[Shanghai 上海] Chez Maurice

Categories shanghai
[Shanghai 上海] Chez Maurice

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Chez Maurice

Add: 2F, 50 Tai’an Road, near Xingguo Road
Tel: 62299668
Hours: 5:30-10:30pm (closed on Tue)
Price: 350-400RMB/person
Visited: Feb 2016

It’s been 5 months since I moved back from Paris, and it’s about time that I start missing sipping wine and snacking on charcuterie boards. It just so happens that Chez Maurice opened last month, and rumor has it that it’s a casual French bistro with excellent charcuterie – just what I have in mind – so I gathered a few friends for a taste of it.

去年 10 月從巴黎回上海後，都還沒吃過幾次法國菜。可能是離開亞洲一陣子了吧？滿腦子都是中餐、日料、泰國菜等等，雖然上海法式餐館也不少，就沒想到要去。不過一晃眼五個月過去了，最近開始懷念起在巴黎小館子裏和三兩好友喝酒吃 charcuterie 的日子，正好上個月 Chez Maurice 開幕了，聽說風格就是輕松的法式小餐館，便和朋友相約去嚐了嚐。

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The location is a 4-story house on Tai’an Road, right above Heyday the jazz bar. Chez Maurice The Grill is on the second floor, and there’s also a Chez Maurice Wine Bar on the third floor plus a Japanese sake bar on the fourth, all by the same owner.

Chez Maurice 位于泰安路 50 號的四層樓洋房裏，我去的是二樓的 Chez Maurice The Grill，老板還在三樓開了 Chez Maurice Wine Bar & Charcuterie，以及四樓的 Revive 日式酒吧。三樓四樓還沒試過，Chez Maurice The Grill 倒是前後去了兩次，今天先分享下在這裏的晚餐。

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The menu is short and succinct – just one page. The charcuterie craft here was taught by Monsieur Maurice, a French grandpa whose family has been in the meat business for generations, and apparently he’s in Shanghai every few months to check up on the bistro named after himself. I first tried Le Foie Gras au Torchon (78 RMB), duck liver with Port wine blackberry sauce and country bread. Excellent, just like what you would get in Paris.

菜單，不啰嗦的只有一頁 － 是我喜歡的長短。聽說這裏的 charcuterie（餐廳很直接很貼切的翻譯爲 “殺豬菜”）是由一位法國老先生 Maurice 手把手教出來的。首先點了份 Le Foie Gras au Torchon（78元）鴨肝、搭配波特酒黑莓果醬和鄉村面包，是巴黎餐館的水准，非常令人滿意。順便一提，”torchon” 是廚房裏用的布，這道菜的做法是將鵝或鴨肝用布包好放入水中煮，所以成品是圓柱狀切出的圓片。

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[Paris] Les Papilles

Categories paris
[Paris] Les Papilles

Les Papilles

Add: 30 Rue Gay-Lussac 75005 Paris
Tel: 01 43 25 20 79
Hours: 12~2pm, 7:30~10:00pm (closed Sunday & Monday)
Website: www.lespapillesparis.fr
Price: [lunch] €24~26 [dinner] €33
Visited: Oct 2012

The only thing I didn’t like about Les Papilles was that it’s equally far from any metro station, which makes getting there an ordeal especially on cold wintery days. But really, there’s not much to complain about this small, affordable, and reliable bistro. The prix fixe menu (€33 for a 4-course dinner) offers no choice – everyone gets the same soup, main course, cheese/salad, and dessert – but as long as you are a flexible eater, you will be full and very satisfied by the end of your evening here.

The space is small, so expect elbow-to-elbow seatings, and don’t be alarmed when other patrons look over your head to pick out a bottle of wine.

Fleurie 2009 (Beaujolais) from Domaine Jean Foillard, as recommended by the restaurant manager.

