Cuisine: French – Page 2

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.

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.

French fine dining in Seoul at TocToc

TocToc is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul also included in the list of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. This is my experience in July 2019, during the week of their grand opening in a new location in Gangnam.

The meaning of the name is explained on their website: “‘Toc Toc’ is a French expression of ‘knock knock’; demonstrating chef’s determination to open up your taste through fine cuisine”.

The visit

They took my booking by email after a bit of back and forth, but at the end they also asked me to pay a deposit of 50,000 Won with an online system. I hate when restaurants do that, but I obliged. It was not explained to me, but the deposit was to be returned and not deducted from the check.

I went for dinner on a Saturday night. The dining room is very elegant. Everything was brand new. When I arrived I discovered that they had made some changes to the set menu that I had seen on their website (now it is up to date), but fine. I went for their dinner course menu.

The amuse bouche was a slice of cooked ham with a stick of grissini. That’s Italian in my books. But fine.

The welcome dish consisted of three snacks: watermelon, seabass (fermented and deep fried), beef tartare with house sauce.

Then the bread was served with some fanfare. It turns out that TocToc’s executive chef and owner also started a bakery called Sikbugwan and that’s where the bread came from. Time for a cross-promotion. But the bread was very good and best eaten while warm.

The raw dish was brown croacker sashimi with ginger dressing. I am all for sashimi, but the dressing flavor was a bit overwhelming. Something funny happened here. Since the waiter was a bit chatty, I randomly mentioned that I like to eat sashimi with chopsticks. I did not phrase it as a request or a complaint, but the guy did not like my remark and put me to my place saying “We are in French restaurant in Seoul“. You cannot argue with that. Chopsticks or not, it was a forgettable dish.

In addition to the course menu, I ordered a beef tartare with crispy lotus flowers that was excellent. They did not messed up adding too many ingredients and let the beef speak for itself.

The warm dish was a piece of abalone on mash and eggplant.

Exceptionally, because it was their opening week in the new location, they grated some French truffle from Avignone on the abalone. Truffle or not, the abalone was tender and very good.

For main I could choose between lamb, fish, or Hanu beef. It was a simple choice, I went for the local beef – striploin – that did not disappoint. Korea has some incredible beef.

More truffle on the pasta, some pappardelle with pecorino cheese. It was good, but it was a minuscule portion.

Finally I was served the seasonal dessert (a sorbet on a mango puree).

And it was nice that a cup of tea was also included.

The check

The course menu was 110,000 Won that became 120,000 because I opted for the truffle pasta that commanded 10,000 Won extra (the only pasta with no surcharge was kelp pasta… not the most attractive; they also had lobster pasta for a 15,000 won surcharge). The tartare was excellent but also not cheap at 37,000 Won. So, all in all, I spent 157,000 won (or 130 USD).

The overall experience left me unsatisfied. It was not a disappointment because overall the course menu was good, but I was expecting something more. The chef mostly played safe with traditional French high cuisine classics and some Italian dishes. I wish he had brought more of his Seoul’s upbringings into the menu.

Where in Seoul:
3F 41 Hakdong-ro 97-gil, Gangnam-gu.
In Korean: 서울특별시 강남구 학동로97길 41 3층.
Website: www.restauranttoctoc.com.

Three cafes in Chiang Mai for those with a sweet tooth

In this review I will lump together three very different venues that have in common to offer outstanding cakes and desserts. In all of them you can relax with a cup of tea and a slice and some sweets. One is Western-style, one Japanese and one Thai.

Amazing creative delights at Saruda Finest Pastry

Address: 12, Soi 3 Nimmana Haeminda, Su Thep, Chiang Mai

Saruda Finest Pastry really feature the skills of a top pastry chef. The creations are both creative, visually appealing, and delicious. I tried their Quasar for a chocolate boost and a Mandarin-shaped pastry with a mandarin filling. The shop is not large but has a few tables where to enjoy the cakes, possibly along with a cup of tea. The two pastries I had cost 185 and 195 THB (9 USD in total).

Rak Whan Thai Dessert Café

Address: 30/2 Nimmanhaemin Rd., Soi 11, Suthep, Chiang Mai

Despite the cursory service, I enjoyed a brief stop at this Thai dessert cafe that featured some beautiful Thai cookies and cakes. Thai cuisine has a distinctive dessert tradition and a lot of pastry types were on display in this cafe. I had a set with a number of cookies and jellies (they all have a name in Thai!) along with a classic Thai iced tea (that is basically a sugar bomb).

Matcha drinks and cakes at Chaseki

91, Sri Poom Road, Si Phum, Chiang Mai 50200
Website: www.chasekitea.com

Chaseki is the brainchild of a Thai/English couple in love with Japanese powdered green tea (matcha). They have both drinks and cakes. At the time of my visit they were even selling a limited edition matcha chocolate bar. I did not like much the drink (combining matcha and conconut, but they have so many others to try). On the other side, the matcha and white chocolate cake was phenomenal. It is a small cafe located along the Northern border of the Old City. Definitely recommended for something different and unique in Chiang Mai.

Casual brunch at 62 Le Bec

Famed French chef Nicolas Le Bec moved to Shanghai with his Chinese wife and opened Bistro 321 Villa Le Bec. Then, in 2017, he doubled down and on the same street he opened a shop/cafe/wine bar called Épicerie & Caviste 62 Le Bec (the number is the street address). An epicerie is a grocery and a caviste is a wine shop in French.

The visit

Actually this place is even more. It sells fresh baked pastries and other products coming from Le Bec’s kitchen (including his famed pate).

The wine cellar is beautifully stocked and offers a comfortable space for having a glass of wine. Or two. Or three.

But I was there for the food. They have two menus. One features classic cafe dishes that are reasonably priced. The second menu includes some of Le Bec’s more elaborated dishes and they come at a premium.

From the premium menu I had the cold tomato soup with a burrata that was excellent. A very good dish for the Shanghai hot summer.

The croque monsieur came with a small salad. The bread was crisply toasted and super-filled with cheese.

My biggest discovery was this creamy chocolate mousse. I would easily devour two or three on every visit.

Also of note, they have Alain Milliat juices and nectars, that are simply the best in the world.

The check

My little brunch cost me 255 RMB (37 USD). Not cheap, but the final check was mainly influenced by the tomato soup with burrata (130 RMB). If you can resist the temptation to order from the premium menu, prices are quite reasonable.

Where in Shanghai:
62 Xinhua Lu, by Panyu Lu
In Chinese: 新华路62号, 近番禺路
Nearest metro: Jiaotong University station.
Note: they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays at lunch.

Perfect lunch with “virtuoso” dishes at Le Bistrot de Racine, Shanghai

I have eaten in terrible Italian and French restaurants with Italian and French chefs. So no surprise if I just loved the perfect French food of Le Bistrot de Reacine even if there is no French chef in the kitchen (but the head chef trained in France for years according to the maitre).

Le Bistrot occupies a large old-style villa in a street full of Western eateries, Wuding Lu. And do not be misled by the Bistrot thing… this is a fine dining venue.

They also operate a bakery in the same building (on the right). Their bread is well worth a trip.

The visit

Once a year I treat to lunch in Shanghai two good friends and this year I invited them to Le Bistrot de Racine for a Sunday lunch.

My phone reservation (that I had to change, so there might have been some misunderstanding) was lost, but there were tables available. I was escorted to my table in a lateral dining room that must have been a veranda. The maitre spoke English.

The table was splendidly appointed.

The bread basket deserves a special mention: all the bread was fresh and perfectly baked. And just good old-school bread, with the addition of a brioche and some flatbread with pistachio.

We ordered three appetizers and three mains for this lunch. We did not try the desserts because we moved to another venue for a sweat treat afterwards.

The first dessert was a classic beef tartare (with M5 quality wagyu and an organic quail egg) that came with hand-made potato chips. A bit skeptical about the chips, but, as I could say of all dishes, it was perfectly executed and very enjoyable.

Another tartare, this of bluefin tuna with guacamole and topped with Russian caviar. It came with rice chips with pepper seaweed.

We also had a pâté en croûte with an amazing array of ingredients: Rougie duck foie gras and leg, veal, Iberico pork, French ham, black truffle. It was an explosion of flavor, better shared among several people. This dish also illustrates the chef’s predilection for crusts and pastries that will be in full display in the mains that we ordered.

The first big ticket item was a Wellington steak that came presented like an abstract painting.

The Wellington steak is a dish that requires a certain degree of technique to cook the beef without burning the pastry. On top of the steak there was also a nice chunk of foie gras. We all greatly enjoyed this dish.

The next main was another dish “en croute”, this time a seabass.

Inside the crust lied a perfectly cooked seabass in a delicious sauce.

We also had lamb chops (char-grilled from New Zealand). This was another excellent dish, some of the best lamb chops I saw in Asia with some morel mushroom and truffle mushroom jus to delicately enhance the flavor.

The check

We spent 2,050 RMB for the food and water (296 USD). A main and an appetizer will easily set you back of 100 USD, more if you add a dessert, and much more if you drink wine. And I would not say that the dishes are suitable for sharing, with a few exceptions (like the pate and perhaps the Wellington). It is an expensive restaurant, but the quality is there. The food is perfectly executed with top ingredients and I will certainly go back to try some more dishes.

Where in Shanghai:
609 Changde Lu near Wuding Lu
In Chinese: 静安区常德路609号，近武定路

A visit to a GaKuDen Boulangerie shop in Taipei

GaKuDen is a chain of European-style bakeries found all over in Taipei. Some of the locations also doubles as coffee shops. Here’s my experience.

The visit

Inside they have a variety of baked goods and the style is self-service.

In this particular shop near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial they had a room upstairs where to take a seat.

