghai: Shanghai History Museum, 5/F, 325 Nanjing Xi Lu

An evening celebrating Leonardo Da Vinci at Va Bene in Shanghai (closed)

An Italian friend of mine invited to a dinner organized by the Association of Italian Academics in China and the Shanghai chapter of the Italian Cuisine Academy in an Italian restaurant in Shanghai, Va Bene, to celebrate Leonardo Da Vinci. 2019 marks five centuries from the death of this boundless genius.

The dinner menu was designed by the chef of Va Bene and inspired by Leonardo and his time. Before the dinner proper, an Italian professor based in China, Andrea Baldini, spoke about Leonardo and his relation with food. There was a lot to be said. I am reporting what I heard from the professor. (He also framed his remarks within the context of creativity theory, but I will skip on this aspect since the focus here is food.)

To begin with, Leonardo is believed to have invented the saffron rice, a typical dish from Milan. While working for Milanese and French royalty, Leonardo was often involved in the organization of banquets and he invented a number of tools to expedite the work in the kitchen, including some pasta grinding machine. Leonardo was very much interesting in what we call today “plating”, that is the aesthetic presentation of food. He even started his own restaurant in Florence in cooperation with another illustrious artist, Sandro Botticelli. It was specializing in frogs, but it did not survive long (perhaps being ahead of his time). The table napkins are another invention ascribed to Leonardo.

The president of the Shanghai chapter of the Italian Cuisine Academy tried to argue that Leonardo may have been the illigimate son of a Tuscan nobleman and an Asian slave. So chances are that Leonardo was half Chinese! But do not quote me on this.

The dinner

The dinner and the presentations took place in the Va Bene restaurant in Xiantindi. They prepared an impressive table occuppying the all length of the dining room located on the second floor of a traditional shikumen house.

The dinner started with three type of canapes: cucumber with delicious cream cheese, lemon and mint; a creamy cod puree on a crispy semolina cracker; a small pastry filled with lamb ragout and cinnamon. I think they did a very good job with these amuse bouche.

The break basket was also there.

The appetizer platter included three items: chicken liver pate in a sourdough bread “oreo” with some orange jelly (top); a classic bruschetta with a piece of finocchiona (a type of Tuscan salami), Parmesan cheese foam and onion jam (creating an interesting mix of sweet and sour, pictured on the left); a fantastic porcini mushroom flan with sweat garlic cream on top (right). I appreciated the creativity of these appetizers and how the references to Tuscany and flavors of another time were gradually introduced.

The first main (“primo”) was the classic saffron risotto with a boost of bone marrow. This dish could not be missed since Leonardo is believed to be the father of this quintessential Milanese risotto. It was very good, I would say perfectly executed.

The second main (“secondo”) was a very inventive dish: roasted pork filled with beef, figs, and foie gras in a sauce made with egg yolk cream and anchovy mayonnaise. Two small boiled chestnuts completed the ensemble. This dish was inspired by a popular practice in banquets at the time of Leonardo that we might call “recursive filling”: the idea of filling a type of meat with another type of meat also filled with a third element. Strangely I did not find the dish very flavorful, but I really appreciated the inventiveness.

Before the dessert, we were offered pecorino cheese (both spicy and sweet) with fruit mustard. The cheese and mustard were excellent.

The dessert included a glass of vin santo, a typical dessert wine from Tuscany.

The dessert was one of my favorite dishes because it was delicious and made full use of the ingredients and cooking style of five hundred years ago. It was a very soft bread cake with raisins, Elderflower rosemary with almond milk.

Wines were a big part of the dinner with a selection from Tuscany and Lombardy, the two Italian regions more connected with Leonardo.

The check

The price of the dinner was 700 RMB. I wish there was a price for people like me that did not drink wine. Not a cheap dinner, but I appreciated all the organization and creativity behind. Certainly I do not regret attending and learning more about Leonardo Da Vinci in the kitchen.

Where in Shanghai:
Xintiandi, 2/F, North Block,
Lane 181 Taicang Lu.
In Chinese: 太仓路181号2楼新天地北里, 近马当路.

Venue closed in early 2020.

Michelin-starred Taizhou cuisine at Xin Rong Ji

With this post I declare the Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble completed. Xin Rong Ji has two locations on the 2019 edition of the Guide: one in Shanghai Plaza and one inside the Pei Mansion Hotel. Now, by the time of my visit the Shanghai Plaza location had relocated to Nanyang Road and that’s where I visited. The new location has one star in the 2020 edition of the Guide. I will not dine in the location in the Pei Mansion Hotel (two stars) because it only accepts groups of at least 4 people for private rooms (and I do not have time to organize).

The Xin Rong Ji Group was founded by Mr. Zhang Yong in Linhai, Zhejiang Province in October 1995. The “new” (xin) in the name represents innovation. There are several restaurants brands operated by this group (Rongxiaoguan, Rongji Hotpot), the Xin Rong Ji restaurants are fine dining establishments serving Taizhou cuisine, a style of cooking from Zheijang focused on fresh seafood. The Shanghai location I visited also features Cantonese fare. The formula is borrowed from luxury Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong: contemporary dining space, artistic plating, and updating classic recipes with international ingredients.

