dining at chef paul pairet’s jade on 36 was one of my more interesting dining experiences in shanghai. i would hesitate to call it a great meal, but i have no hesitation in calling it a great experience.
so when i heard chef pairet was now cooking at the new mr. and mrs. bund, well i had to go down and check it out for myself.
quite a lot of the observations that WoAi covers in his blog post are similar to mine – the wait staff is extremely attentive and moreover, fun, casual and relaxed. the decor is comically oversized, with a kitchen with windows (so not quite open) in the back and a one of the best views of shanghai out the front windows.
in terms of food, the dishes are not quite as playful and innovative as they were for jade on 36, but its not a huge loss. intending to be ordered family style, we started with a starter of the veloute (corn soup, with a hint of vanilla, lemongrass and served over cornflakes, from a thermos poured into small little coffee cups) and smoked salmon. the salmon was very well executed, and dressed at the table, but the veloute was a revelation. the hint of vanilla combined with the touch of lemongrass was fusion that worked, and the cornflakes were a clever touch for crunch and sweetness.
for our mains we ordered a serviceable and perfectly executed tournedo of beef served with a dark soy sauce, but our other main was an otherworldly turbot (fish) perfectly cooked and executed. it’s been years since i’ve had fish that good (celia and i agreed the only other fish worthy of discussion was the rock cod we had in millbrae near the san francisco airport about 15 years ago) – each piece was delectable. celia called it “bacon in fish form.” it was really really really good.
sides were again, super well executed, with the asparagus with a buttery bernaise sauce, and the only slight dud of the night the potatoes gratin, but it was only sub-par when compared to the rest of the dishes we had.
and then dessert.
the menu describes it as
“LEMON & LEMON TART” PP
Candied Lemon Filled With Lemon Sorbet, Lemon Curd,
Vanilla Chantilly & Served With Lemon Sable
100 RMB
oh my science, was this good. the host came over to describe it was slow cooked for 72 hours to deplete the middle and make the lemon skin candied, then refilled with the sorbet, curd and vanilla. it was pairet at his most playful and also, most delicious. i was *this* close to ordering another right on the spot, despite the high price tag. heck, i’d be willing to go ONLY for the lemon & lemon tart. it was that good. we finished the evening with some sort of warm, melty chocolate cake or pie, but i can’t even properly talk about it because i’m still thinking about the lemon and lemon tart.
so, mr. & mrs. bund – pricey (dinner for two, only one person drank wine, total was 1380 RMB), but well worth an occasional dinner there.
i’m just going to cut and paste from WoAi now.
Address:
6F, Bund18 (just below Bar Rouge)
18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,
The Bund,
near Nanjing Xi Lu
Reservations (recommended):
6323 9898
Cost: 1000-1500 for two.
So glad you shared my enthusiasm for this place which truly deserves all the praise. I just hope they don’t let the standard drop over time because this is going to be number one on my tour list for Shanghai visitors.
and I have to thank you for the original post, since my cousin had asked for a fancy dinner, and I was originally thinking Jean-Georges or Laris or maybe M on the Bund, but I think this was a much better experience.
No, thank YOU. It’s times like these that I realise that all this time devoted to blogging is not a total waste of time and actually does serve a purpose. Also, I have you to thank for Cha’s and Tsui Wah to name but a few!
I thanked you first no takebacks
Christ you two, get a room etc..
ONly if that room is catered.
I could make you Shepherd’s Pie at my place, maybe a DVD after?
That would be splendid.
You still frequenting The Boxing Cat T? Been hearing reports of food poisoning from there recently, I’ve never had any trouble though
Dingle – Often. I’m still there 1-2 times a week. Haven’t had any food poisoning myself, but I’ve eaten shellfish on the streets in Thailand and beef tartare in Xi’an. . . and the only food poisoning I’ve ever gotten in Asia has been from the Hard Rock Cafe in Guangzhou and the Hyatt buffett in Hong Kong, so maybe I have tough insides? Knock on wood.
Dingle – however, they do tend to undercook their burgers. however you like yours, its best to order one level up (i.e. i like medium rare, so i tend to order medium or medium well)
I asked for my chicken burger to be cooked rare last night, they just looked at me like I was a weirdo.
They’re probably not allowed to give salmonella intentionally. You should’ve asked it to be done how Shopgirl likes it.