fine dining | Sugared & Spiced

Justin’s Signatures 饕客食坊

Add: 17, Ln 265, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City 台北市敦化南路二段265巷17號
Tel: (02) 2736 8000
Hours: 12-3pm, 6-10pm
Website: www.justinquek.com
Price: [lunch] 1280~2080 NTD + 10% [dinner] 2980~4280 NTD + 10%
Visited: Oct 2011

I wasn’t planning on trying any fine dining restaurants in Taipei, a city that is more known for its street food and chic cafes. Somehow I still ended up making a dinner reservation at Justin’s Signatures, an upscale French restaurant by Singaporean celebrity chef Justin Quek, after it’s been recommended to me by a few friends. The meal, unfortunately, turned out to be a fusillade of culinary fireworks that left me dazed but not amazed. It’s true that each dish was beautifully orchestrated with extravagant ingredients, but somehow the end results fell short of expectations.

We were seated right next to the kitchen, and the constant sliding of the kitchen door was disturbing throughout the meal. It also didn’t help that the table next to us were occupied by an especially rowdy crowd.

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2011/05/032015/09/24

[Shanghai] Maison Pourcel

restaurant

Maison Pourcel

Add: 8/F, 35 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Changle Lu / 陕西南路35号8楼, 近长乐路
Tel: 6215 8777
Hours: [La Table] 5:30-10:30pm [Studio Bar] 11:30am-11pm
Website: www.maisonpourcel.com
Price: [La Table] 700 RMB+/person [Studio Bar] 300 RMB/person
Visited: May 2011

Please note that this was an arranged tasting.

Jacques and Laurent Pourcel’s newest venture, Maison Pourcel in Shanghai, is a sleek, starkly elegant restaurant with spectacular vista of the French Concession. The setting is luxurious, the service is smooth, but there is one major problem with this place, and that is deciding what to eat. When faced with a choice between “compressed lobster and vegetable terrine with duck ham and mango” and “duck liver and cepes ravioli with puree of baby pumpkin and foamy porcini mushroom soup”, ordering can take a very, very long time.

But before I get started on the food, let’s talk about the twins and their newest venue choice. After launching the 3 Michelin starred Le Jardin des Sens back in France at the age of 24, the Pourcel twins have since expanded their culinary empire to Bangkok, Tokyo, Casablanca, Geneva, Marrakech, Algiers and Dubai. For the recent opening in Shanghai, they chose the historical Red House, which was home to the most celebrated Western restaurant back in the 1930s. The refurbished dining room is delightful during the day with ample natural light, and equally charming after dark with sparkling French Concession as its backdrop.

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2010/10/172015/09/01

[Shanghai] Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen

restaurant

Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen Add: 2F South Bund 22, 22 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu / 上海市中山東二路22號2樓近新永安路 Tel: 6318 0057 Hours: [lunch] Tue-Fri 12-2:30pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm [dinner] 6-11pm Price: [brunch] 238 RMB + 15%/person, drinks extra [dinner] 500 RMB/person Website: www.napawinebarandkitchen.com Visited: Oct 2010 Venue has now moved to Bund 22. This review refers to the original Jiangyin Lu location. Napa Wine Bar…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen” →

2010/10/012015/09/01

[Shanghai] Yi Long Court 逸龍閣

restaurant

Yi Long Court 逸龍閣

Add: 2/F, The Peninsula, 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu / 中山東一路32號半島酒店2樓
Tel: 2327 6742
Hours: [lunch] 11:30am~2:30pm [dinner] 6~10:30pm [dim sum brunch] 11:30am~2:30pm (Sat & Sun)
Website: http://www.peninsula.com/Shanghai/
Price: [lunch] 250 RMB [dinner] 400 RMB
Visited: Oct 2010

Restaurant Week stop #6: Yi Long Court at The Peninsula. After a wonderful Restaurant Week lunch at Sir Elly’s, I was under the impression that quality at The Peninsula is not compromised by the 118 RMB price tag and decided to give Yi Long Court a try. The restaurant serves traditional Cantonese cuisine by China’s Michelin Star winner Tang Chi Keung, who was until recently with The Peninsula Tokyo and also served as Chinese Executive of The Peninsula Hong Kong in earlier times.