The visit

The restaurant is on the second floor of an office building on West Nanjing Road. An escalator leads to the restaurant.

Near the entrance there is a display with fresh seafood from the market:

The restaurant has a large dining room so there was no problem finding a place for me, even if I did not have any reservation. Unfortunately the room was too dark for a photo, but it was very elegantly appointed. I was offered three slices of apple and peanuts with pepper as nibbles.

They had a bilingual menu. I would have ordered the business menu (actually a nice mini tasting menu) but it was for at least two people and I was alone. The full tasting menu was also interesting, but it required at least 4 diners. Unsurprisingly, this kind of restaurant is best enjoyed in a group. They also had a dim sum menu (it was Saturday for lunch), but it was only available in Chinese.

I ended up ordering their noodles with yellow croaker. The noodles were handmade and came with some egg dumplings. There were only two pieces of fish. It was a tasty bowl of noodles anyway.

Then I had two dim sum items from the main menu. The first was a dumpling filled with truffle sauce and foie gras. It was really tasty.

The second was an egg tart with a base of wagyu. This was not my favorite,

Finally I had a “small” portion of smoked pomfret. Pomfret is a fish that can only be caught wild in the East China sea. It was smoked to perfection. Maybe too many bones for my taste, but it was really good. In Shanghai you can find a similar dish with cod.

The check

This relatively quick lunch cost me 424 RMB (60 USD). There was no lack of food and the quality was excellent. The only downside was that being alone I could not try more dishes. I think the place deserves its star, but for this kind of cuisine I have some better restaurants in Ningbo that sooner or later I will review.

Where in Shanghai:
2/F, 688 Plaza, 688 Nanjing Xi Lu (West Road).
In Chinese: 南京西路688号恒基688广场2楼.

Best burgers in Shanghai (and some to avoid)

This post is a collection of the best burgers I tried in Shanghai (and a few to avoid). And some that were not so good.

Highline Foie Burger

Not only a generous slice of foie gras, but also Parma ham make this burger particularly succulent. At 198 RMB the most expensive of this round-up, but also the most satisfying. They bring it cut in two. You might want to ask them to leave it intact.

Highline full review.

The Grinder Foie Gras Burger

Here’s another foie gras burger with a generous amount of duck liver. Choose wisely the sauce to add. You can choose among mayonnaise, Thousand Island, sweet pepper, honey mustard, mayonnaise mustard, blue cheese, BBQ, or spicy. At 98 RMB is not breaking the bank.

Full review of The Grinder.

Beef & Liberty Ambrosia

A lamb burger topped with Greek tzatziki (a dipping sauce made with yogurt), red onion, mint, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. This was a burger full of aromatic flavors. Unfortunately a seasonal item for fall 2019. However all Beef & Liberty burgers are solid. It was 109 RMB.

Full review of Beef & Liberty in Shanghai.

Polux Burger

It may look small, but it is not. The patty sinks in the lower patty that is “excavated” to accommodate the extra meat. A very solid classic cheese burger. Only defect, the buns are a bit oily. Also, it may be overshadowed by so many other interesting dishes on the menu of Polux. 121 RMB.

Full review of Polux.

Shake Shack Smoke Burger

Of the iconic American quality burger chains (Five Guys, In and Out, etc.), only Shake Shack has landed to Shanghai so far. The smoke burger with crispy bacon to complete this spicy cheese burger is our favorite. 58 RMB for a single patty.

Full review of Shake Shack in Shanghai.

Robuchon Burger 👎

You would expect great things from the chef of the century, Robuchon, but his burger is quite ordinary and comes with just a 110-gram patty. Not cheap of course at 140 RMB. Just overpriced.

Full review of Le Salon.

If you like burgers, also do not miss the greatest burgers in Hong Kong.

Le Salon De Joël Robuchon in Shanghai

The Robuchon empire (surviving his founder passed away last year) operates four brands in Shanghai (and many other cities): L’Atelier (the high-end venue with the full menu), Le Salon de The’ (there is one at Bund 18 that closes before dinner and specializes in afternoon teas, but also has a food menu), Le Salon (food menu until late), and, finally, La Boutique (usually attached to a Salon, sells cakes and bread mainly).

This review is about Le Salon in Reel Mall in Shanghai. There are other Salons coming at IFC and IAPM mall in that should fallow the same format.

The visit

The interior is classy and comfortable. To some extent, even better than L’Atelier where most of the seats are at the “teppanyaki” counter.

The first time I went for a breakfast, but before 11.30 the menu is limited to sandwiches and cakes. I had their “French Club” sandwich. Just an Italian tramezzino with egg, cheese, and tomato.

The chocolate and hazelnut cake was quite good. I wish they had more.