This was my snack:

I chose a juice, a brownie and a chocolate pastry made with Valrhona chocolate. They seem to do a decent job in supplying Taipei with European bread and cakes.

The check

In total I spent 189 NTD or 6.10 USD. Not bad for spending some time of relax in a clean and comfortable place. The pastries were good.

Where in Taipei
No. 316, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei (for the shop of my visit, but other locations are all over Taipei).

Brunch at Jean Georges in Shanghai

Jean-Georges in Shanghai holds the record to be the first signature restaurant outside of New York of world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It is a French restaurant.

The visit

I visited the restaurant for brunch in April 2018 with two friends. It is located on Bund 3 along other high-end restaurants and sports nice views of the Huangpu river and Pudong. It is a very classy location, dominated by bright colors.

The brunch deal included two courses and a dessert. We also ordered some additional dishes.

Our order included the chef’s signature eggs with caviar, that I did not find worth it. The other dishes were tasty, beautifully presented, with a touch of creativity here and there.

The check

The brunch deal was around 330 RMB per person. The same offer is still available at the time of writing this post. We actually spent much more by ordering the caviar eggs and some additional dishes. The brunch menu is a good deal in my opinion and it is a great way to have a brunch on the Bund. But if you go for dinner and order a la carte is another story, this is the kind of place where spending hundred of dollars for a meal is quite easy.

Where in Shanghai:
4F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
In Chinese: 中山东一路3号4楼
Menu and reservations:http://www.threeonthebund.com/dining.php

The discovery menu from Robuchon in Shanghai

Opened in 2016, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is the flagship restaurant of the Robuchon’s properties in Shanghai and it is located in Bund 18. Needless to say, it was awarded Michelin stars (two). Robuchon (passed away last year) is the chef that with his multiple restaurants collected most stars in the world.

The visit

My visit dates back to April 2017 and I went with two friends to try the discovery menu for Sunday brunch. This is the four-course entry level tasting menu and at that time it was available only for brunch or for early or late dinners. Not sure whether this has changed since then, but the menu is still available.

When the staff called to confirm my reservation they told me that only counter seats were available. That was not ideal, but when I showed up with my friends they gave us a normal table. More than half of the seats in the restaurant are bar chairs facing the open kitchen.

Down below pictures of some of the dishes, 4 courses, including one appetizer, one soup, one main, and one dessert.

The check

The discovery menu was priced 756 RMB (excluding supplements for certain dishes and beverages), that would be 112 USD. Not a bad deal for a Robuchon on the Bund.

The dishes were beautifully presented and made full use of French high-end ingredients and cooking techniques.

Where in Shanghai:
Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
In Chinese: 黄浦区中山东一路18号外滩十八号
Website for menus and reservations: http://www.joelrobuchon-china.com/

Creative luxury chocolate from Yu Chocolatier in Taipei

Yu Chocolatier is not another chain or random French brand mechanically replicated abroad. It is the result of the tenacity and passion of a Taiwanese young man, chef Yu, that embarked on a journey to become a chocolatier. For 18 months, he studied in France and then he went back to Taipei where in 2015 opened a shop. In my experience this kind of stories breed the best food experiences.

The visit

The shop is located on a quiet side street in Daan district in Taipei. It took me a while to find it as the store front disguises the little beautiful boutique inside.

The small counter displayed a bounty of different creations.

In my first visit, I sat down in one of the few tables available in the back of the store. They take reservations and I was lucky enough that a table was available for just the right time.

I had a hot chocolate (their original blend) that was excellent (I appreciated that it was not served deadly hot) and one of their best-sellers, a chocolate tart. I must confess that I did not like the tart so much because it was too sweet.

However I went back and I bought a few pastries to share with friends. The packaging was impressive, but the content even more.

I and my friends thoroughly enjoyed every single cake. The first one (top right) was a chocolate pastry with a mango slice. The flavors were perfectly fused together. The round pastry (top left) was a seasonal creation with orange and jasmine flavors. The two pastries pictured on the bottom were an exquisite Montblanc and a version of an Opera cake. All of them were extremely delicate and not too sweet like the tart I initially had.

I must say that this sample does not do complete justice to the variety and creativity of the pastries available that mix spirits, tropical fruits, and chocolate in very creative ways. Definitely a place to visit again and again.

The check

The tart and the hot chocolate cost me “only” 350 NTD (11.35 USD). If you consider that I could eat seated at a table and I even got free water, that’s really reasonable.

The four pastries I shared with friends cost me a total of 860 NTD (28 USD), or around 7 USD per pastry. Not cheap, but absolutely acceptable given the quality of the creations.

I am honestly in love with this chocolaterie and I will make it a mandatory stop in my next trips to Taipei.

Where in Taipei:
No. 10, Alley 3, Lane 112, Section 4, Renai Rd, Daan District, Taipei City
In Chinese: 大安區仁愛路4段112巷3弄10號
Website: https://www.yuchocolatier.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/yuchocolatier