Tag: Bund

Hangzhou delicacies at Shanghai Michelin-starred Le Patio & La Famille

Continuing my Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble, I visited Le Patio & La Famille (one star) near the Bund. Why the French name, I have no idea. It is actually a restaurant serving Hangzhou specialties. There are two locations in Shanghai. Only the one near the Bund got the star award.

The visit

I first passed by on a Saturday evening but it was, understandably, full. So I arranged a table for lunch time on the next Monday with the receptionists. They did not speak English, so good luck trying to book on the phone if you do not speak Chinese.

Despite the small storefront, the restaurant conceals two intimate dining rooms with a retro decor (also VIP rooms are available). Luckily I was given a menu in English and this facilitated my order. I was the first customer arriving very early, but by noon the place became packed.

As a complimentary side dish I was offered a plate of chilled longan fruit which I believe grow in Hangzhou.

I ordered from the appetizer list some spicy roast beef. What I got was beef, but not really spicy, more a type of curated meat served cold. I was not thrilled by this dish.

Then I got eggplants in vinegar sauce with sea urchin. Even without the sea urchin, the eggplants were delicious.

Then the big ticket-item came in: called gold pork on the menu, this pork belly pyramid is a classic Hangzhou dish (actually I had it in Hangzhou once at the famed Hyatt restaurant). Also known as dongpo pork, this website provides a description of the cooking process (and the legend behind its invention):

Slow cooking for several hours allows the pork belly to absorb the wine and soy sauce breaking down the fatty meat to produce a “melt in your mouth” texture, also reducing the greasiness of the fat and leaving a deep vibrant chocolate brown coating. The meat is so tender one can simply nudge it with a pair of chop sticks and it falls apart.

The pork came with buns and the waitress showed me how to open one to slide in the pork and bamboo shoots taken from the base of the pyramid.

I finished the pork (it was oily but not terribly greasy) and just some bamboo shoots were left.

From the dessert list I ordered a longan fruit pudding. Very nice.

The check

This sizable lunch cost me 381 RMB (prices displayed on the menu were net, no additional tax or service charge was added). For a restaurant of this caliber and the quantity of food, it was a good value.

Even if the staff did not speak English they went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable and help me with my order.

The food was generally very good and I saw passing around many more delicious dishes that may warrant a second visit in the future.

Where in Shanghai:
216 Middle Sichuan Road
In Chinese: 四川中路216号
Nearest metro: East Nanjing Road Station, line 2 and 10.
I thought I would publish the first English review of this restaurant, but the FT beat me by 2 days.

Crabs, zen, and noodles

In a trip in Shanghai at the end of 2018 I noticed something familiar on Guangdong road. It was a restaurant very similar to one I had visited one year earlier in another part of town. Initially I thought it may have been a rip-off, but no, it was a new branch just a stone-throw away from Bund 3/5. 

I had learnt about the place whose English name should be Cejerdary. in a very well-written article published on Smartshanghai. 

It only serves two dishes: two types of crab noodles. Apparently it is owned by a vegetarian ascetic that has never eaten a crab. Apart from the backstory, I loved my previous visits so I tried the new location on the Bund. 

The visit

I arrived early and at that time there was no queue. They have a waiting room. They also take reservations. 

The style of the environment is very distinctive. Wooden furniture, wicker basket where to place your bag and overcoat…

And a wall of photos picturing the owner with famous people. 

The service begins with a cup of ginger tea and peanuts. Then the choice is pretty simple: they have crab noodles with the meat from the claws or with the meat from the whole crab, this second choice being more expensive and allowing to taste the crab roe. You can also make your selection a “combo” by adding a steamed crab. They use hairy crabs that are very popular in Shanghai especially during their mating season (peaking between October and November). In the past, I knew that this restaurant was open only during the mating season, but a waiter told me that they are now open all year round. If I understood correctly, not sure how the noodles would change. 

I went for the option with the claw meat. Personally I think it is even better as it is less sweet. 

The noodles are very delicate and are a good match for the crab meat.

This is a picture of the more expensive version: you can see all the roe that confers the dish a sweet flavor.  

I liked my crab noodles, even if I remembered a more delicate flavor in the past, not sure if anything has changed since they opened the new location. 

The check

The generous portion of crab noodles (with claw meat only) cost me 72 CNY (just a little over 10 USD). Very good value. The other version of the noodles with the meat from the whole crab costs around 50 USD (hairy crabs are expensive). 

