Photo: www.bestfoodinchina.net
Location: #59 Maoming South Rd. +86 21 6445 1717 Shanghai China Creative Chinese specialties including a variety of traditional Shanghainese cuisine, recreated and given a creative twist, blending Chinese influences with international trends.
I was thrilled when I learned I'd been invited to preview The Chinoise Story's newest "Christmas & New Year" set menu, which is available from Dec. 15th 2011 – Jan. 10th, 2012. This being my first visit, I was impressed as I walked into the spacious main dining room. The room is defined by the 90-year old building's tall ceilings, grand raised windows, and floating balconies. One of the large balconies holds a group dining area with private bar. Colorful, floral upholstered chairs by French designer Philip Starck decorate the area while another smaller balcony holds the soft, red-glowing unique light piece, "Cocoon" by Italian designer, Flos.
True to form, even on a Wednesday night, most of The Chinoise Story was full during my meal. I was grateful that Mary Xuan – restaurant manager and friendly restaurant ambassador – had helped to save us a table. I was also glad that the tall ceilings helped keep the noise down, allowing us to enjoy the light background music beats and a quiet, private meal.
The first dish from this new set menu was Sliced Duck with Goose Liver served with Pan-Cake, a twist on the classic Beijing Roast Duck. This DIY hand-roll combines succulent, mouthwatering, traditional-roasted duck along with some untraditional ingredients such as silky smooth goose liver and zesty, juicy roasted pineapple. Every bite was a taste explosion. One side effect of combining so many juicy ingredients is that this liquid nectar can run down your hand , so please eat carefully so as not to waste a drop.
Almost immediately after we emptied or plates, the night's second course arrived– Slow-cooked Superior Shark's Fin with Jin Hua Ham soup, boasting a collection of interesting textures amidst a hearty, flavorful broth.
Another great example of fusing together ingredients that just can't go wrong is featured in the Grilled Live Prawn topped with Cheese served with Tomato. The chewy melted cheese and its slightly crunchy covering complemented the crispy fresh, juicy and meaty sweet prawn and tomato slice.
Braised Australia Wagyu in Soya Sauce was next, and, in my opinion, was the stand-out course of this set menu. The braised Wagyu was so tender that it pulled apart on my fork like air, and the same for the feeling on my tongue. The hint of burnt sugars from the sautéed sweet soya sauce brought out new dimensions in the taste and aroma of this fine selection of beef. A subtle touch of pepper spice brings the whole taste to life. The light fruitiness of the Beaujolais Nouveau we tasted that night was also a nice pairing for the robust taste of this ethereal beef treat.
Being a lover of noodles, I was happy to see that this set menu even includes Stir-fried "Lace" Noodles with XO Sauce. The fragrance of the delicate and distinctive XO sauce was exciting and the taste certainly did not disappoint. This dish is reminiscent of typical Cantonese stir-fried Hefen, but with an interesting twist. These Taiwan-made "Lace" rice noodles are full of taste and texture and aptly named for their crimped edges, resembling the lace edges around, say, a table cloth or a shirt sleeve. A sweet, meaty scallop rested proudly atop and slivers of red pepper and scallion completed the presentation, bringing a colorful brightness to the dish.
After a short interval, the dessert platter arrived at the table "smoking". "Smoking" you're thinking? Is this some new kind of steaming "Iron Grill Ice Cream"? No, not at all. Eventually, bright colors from fresh Seasonal Fruit platter began to peak through the streams of foggy smoke from the melting dry ice accompanying the desserts. Also on the platter is a small portion of very rich, smooth, and luxurious Caramel Pudding encrusted with a caramelized, crunchy toffee top.
Although this was my first visit to The Chinoise Story, it won't be the last. This new holiday set menu is totally satisfying and a good value for the price and I also look forward to sampling some of their other set menus and wide range of a la carte dishes.
-- by Leslie Ruskin
Service quality: excellent
Food quality: excellent
Price per head (RMB): 500+
Environment: excellent
Feature dish or menu: Christmas & New Year Set Menu