Lunch here started with dim sum combination (逸龍閣點心拼盤), which includes a shumai, a shrimp dumpling, and a vegetable dumpling. The shumai was excellent in both taste and texture, it’s apparent that the ground pork was of good quality. The shrimp dumpling, on the other hand, had a soft and mushy skin, and the vegetable dumpling on the bland side.

Soup dumpling with shark fin (古法魚翅灌湯餃). Again, lackluster in flavor.

Braised eggplants with minced pork and conpoy (瑤柱肉嵌茄子), a dish worth acclaiming. The eggplants were perfectly braised – not too soft, not too firm, with mouthwatering flavors from minced pork and conpoy.

Braised seasonal vegetables in chicken broth (上湯時令蔬), well executed and presented as nicely as braised vegetables can be presented. The light but flavorful chicken broth was slightly thickened with cornstarch so it adheres to the perfectly cooked leaves.

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2010/09/262015/09/01

[Shanghai] Palladio at the Portman Ritz-Carlton

restaurant

Palladio at the Portman Ritz-Carlton

Add: 1/F, Shanghai Center, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu / 南京西路1376號上海商城1樓, 近西康路
Tel: 6279 7188
Hours: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com
Price: Lunch 200 RMB/person, Dinner 500 RMB/person
Visited: Sep 2010

Venue now closed.

Restaurant Week stop #5: Palladio at the Portman Ritz-Carlton. A memorable lunch experience with impeccable service and beautiful food (the taste is…well, debatable).

Ordering wine somewhat defeats the purpose of Restaurant Week since the wine would most likely double the bill. However Manager Fabrizio was extremely helpful with the recommendations so we ended up ordering a glass each and had a fun time comparing notes.

Amuse Bouche, duck with walnut and vegetables.

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2010/09/172015/09/28

[Shanghai] T8 Restaurant & Bar

restaurant

T8 Restaurant & Bar

Add: Xintiandi North Block, Lane 181 Taicang Lu / 太仓路181号，新天地北里
Tel: 6355 8999
Hours: [lunch] 11:30am-2:30pm [afternoon tea] 2:30-5:30pm [dinner] 6:30-11:30pm
Website: www.t8shanghai.com
Price: [dinner] 500+ RMB/person [brunch] 258-498 RMB/person
Visited: Sep 2010

Restaurant Week Stop #2: T8 Restaurant and Bar, Asian-inspired fusion cuisine tucked away in one of the back alleys in Xintiandi.

Like the utensils, dislike the bread.

As part of the Restaurant Week, T8 put together the following menu (lunch 118 RMB/person), starting with poached local baby lobster, Spanish ham, asparagus, burnt onion mayonnaise, radish, crispy rice paper. Alright.

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2010/09/122015/09/01

[Shanghai] Sir Elly’s at The Peninsula

restaurant

Sir Elly’s at The Peninsula

Add: 13/F, The Peninsula, 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu / 中山東一路32號半島酒店13樓
Tel: 2327 6756
Hours: [lunch] 12:00pm-2:30pm, [dinner] Sun-Thu, 6:00-10:30pm Fri-Sat, 6:00-11:00pm
Website: www.peninsula.com/Shanghai/
Price: [lunch] 280 RMB + 15% [dinner] 500+ RMB
Visited: Sep 2010

Restaurant Week Stop # 3: Sir Elly’s at The Peninsula. The lunch, unsurprisingly, turned out to be the best out of all my restaurant week meals.

The Restaurant Week lunch was a 3-course affair – appetizer, main dish, and dessert. Both the appetizers and the desserts were served in sampler sizes, allowing guests to try a variety of what the restaurant has to offer: “Goat Cheese Tart” with Carmelized Onion and Frisee Salad, “Summer Tomato Salad” with Vanilla, Orange, and Ginger Confit, “Tuna Tartar” with Espelette and Blinni, Vichyssoise” with Rosemary Cream, and Crouton. Even something as simple as the tomato salad was thoughtfully put together – the cherry tomatoes were briefly cooked, skinned, chilled, and served with orange and ginger confit and a splash of olive oil. Perfect for a hot summer day.

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2010/08/282015/09/01

[Shanghai] The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo

restaurant

The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo

Add: 2967 Lujiazui Xi Lu, near Fenghe Lu / 陸家嘴西路2967號, 近豐禾路
Tel: 5054 1265
Hours: 11am-2:30pm, 6-10pm
Price: [lunch] 128~188 RMB/person + 15% [dinner] 300~400 RMB/person + 15%
Website: www.ystable.com/Branch_2.html
Visited on: Aug 2010

Pudong’s riverbank is lined with a good number of restaurants and bars, but The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo seems to be one of the very few that offer decent food to match the views. We came here for lunch and found it to be a delightful oasis on a hot summer day. The lunch set menu is a good deal – an appetizer, a pizza/pasta, and dessert for 128 RMB, or opt for meat/seafood instead of the pizza/pasta for 148 RMB, or both the main course and the pizza/pasta for 188 RMB. Drinks extra.

Nice patio area with trickling water.

Salvatore Cuomo started his brand in Japan and is apparently quite a celebrity in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya. The Kitchen is his first attempt in China, and judging from the bustling lunch hour traffic, Salvatore seems to be doing quite well here too. You can also find his concept and style at Issimo, a wildly popular Italian restaurant located on the 2nd floor of JIA boutique hotel.

For appetizers, we ordered the Atlantic salmon carpaccio with rocket leaves and Mediterranean dressing, and the traditional Neapolitan eggplant lasagna. The Salmon carpaccio was fresh and plump, excellent with the accompanying mango-hinted Mediterranean dressing. The eggplant lasagna was nicely done, flavors all there, a bit oily but the arugula helped to cut back the greasiness. (FYI, the two other appetizer choices are: coppa ham served with vegetable pickles, and seasonal salad with olives and artichokes.)

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2010/08/202015/09/01

[Shanghai] Shintori 新都里

restaurant

Shintori 新都里 Add: 803 Julu Rd, near Fumin Lu / 巨鹿路803號, 近富民路 Tel: 54045252 Hours: [Mon-Fri] 5:30-10:30pm, [Sat-Sun] 11:30am-2pm, 5-10:30pm Price: 300 RMB/person Website: www.shintori.com.tw Visited on: Aug 2010 Easily missed by passerby, Shintori is a Japanese fusion restaurant hidden behind an unmarked doorway on Julu Lu. Follow the bamboo-lined path and you will arrive at a…Continue Reading “[Shanghai] Shintori 新都里” →

2010/08/112015/09/24

[Shanghai] Sushi Oyama 大山鮨

restaurant

Sushi Oyama 大山鮨

Add: 2/F, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Lu / 東湖路20號2樓, 近淮海路
Tel: 5404 7705
Hours: 5:30pm – 10:30pm (closed Sunday)
Price: 800 RMB/set menu, drinks extra
Visited: Aug 2010

The opening of Sushi Oyama, a 14-seat Japanese restaurant upstairs of the popular el Willy, was an exciting affair. As far as I know, it is the first omakase sushi restaurant in Shanghai, where you are at the mercy of the chef to serve you whatever he’s got based on market ingredients. Sushi Oyama works with seafood directly imported from Japan, and the menu changes nightly. You don’t have to worry about what to order because you don’t. Just sit back, relax, and let Oyama-san do his magic.

We started off with sake and were presented with a selection of cups to choose from – a small detail that made the meal feel more personalized. Oyama also offers shochu, plum wine, beer, and wines from Torres and el Willy downstairs.

Tonight’s Menu

1. First shot – clear broth of clams
2. Sashimi plate – sweet shrimp, Hokkaido scallop, medium-fatty tuna, yellowtail, and ???.
3. Vinegared seaweed with yam