Located along Maoming Rd. in the busy Huaihai Rd. shopping area, The Chinoise Story is an escape from the loud Shanghai streets. We were greeted by a hostess dressed in a traditional qipao, and the private rooms were adorned with traditional Chinese décor. The restaurant is actually part of the Jin Jiang Hotel, but it has a reputation of its own. We dined on a Tuesday night, but the restaurant was lively like it was a weekend dinner. We sat among tables of business people entertaining other business people. It certainly was a busy night, and we just hoped that the wait staff and the kitchen could keep up.
Our meal started with a Chinese cold dishes platter with potato salad, pickled tomatoes, tofu pork rolls, and pork ribs. They were all very traditional dishes done in new and imaginative ways. The tomatoes were stellar: plump and juicy cherry tomatoes were peeled and soaked in plum juice, thus having a slightly sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor. The pork ribs were meaty and covered with a sweet and savory sauce which my dinner companion and I both wanted more of. We followed the cold dishes with a hot soup, the Shredded Bean Curd with Crab Meat and Crab Roe. The gingery soup was decorated with shreds of white bean curd and pieces of crab and roe. Its creaminess came from the blended crab roe rather than butter or cream, so it was a guilt-free indulging treat.
The Fried King Prawn in Home-made Sauce was a large shrimp that was battered and deep-fried with the shell on and tail attached, the way that most Shanghainese like to consume these little crustaceans. You eat it all with a sweet and sour sauce and small side salad topped with goji berries. Our next dish came out with an introduction as "mini tower meat" and had us "ooh"-ing and "ah"-ing as they were set down in front of us. Chef Sam Leong has taken the traditional Chinese dish "mei gan cai kou rou" and turned it into a structure on a plate. The Braised Sliced Pork with Preserved Vegetables is shaped like a pyramid, with the fat sliced into ribbons and wrapped around the lean meat and preserved vegetable, which are sitting inside like treasure to be found. It is indeed a fatty piece of pork, and although my friend and I finished it all, some Westerners may not be able to eat all the fat. Luckily, the lightly sauteed greens that the tower sits on freshens things up.
The Slow-cooked Veal Steak in Black Pepper Sauce is one of the restaurant's signature main dishes. The spicy black pepper sauce drenches the tender, slow-cooked beef in a very traditional Chinese flavor. We just wish we got more sauce, or that the beef had more flavor because it was too dry and bland, lacking a depth of flavor that we have come to expect from The Chinoise Story. The dessert saved the meal and featured some great flavors and inventive combinations. The cassia bark pancake tasted like a cinnamon cookie, but I couldn't quite enjoy the home-made seaweed ice cream. The salty yet sweet and fishy-tasting ice cream was not something I could finish after about three spoonfuls. On the contrary, my Chinese friend loved it and scraped her plate clean.
The service is usually good at Chinoise Story, and even though it was packed that night, the servers were still cordial and attentive. Of course, we came here for the food: the restaurant has Chinese dishes with a twist for diners who want something new. We noticed how the table next to us ordered some very simple, traditional dishes like "cong you bing" and "cong you ban mian", or green onion pancakes and onion and oil mixed noodles. What was presented was something different and almost unrecognizable. If the chefs are more consistent with the quality and taste of the dishes, then we'll definitely be back for more.
Service quality: Very good
Food quality: Very good
Price per head (RMB): 200-300
Environment: Excellent
Feature dish or menu: Shredded Bean Curd with Crab Meat and Crab Roe, Slow-cooked Veal Steak in Black Pepper Sauce
Location: 59 South Maoming Rd, Shanghai, China 上海茂名南路59号
Tel: 021-6445-1717