In my second visit I had a set menu arranged for China Restaurant Week, a recurring event managed by Dining City where restaurants offer special menus to diners. Le Salon did not do anything special, just lumped together some of their standard dishes. I chose a hamachi carpaccio with spices as an appetizer. Unimpressive.

But the real reason I went was to try the burger. Could it be a great gourmet burger? It was not. It was a modest and overpriced 110 gram burger. Very ordinary.

Still a bit hungry, I added an extra dish, some potato croquettes. Man, it was a sad dish.

The dessert was a lychee pudding and was quite good.

The check

My first approach for a breakfast was quite inexpensive, at 90 RMB (12.65 USD). It was a nice way to kill one hour.

The full dinner cost me 441 RMB (62 USD) and I found it overpriced for what it was. I should note that the three course menu was 288 RMB plus service charge. While other restaurants usually make an effort to offer their special menu during China Restaurant Week at a significant discount (at least 20%), there was almost no saving as compared with ordering the same items a la carte. Very lazy. The burger was 140 RMB, 20 USD, a la carte. Too much for such a small burger without a personality.

Sorry, but this is basically an overpriced casual French restaurant. I did enjoy L’Atelier, but won’t visit again Le Salon (except maybe for an afternoon tea and cakes, those are good).

Where in Shanghai:
109, Reel Mall, 1601 Nanjing Xi Lu.
In Chinese: 南京西路1601号109.

Beef & Liberty in Shanghai

Beef & Liberty is a burger chain from Hong Kong with several outlets in Shanghai. For this review I visited the branch at the Shanghai Center.

The visit

Similarly to their Hong Kong locations, Beef & Liberty offers a clean and comfortable dining environment.

The menu is a clone of the offering in Hong Kong. During this visit they had a special, the Ambrosia burger, with a lamb patty topped with Greek tzatziki (a dipping sauce made with yogurt), red onion, mint, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. The burger was not bit, but it was full of flavor.

I also had their tomato soup.

And an avocado and ricotta cheese from the brunch items, same as tried in Hong Kong (maybe with more ricotta).

The check

Check was 222 RMB (31 USD). Prices were at least 10% higher than in Hong Kong. But their burger are good and have my recommendation.

Where in Shanghai:
Shanghai Centre, Rm 111, 1/F, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu.
In Chinese: 南京西路1376号, 上海商城1楼.
Other locations on their website.

Exquisite brunch at Sir Elly’s, Peninsula Shanghai

Sir Elly’s is the French restaurant of the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai. Located on the 13th floor, it sport nice views of the Bund. I visited it as part of my Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble.

The visit

I chose to visit the restaurant for brunch, because the brunch dishes seemed to be a fair representation of the high cuisine of the restaurant and not just afterthoughts as often happens with brunches.

Upon my arrival the staff welcomed me using my name. Was I the only foreigner dining there on that day? It turned out that for most of the meal I was the only guest! I had the beautiful dining room all for myself, only toward the end of my meal a Chinese couple joined the brunch. It was a slow weekend in Shanghai.

Similarly to what happens with their Chinese restaurant Yi Long Court on the second floor, the dining room tries to recreate the luxury and intimacy of a patrician house. It is a very classy venue.

The bread basket was impressive enough: French baguette, hazelnut bread, seaweed bread, a croissant, a hazelnut tart, and even a chocolate muffin.

And I was provided normal and salted butter, for good measure.

The brunch included four dishes: one appetizer, one egg or pancake, one main, and one dessert. For each category several options were available.

My appetizer was a hamachi carpaccio with asparagus, passion fruit, lotus. What was impressive was that it came in a bread container that reminded of a crab shell. The dots on the plate were mango and soy jellies. It was a delicious and well-designed dish.

The second list of dishes included brunch classics such as poached eggs, waffles and crepes. I chose the buckwheat crepes filled with bechamel and smoked salmon. The bechamel was spectacularly creamy and light.

The cod was a slow-cooked fillet, coming with an artichoke and clam-butter sauce that was added at my table. Really a delicious piece of cod.

I was not in the mood for a sweet, so I chose the comte cheese platter. This was a bit underwhelming. A cheese combination would have been better. But it was what it was advertised on the menu. The cakes should be a better choice.

The check

The brunch cost 428 RMB before tax and service charge. With a bottle of water, the minimum you would spend for brunch is 586.50 RMB (82 USD). It is a pricey brunch, but in line with the quality of the dishes. If you prefer quality vs. the quantity of a buffet, this brunch is actually a nice option. They also have a more affordable lunch menu, while dinner may be an expensive affair. Their tasting menu was around 2000 RMB at the time of my visit.

The service was impeccable and part of the positive experience, with all staff that could communicate in English well.

Where in Shanghai:
13F, The Peninsula Shanghai, 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu.
In Chinese: 上海市黄浦区中山东一路32号上海半岛酒店13楼.
Go to their website for menus and online reservation.