There are other restaurants that specialize in crabs in Shanghai, but only this one managed to create such a distinctive experience and branding. It is worth a visit. 

Where in Shanghai:
59 Guangdong Lu, a couple of block down from Bund 3. 

Creativity and flavor in this vegetarian restaurant on the Bund

I am not really a fan of vegetarian cuisine, but the Michelin Guide for Shanghai lists two vegetarian restaurants. As I am trying to visit ALL Michelin-starred restaurants in Shanghai, I had a good excuse to try one. I must say that  I was not disappointed.

The restaurant is called Wujie. It has three locations in Shanghai, but only the one on the Bund is starred (one star). It is located on the fourth floor of Bund 22 (in the Southern part of the Bund). It is a very prestigious location shared with wedding venues and some other popular restaurants like El Willy.

The visit

Booking was very easy with Chope.

I found my way easily, but oddly there were no indications outside the elevators. Go on the left inside.

The young staff, all dressed in immaculate linen uniforms, did not speak much English but was super nice and accommodated my quirks.

It was possible to order from the menu on a ipad or one of their set menus. Eventually I opted for one of their set menus called Timeless (the most affordable by the way).

Before getting started with the selection I was offered an amuse bouche: beetroot, some green beans and what looked like corn flakes. Probably the least interesting dish, but definitely what followed was worth the visit.

The first dish of the set menu was a splendid composition of contrasting flavors dominated by the cream cheese. It was fun to play with the ingredients.

Next was a delicate soup with a piece of bamboo fungus.

Next was a bar of tofu stuffed with pistachio and porcini mushrooms.

More zucchini and porcini in a South Asian inspired soup mildly spicy and tomato flavored.

The main dish was lion’s mane (a meaty mushroom) and a lily bulb on a zucchini mash. This was quite a filling dish with some strong flavors.

Before the dessert, a final substantial dish was served: hand made spinach noodles in a spicy soup. The noodles really reminded me of Italian tagliatelle. It was a good injection of starch and helped to fill full by the end of the dinner.

The chilled chocolate was delicious and was made more velvety by the addition of tofu.

The check

In the end, the set meny cost me 439 CNY (or 64 USD). Taking into account location and creativity in the preparation of the dishes, I can accept this price. If you order two or three dishes from the menu, probably you can dine with less than 300 CNY per person.

Trying this vegetarian restaurant was a refreshing experience. Actually, I would like to go back for more (they have a vegetarian tonkatsu that is now on my wish list). Overall, I would recommend this experience both to vegetarians and omnivorous.

Where in Shanghai:
Fourth Floor, Bund 22, Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, near Xinyongan Lu
Address in Chinese: 黄浦区中山东二路外滩22号4楼
Booking with Chope.

Update 2020: The Bund location is closed, pending renovations. It might re-open in 2021. However the restaurant has other locations. I would recommend the location in Xujiahui district that I have tested and serves the tasting menus. There is another location at Shanghai Tower (not tested) and one in Suzhou inside Eslite megastore (no tasting menus).

Address of Xujiahui location: 天平路392号(近肇嘉浜路) – 392 Tianping Rd near Zhaojiabang Rd (徐汇区 Xujiahui District).

My favorite French on the Bund in Shanghai: Mr and Mrs Bund

There is no lack of French restaurants on Shanghai’s Bund, from Le Robuchon to the long-running M on the Bund, but I find myself coming back again and again to Mr and Mrs Bund by Paul Pairet (the creator of Ultraviolet).

The restaurant is open for dinner, including an early bird turn with discounts between 5.00pm and 6.30pm, for brunch on Weekends, and on a late night turn after 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (also with discounts).

I tried all the timeslots (except the early bird for now) and I particularly like the vibe on the late night dinners. Of note, that they also have a nice bar and a small terrace, but if you are looking for a lounge and unconstrained views of the Bund, the ultra-popular Bar Rouge is just upstairs.

The restaurant is located in Bund 18, together with other fine-dining venues such as Hakkasan and L’Altelier de Robuchon, and sports beautiful views of the river and Pudong’s skyline.

The visit

In this review I will combine what I ate in a couple of visits in the first part of 2018. Some of the pictures are pretty horrible… unfortunately the dining room is quite dark by night and this is all I could do without a flash. I am adding also some pictures from a brunch.

The service begins with the bread basket and a delicate salmon pâté.

Even if it was late night, I could not resist from ordering the croque monsieur. This would be more appropriate for brunch, but I cannot find such a good snack anywhere else in Shanghai (I must admit that the croque from Le Bec is even better).

Then, it would not be a complete visit without a ration of meunière truffle bread. This is a slice of toasted bread soaked in meunière sauce, a very traditional French sauce made of brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon (usually used for the sole fish). Then the bread is covered with truffle flakes. The result is something unique: first your mouth is inundated by the flavor of the meunière sauce that is followed by the sweet flavor of the truffle. It is like the two run after each other. Ok, just to say that I like it.

I finished this late dinner with their signature chocolate mousse with rum and hazelnut. The dessert list is a bit underwhelming, this is my favorite item.

I also have pictures of another dinner with some more adventurous dishes. Pictured above a Truffle Petit Camembert to spread on bread with salad.

And a creamy lobster risotto.

In this case the dessert was a Coca-Cola sorbet with strawberries (I must say the only dish so far that I disliked… but the chef really likes to play with Coke).

In the featured image at the beginning of the post you can see the massive “long short rib” in teriyaki sauce. This huge chunk of beef can easily feed two people and it is one of the chef’s signature dishes (550 CNY, 80 USD).

Update: some brunch dishes

Mr & Ms Bund is quite famous for its brunch. They have a special menu featuring many brunch dishes in addition to their classics.

Their egg Benedict with ham is outstanding.

Another great egg dish is the scrambled eggs with foie gras and porcini mushrooms.

The beef carpaccio is another dish I recommend.

The check

I have retained the check for the first three dishes on a late night dinner: 517 CNY (around 75 USD), including a bottle of water. On the late night turn, if you only order from the list of the standard items you can have three courses for 330 CNY. Set menus for dinner start at 536 CNY (77 USD) per person; a three course dinner will most likely set you back by 100 USD excluding wine and spirits.

Is it worth? Unfortunately this is pretty much the standard price point for upmarket French restaurants in Shanghai and you are on the Bund.

I like the combination between tradition and innovation in the menu and I must say that I have never been disappointed. So I guess that quality and location justify the splurge time to time. And if you are an early or late bird, there are some good bargains.

Where in Shanghai:
6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,
Address in Chinese: 中山东一路18号6楼
Nearest metro station: Nanjing East Road.
Check the restaurant’s website for reservations and menus.

Atto Primo, an Italian on the Shanghai’s Bund

The Bund is one of the most iconic destinations in Shanghai and China: on the West side of the Huangpu river the massive buildings of the old Shanghai form the backdrop for an amazing promenade where you can admire the modern skyscrapers on the East side of the river, Pudong. Competition among restaurants on the Bund is fierce.

Atto Primo is an high-end Italian restaurant located in one of the popular addresses for restaurants on the Bund: Bund 5 (technically 20 Guangdong Lu). It is the first fine dining concept by Yum! Brands, a corporation better known for its fast-food chains KFC and Pizza Hut.  It was launched in 2015.

The visit

I was invited by two friends of mine to have lunch with them so we could try several dishes.

The place is simple and yet luxurious. The view on the river and Pudong is of course one of the pluses of the location.

We went on a Sunday for lunch and a brunch option was available (if I recall correctly, less than 300 CNY for three dishes). However, the brunch menu selection was quite limited so we ordered a la carte.

The menu was extensive and, good signal, there were no typos. Clearly they had a professional team designing the offering. I also spotted an Italian guy that must have been the executive chef.

We started with a selection of cheese that sported generous cuts of Italian varieties such as Gorgonzola and Taleggio.

We also had a “carbonara” focaccia. The focaccia was topped with eggs and smoked bacon (kind like carbonara pasta… actually carbonara should come with guanciale, that is the cheek of the pork). It was a very filling dish and next time I would probably avoid it. It was slightly underbaked, but still good though.

By the way, there was no shortage of dough on the table, as the complimentary break basket also had some focaccia and was promptly replenished when we finished the first one.

My choice for “primo” (the first pasta dish in an Italian meal) was orecchiette with sausage, pecorino cheese and broccoli. I liked it. It was a large portion and they were very generous with the condiment, there was a piece of sausage for every bite.

One of my friends had another type of pasta called gnocchetti sardi (short cuts) with octopus and cherry tomatoes. You do not find this kind of pasta easily outside Italy. It is originally from Sardinia and, as it is explained on this website, “the real specialty of these small gnocchi is their size, studied to give an inimitable texture and their scored surface, which used to be made by squashing the tiny pieces of dough with your thumb against the bottom of a wicker basket, called “ciurili” but today a grooved chopping board is used.” He was also pleased.

The only dish we did not entirely liked was the seafood linguine. The past tasted a bit over-cooked.

We all shared the second dishes. The first one was an half kilo of lamb chops. Very nice. We requested it medium, but it was cooked almost rare (maybe there is a pattern here?). Apart from that, it was very good.

Then we had a delicious dish of saltimbocca (veal wrapped in ham). The meat was very juicy and tasty.

Finally, we tried a seafood dish: sarde. It was less impressive than the meat dishes, but still good.

The check

No check because my friends offered the lunch.

Overall, Atto Primo was a good experience. The food was quite authentic and well-prepared. The menu is extensive and includes many dishes that are hardly seen in run-of-the-mill Italian restaurants in Asia. Also I must acknowledge that all the dishes could be shared as the portions were quite generous. Still not sure how we could eat all that food in three.

Where in Shanghai:
2/F, 20 Guangdong Lu,
Address in Chinese:  广东路20号2楼
Pro-tip: it can be reserved using Chope.

Chop Chop Club – Shanghai (Closed)

How can you innovate the restaurant experience? In Tokyo there is a place where you have to literally fish your meal (and if you do not, a premium will apply on the check). In Kuala Lumpur once I visited a Marché restaurant where you can build your meal hopping from a food kiosk to another. But let’s be honest, you can only go so far…

Chop Chop Club tries to add something new with a set of timed dishes… Every 15 minutes two or three mains are available for order, either in a portion or the whole dish. Guests are welcomed with the à la carte menu encompassing a variety of appetizers and side dishes, while on a separate page (that I guess is updated on a daily basis) you can find the list of the mains and their serving times. The daily mains are also displayed on a large screen.

As the name suggests, the kitchen specializes in meat, but also some fish is available.

Chop Chop Club is located in one of the iconic “food palaces” on the Bund, Three on the Bund. It shares the same space of Unico, a self-proclaimed “Latin-infused” (do not ask me what it means) restaurant and lounge. From what I understand, the Chop Chop Club kitchen operate from 6pm to 9pm, then it is all Unico.

The visit

I visited Chop Chop Club on a calm Sunday evening in June attracted by the new format and by the fact that the restaurant is the latest brainchild of Paul Pairet, a well-known Shanghai restaurateur behind the three Michelin star Ultraviolet (one day!) and one of my all-time Shanghai favorites, Mr and Ms Bund.  Easy reservation through Chope.

I went with a friend and, in general, that’s a good idea, since the portions are not huge, but they can easily be shared among two people.

We had three mains: a portion of the house pork sausage (that came with a bit of mashed patato), a portion of Grilled seabass, and a portion of  char roasted lamb shoulder. Everything was cooked by the book, maybe the lamb was a bit cold when it arrived. The sausage, that for some reason in Asia they never get right, was also good. We had only one side, some creamy cabbage (that was exceptionally good, it did not taste as cabbage at all… I should have tried more side dishes).  On the menu for the evening there were also Wagyu sirloin steak (for 450 USD), black pepper short ribs from Singapore, cote de boef and lemon chicken. The dishes arrived punctual, the kitchen must be operating like the proverbial Swiss clock.

I and my friend were very pleased by the desserts we chose: I went for a decadent Nutella mousse (you cannot go wrong with Nutella) and my friend for chilled pomelo.

The check

The total bill for two people came to 1128 RMB (around 176 USD). It was a substantial but not a pantagruelic meal and only my friend had a cocktail. Just to say that you could easily spend much more…

I enjoyed the food and the ambience. The place delivered what it promised: solid good traditional food without excessive frills and the place and service kind of justify the premium price. And what about the idea of timing the dishes? Honestly, it did not add much to the experience. Whoever out there is on a mission to innovate the restaurant format, you need to keep trying.

Conclusion: I would come back if I had to entertain a small group of friends.

Pro-tip

From the opening at 6pm to 7.30pm it is happy hour and alcoholic beverages are 50% off.

Where in Shanghai: 
2/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu
请带我去 中山东一路3号2楼, 近广东路

December 2018 Update: now it seems to operate on a reduced schedule on Fridays and Saturdays and on a new model: you share a table with a blind menu. See their website.