Kakigori is the Japanese shaved ice dessert. Like its Korean and Taiwanese counterparts, it comes with various toppings. Hong Kong now has its own Kakigori house, opened by a Japanese gentleman that is importing even the ice blocks from Japan to ensure authenticity. I visited the original shop in Soho on a quiet September 2019 afternoon.
The visit
The original shop is on a lively street in Soho, easy to reach using the Central-Mid Levels Escalator.
It is a small place, but tastefully decorated and with a few seats. I heard of queues… but at the time of my visit (just after opening time, 1.30pm) I was the only customer. Weekend protests may have played a role.
I ordered the strawberry kakigori with a topping of Mikan oranges. Other flavors included pineapple and coconut milk, honey lemon, pink guava, mango lassi, Japanese tofu. The menu indicated green tea, strawberry with panna cotta, and earl gray milk tea as the store’s best sellers. There was also a list of extra toppings could also be added at a cost to customize your kakigori.
On the menu, they also had some other Japanese sweets such as a yuzu cheesecake, wagashi, and Hokkaido chocolate and cheese souffles. Some tea seats were also available.
The ice was fluffy and there was enough syrup trickling down the ice. They did not provide any extra syrup in a separate cup as it is often the case in these establishments. Yes, it was very authentic!
The check
The kakigori I ordered was 85 HKD (10.85 USD). It is a pretty standard price for a kakigori that could be shared between two people. The kakigori on the menu ranged from 85 to 100 HKD. It is, however, impressive to see the price increase from 2016 reading this other review.
It was a pleasant experience.
Where in Hong Kong: G/F, 47 Staunton Street, Soho, Central. In Chinese: 中環蘇豪士丹頓街47號地舗. There is another branch in 14 Haven Street, Causeway Bay (in case you do not like the idea to climb up to Soho).
Man Mo Dim Sum is the brainchild of Swiss-born restaurateur Nicolas Elalouf who wanted to create a fusion menu reflecting the multiplicity of Eastern and Western influences blending in Hong Kong. Dim Sum dishes were chosen as the target for this experimentation and the menu was created with the help of chefs boasting Robuchon and Ding Tai Fung pedigrees. The result is a charming bistro located in Upper Lascar Row (also known as Cat Street) behind the stalls of a curio market. It has been operating since 2014.
The visit
I had a chance to try the restaurant with three friends from Hong Kong on a quiet weekday in September. We arrived quite late, but it is an all day dining venue, so it was not an issue.
The restaurant offers different types of seating: bar chairs on the left, normal chairs/bench on the right, and a couple of armchairs and sofas on the front. Service was very friendly and they went above and beyond finding for us the right seating arrangement.
The set lunch menu attracted our attention. It was perfect to get an introduction to the restaurant.
The hot dish of the day was a delicious rice with chicken.
The bao (Chinese burger) was snack-size, filled with meat, and came with Thousand Island sauce that could be injected inside the bun with the dispenser.
Then we all chose different dim sum dishes to experience the menu. The first was a crispy wonton with shrimp. Quite good, it was the most traditionally-crafted piece of dim sum of the meal.
The ratatouille dumplings were quite interesting. Definitely good, but I would have expected more flavor coming from the ratatouille.
Then there was a very tasty dumpling with goat cheese.
Finally, included in the set menu, there was a chicken dumpling I did not taste.
We also added the foie gras xiao long bao. It was universally appreciated around the table and the foie gras flavor was distinct. I need to note that the skin of this dumpling was thicker than usual xiao long bao.
The set menu also included a dessert. Two of us chose a Nutella ball, resembling a local dish, but with a heart of Italian spread.
Other desserts tried by the group were Bun Tatin and Hong Kong style lemon tart.
The check
The final check was 865 HKD (110 USD) that included the extra foie gras xiao long bao. The individual cost for the set menu was 156 HKD (around 20 USD). All reasonable in the comfort of a nice environment.
Dim sum is everywhere in Hong Kong. This restaurant offers a nice variation on the theme and left me the desire to go back to text more dishes.
