China Daily Global Edition (USA)
TOP RESTAURANTS OUT TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION
Winning a Michelin star from the world’s oldest and most recognized restaurant guide often means a major uptick in business, instant fame and the inevitable pressure to uphold one’s reputation.
Months before the third edition of the famous Michelin Red Guide for Shanghai is announced, restaurants that have previously been awarded the coveted star have been upping the ante by rolling out new offerings to excite diners and inspectors.
China Daily USA finds out what some of the top Michelin-starred restaurants in Shanghai have been up to.
The only restaurant to receive three Michelin Stars in the first edition of the Shanghai guide, Tang Court has unveiled four new creations to wow diners.
Among them are the steamed lobster on a custard-like egg white, an innovative twist of the classical lobster dish which is commonly called “golden dragon”. The starchy sauce used to dress the savory lobster is made from a broth containing cured ham, chicken and pork that has been stewed for eight hours. The sea urchin flesh that tops the dish adds another flavor dimension to the dish.
Another dish is the wok-fried Australian wagyu beef, which is chopped into bite-sized cubes. While it may look like a simple dish, its taste and texture promptly reveal the culinary finesse required. The beef is perfectly seared on both sides till it is medium rare before being tossed into the wok for a quick fry that lasts just seconds, allowing the meat to be coated in a special sauce and infused with a charred aroma called wok hei, or “wok’s breath”.
Tang Court is helmed by Alan Sun, who was appointed as its executive chef in November 2017. The 45-year-old designed the restaurant’s latest tasting menu, and his efforts have seemingly paid off considering how Tang Court has maintained its top rating.
The Hong-Kong born and bred chef, who started his culinary career at the tender age of 13, said that the restaurant’s success is down to achieving the delicate balance between traditional Cantonese cuisine and the inclusion of novel ingredients and cooking concepts. As the only hotel in the Chinese mainland that houses two With Michelin season just round the corner, acclaimed dining establishments in the city have been introducing new offerings to stand out from the competition Above: Below: Michelin-starred restaurants under its roof — Yilong Court (two stars) and Sir Elly’s (one star) — The Peninsula Shanghai has capitalized on this by offering diners a unique culinary experience that fuses Cantonese and French cuisine. Chefs from the two acclaimed restaurants have joined hands to design a six-course, wine-pairing dinner experience that marries the essence from each of the seemingly contrasting food cultures. “There are numerous East meets West fusion restaurants in Shanghai, if not all over the world. But instead of mixing and matching different flavors on one plate, we have managed to marry them into one meal so that the oriental remains authentically oriental and French authentically French,” said Frederik Van den Borre, the hotel’s executive assistant food and beverage manager.
The meal begins at Yilong Court with a trio of dim sum dishes, including shrimp and vegetable dumplings that are paired with champagne.
Next on the list are steamed grouper in light soy sauce, wok-fried prawns and stir-fried scallops with black soybeans.
The next phase of the meal takes place atop the hotel at Sir Elly’s where a frog’s leg stuffed with truffle in black garlic cream and Australian wagyu beef tenderloin are paired with a selection of wines as well as views of the skyscrapers in Pudong, the Suzhou creek and the Huangpu River.
For dessert, French pastry chef Lucien Gautier has specially created a green apple with orange caramel mousse and white chocolate. Gautier Jr is the second son of JeanMarie Gautier, one of France’s most celebrated chefs and the recipient of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF), an award bestowed to the country’s most elite craftsmen.
The 36-year-old, who took over the reins of the hotel’s pastry kitchen four years ago following stints at prestigious restaurants in Europe and America, said that he has tailored his creations to the taste of local diners whom he found were not accustomed to flavors that are too bitter or sour.
As such, the less sour green apple has replaced the lemon as a refreshing finish for the sumptuous meal while white chocolate provides a delectable burst of sweetness.
Aside from a new selection of Western wines and eastern teas, this one-star Michelin Cantonese restaurant at Ritz Carlton Pudong has also introduced a set menu with six courses, each paired with a beverage that would leave diners intrigued — mineral water.
By partnering with Shanghai native “water sommelier” Zhu Jiangliang, who also owns a luxury water import and distribution business in China, the restaurant’s chef Daniel Wong has paired six dishes, ranging from appetizers to soups and desserts, with different types of water that vary in terms of carbonation, mineral content, PH value and hardness.
The meal starts with the smoked duck breast and orange salad, which is served with still water sourced from a natural park in Slovenia. According to Zhu, the mild sweetness and mellow texture of the liquid makes this beverage a perfect accompaniment to the fruitiness of the appetizer.
Meanwhile, the double-boiled Matsutake soup with bamboo fungus and cabbage is stewed with rainwater collected from a forest in Chile. The crisp water, which has a subtle hint of mint and contains high levels of oxygen, is said to pair well with the vegetables and mushrooms.
The crispy cereal lobster with curry leaves and chili padi, the restaurant’s long-standing signature dish, is paired with Elsenham artesian spring water from the United Kingdom. One of the most expensive in the world, this water features a subtle bubbliness that offers a balance to the deep-fried lobster.
For the finale, Lofoten Arctic water is paired with homemade almond cream with egg white. A winner of the Zenith Global Bottled Water Award in 2016 and 2017, the water is a mixture of melted ice, snow and raindrops from the Lofoten Islands in Norway.
Representatives from Shanghai restaurants receive awards at the ceremony of the Shanghai Michelin Guide for 2018 in September 2017.
Fried rice with leek and snails in clay pot from Yong Yi Ting.
For the latest summer menu at this one Michelin-starred dining establishment in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Pudong, Shanghai native chef Tony Lu flexes his creative muscles to surprise diners by using innovative cooking methods to prepare familiar and humble local ingredients.
Among the appetizers is the pork roll in rice wine vinasse with cucumber, a typical summer dish that can be found in most Shanghainese households.
The alcohol sauce that is left after distillation is believed to boost one’s appetite in the hot season and has been dubbed as the “sixth taste”, featuring sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty.
For the main course, the prawns with minced Iberico ham are served with fresh waxberries. The kitchen team has also painstakingly shredded the ham into little thorns to mimic the texture of the fruit, a summertime favorite. The chef also playfully disguises a vegetable dumpling containing green soybeans and mushrooms as a bean pod.
The head of not one but seven Chinese restaurants across the country, including two Michelinstarred ones, Lu is renowned for his commitment to originality. Those who have worked under him once said that he would not even refer to his previous menus for inspiration.
Every year, Lu designs six seasonal menus at Yong Yi Ting alone, with each featuring nearly 20 new dishes. Two of the menus are released in conjunction with the mushroom and hairy crab seasons in August and October respectively. The fact that none of his dishes have ever been repeated since the restaurant opened in 2013 is a testament to his uncanny imagination.