The makings of tonight’s cauliflower soup arrived in a bowl: chopped cauliflower, toasted croutons, bacon bits, chives, and sour cream, served alongside a tureen laden with cauliflower cream. The flavor was classic-done-right, and the portion more than generous – the three of us each helped ourselves to two full bowls, and there were still leftovers.

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[Paris] La Régalade Saint-Honoré

Categories paris
[Paris] La Régalade Saint-Honoré

La Régalade Saint-Honoré

Add: 123 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris
Tel: 01 42 21 92 40
Hours: 12~2:30pm, 7~11pm (closed on Sat & Sun)
Price: prix-fixe €35
Visited: Sep 2012

I had high expectations for La Régalade Saint-Honoré. From what I had gathered, chef owner Bruno Doucet’s second establishment in the 1st arrondissement is just as fabulous as his original restaurant in the 14th (which is supposedly excellent, if you haven’t heard). The evening turned out to be pleasant but not especially impressive, though for a prix-fixe of €35, I’d have to agree that dining here is very good value for money.

The meal started on a high note with a complimentary (and huge) serving of terrine. It was difficult to resist the temptation to chow down another slice of baguette laden with this good stuff…

Among the entrées my friends and I ordered, my risotto crémeux à l’encre de seiche, poêlée de calamars façon pibales (basically, squid ink risotto with calamari) was undoubtedly the best. Strong flavors, a melange of textures.

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[Taipei] VVG Bistro 好樣餐廳

Categories taipei
[Taipei] VVG Bistro 好樣餐廳

VVG Bistro 好樣餐廳

Add: 20, Alley 40, Lane 181, Zhongxiao E Rd, Sec 4, Taipei 台北市106忠孝東路四段181巷40弄20號
Tel: (02) 8773 3533
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 12-11pm [Sun] 12-8:00pm
Website: vvgvvg.blogspot.com
Price: [brunch] 600 NTD [pasta] 280~380 NTD [drinks] 120~380 NTD
Visited: Mar 2011

The brunch plate at VVG Bistro is sunny and bright like a Van Gogh sunflower. Roasted golden potato and tomato with bois boudran sauce, kumquat & pomelo green papaya salad in champagne vinaigrette, egg benedict drizzled with caviar Hollandaise, pistachio with honey and raspberry yogurt…Enjoy the dishes at the lush outdoor patio on a balmy day, or retreat to the adorable interior space furbished with eclectic decorations and mismatched furnitures.

By the way, VVG stands for “very very good”.

The indoor space is fun and quirky, but gets quite rowdy as the crowd settles in on weekends.

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[Shanghai] Dakota

Categories restaurant
[Shanghai] Dakota

Dakota

Add: 30 Donghu Lu, near Xinle Lu / 东湖路30号, 近新乐路
Tel:  5403 8906
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 11:00am-midnight [Sun] 11am-6pm
Price: [Brunch] 100 RMB/person, [Dinner] 200 RMB/person
Visited: Nov 2010

2014 update: venue closed.

An American bistro located on Donghu Lu close to Sushi Oyama and El Willy. Lunch and dinner seem a bit overpriced, but come here for a comfortable brunch featuring classic items such eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, omelettes, Croque Madame, seafood chowder, and the likes. It’s simple, and it’s good. The wood-paneled and black leather chair interior is not my usual favorite vibe for brunch, but to occasionally diverge from the typical ‘sunny patio brunch’ path is not so horrible either.

Other than the items mentioned above, you’ll also see shrimp and grits, brisket hash, frittata, egg salad tartine, apple crepes, etc. If you come with a big group, there are some big plates to share as well: “roast leg of lamb served with bone marrow butter, salad, and duck fat frites”, and the “bone-in ribeye served with frisée salad, duck fat roasted potatoes, and béarnaise”.

We started with the Seafood Chowder in Sourdough Bread Bowl (50 RMB), which was thick and creamy with chunks of salmon and other seafood. The sourdough bread bowl was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A good start.

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