Where in Hong Kong: Wah Koon Building, 40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan. Website: manmodimsum.com.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Feather and Bone is a chain of butcheries cum groceries cum steakhouses that has become a new favorite for Hongkongers. All the times I have passed by a branch at dinner time I have always seen it jam-packed. In June 2019 finally I tried their Sai Ying Pun location.
The visit
I got one of the last tables available in the busy dining room part of the shop. They have burgers and a few other large plates such a linguine bolognese and chicken schnitzel, but the main attraction is the meat from the butcher counter. You can either choose the meat you want and pay by weight or go for their “butcher’s choice” or the more expensive “prime choice” for a selection put together by the chef.
The selection included chorizo, pork sausage, lamb chop, and a good portion of rib-eye steak. Now, if you look at the pictures above you will see a lot of meat… well… there was a mistake and they brought me meat for two people but only charged for my single order. Sadly I could not finish everything. This kind of situation happens only once in a lifetime.
The meat was good, not extraordinary, but good. Perhaps only the sausages were not on par with the rest.
I also had a burrata that was very fresh.
A side dish and a sauce was included. I had mashed potatoes. If you are there for a small splurge, you may try their truffle mac & cheese.
Meat on display at the butcher’s counter.
They also have a selection of cheese.
And a section with more grocery and household goods.
The check
The butcher’s choice was 352 HKD per person. The more expensive fine choice was 572 HKD. Appetizers and other plates were quite expensive. My total check was 514.80 HKD (66 USD) that of course was a steal for the double ration. For a regular portion was still an acceptable price point. I can see why it is so popular.
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.
Here you are with another Chinese restaurant I would have never heard of if I was not committed to complete my Michelin scramble in Shanghai. Shang-High restaurant at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel was awarded one star in all the three editions of the Shanghai Michelin Guide to date, as they like to remind everywhere (including on the wet towel).
The visit
The first hurdle was making a reservation. First I used the email on their website. No answer after two attempts. Then I called and everything seemed fine. Then I had to make an amendment and I could not find anyone that would understand me on the phone. Eventually I went there in person! Surprise, my original reservation had never been noted on their book. After all of these attempts, finally I had my reservation. I wonder if someone in management is surprised that they do not get more customers.
The second hurdle was to get there (twice actually in my case). The restaurant is located on the 6th floor of the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel overlooking Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Center in Pudong. Not exactly a place on the radar for most people. The task to reach the destination actually proved easier than expected. They are located next to exit 3 of the Pudong terminus of metro line 7 (that connects with several other lines at Century Park). Just make sure to take the right exit or you will find yourself in a different mall.
From the exit, walk to the hotel lobby (before you start walking along the stone walls) and take the elevator to the 6th floor. It is an architecturally remarkable space. They even have an infinity garden accessible from the 6th floor that sadly was closed at the time of my visit.
I just ordered three dishes. The first was a fish lip soup with soy beans. I was pretty curious about the use of this unusual part of the fish (I believe garoupa). The result was pretty underwhelming in terms of flavor and everything.
The main dish of my dinner was braised beef cheek with black truffles, potatoes and carrots. This was a 200 gram portion. The meat was legit. Really tender cheek meat. The only issue that I had is that there was no trace of truffles.
I also tried their wild vegetables pancakes. Unfortunately the use of the glutinous rice made them almost inedible to my palate, worse than chewing gum.
The check
The check was 307.82 RMB because it originally included a small bottle of Evian water (alone it was 79 RMB). When leaving, it was acknowledged by the staff that there was a misunderstanding and they did not give me the free tap water (that was perfectly alright according to my initial request). So they decided to refund me the price of the bottle of water. This was professional on their part. So all in all, I spent around 229 RMB (32 USD) for the three dishes. Prices were very reasonable. As always, it is difficult to say if my small sampling is representative of all of their dishes. Probably not, but you need to know what you order. I would not go back, I might visit them again only if I had business in the nearby Exhibition Center.
Where in Shanghai: 6/F, Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai, 1108 Meihua Lu In Chinese: 梅花路1108号卓美亚喜玛拉雅酒店6楼.
Bonus: the Jumeirah Hotel has an exhibition space of its own. Check if there is anything interesting on. This was on at the time of my visit:
