1606stdining

CITY LIVING

DINING

New & Noted Alma By DN

Nyima Pratten

What: Affordably priced tapas by chef Daniel Negreira Where: 9/F, 198 Xizang Bei Lu, near Qufu Lu. Tel: 6073 8477 Why: For go-to business lunches

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his casual Spanish gastro-bar, set on the floor of the Joy City Mall, and beside the iconic Ferris wheel, has all the elements of a solid dining concept. Chefs Daniel Negreira, of Marina

by DN, Sergio Moreno and DN Group are offering up an innovative and creative new-age view of tapas, served with a special selection of wines and cocktails, in a comfortable environment.

The small dishes come at very reasonable prices, and the DN Group seem to have positioned the restaurant as an entry-level offering from their portfolio of venues.

The venue boasts 250 square meters of indoor space, an open kitchen and outdoor dining on the terrace of the Joy City Mall.

Second Helpings: Jean-Georges Nyima Pratten

What: The celebrated, celebrity chef JeanGeorges Vongerichten’s first signature restaurant outside New York Where: Three On The Bund. 4/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu. Tel: 6321 7733. Web: www. threeonthebund.com Why: For fantastically lit food photos

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ean-Georges, the celebrity-chef helmed, Bund-side fine dining establishment, has been popular ever since its 2004 arrival in the city. Late last year, many were surprised to hear that the restaurant would be closing its doors for six months to undergo a complete renovation.

However, it is a testament to how well the brand and collaborative partner, Three On

Highlights of our visit included the Shake Your Soul Salad (RMB 21), which came in a Perspex sphere that we were encouraged to shake to mix the salmon, orange, grapefruit, sesame, radish and mixed lettuce leaves together. The Spanish pita-kebabs (RMB 48) with lamb, pickled vegetables and coriander mint sauce offered an interesting fusion taste and breadth to the menu. Stuffed “piquillo” beef cheek

(RMB 38), octopus Carpaccio (RMB 48) and the Alma slider-style burgers with Iberico ham, quails' eggs and caramelised onion rounded out a pleasing meal and the friendly service added to our contentment.

The Bund, understand their guests, and the competition in the city.

highlights included the starters of toasted egg yolk with caviar and herbs, classic sea urchin on black bread with Jalapeño and Yuzu, a rich and creamy foie gras topped with strawberry granola, aged balsamic and basil as well as diver scallops accompanied by caramelised cauliflower with a caper-raisin emulsion. Jean-Georges’ iconic egg caviar from New York is also available, and the warm eggy centre, topped with spiked cream and roe is exceptional and not to be missed. For mains, the roasted black cod was beautifully served on a jade emulsion with celtuce and tasted extremely fresh and clean. The caramelised beef tenderloin with spinach, consommé and Gruyere crepes along with the fusion black pepper crab dumplings and sugar snap peas were also remarkable. To finished the meal, the restaurant’s chocolate dessert tasting is an indulgent treat combining a range of their chocolate themed desserts on a large plate.

One of the comments that Three On The Bund’s outgoing Director of Marketing, Pascal Ballot, made about the post-renovation interior design of the restaurant was that many customers complained it was too dark to take food photos. It seems, in this day and age, this is now a legitimate concern for venues wishing to attract customers and gain traction online.

As such, we were not surprised to encounter a bright, white and open space when we visited after the reopening last month. Although still reflecting the building’s art deco history with careful restoration of the original plaster mouldings and cornices, design firm, Neri & Hu, have added a series of modern brass columns with mirrors and gradient glass to define separate spaces, such as the lounge bar and show kitchen. The open and flowing design also gives the impression of being slightly more welcoming than the previous gentleman’s club aesthetics.

In terms of cuisine, the menu continues to represent Jean-Georges’ passion for using Asian flavourings and unexpected combinations to create modern French dishes. Every dish offers an exquisite combination of high quality ingredients and perfectly balance flavours. Our

We visited during soft opening, and are keen to go back again when the restaurant is fully operational to sample more dishes from the wide menu.

The restaurant offers a three-course prix-fixe menu (RMB 689) and two seven-course tasting menus (RMB 1,298 or RMB 1,498): a JeanGeorges’ tasting menu presenting the chef’s signature dishes, and a seasonal tasting menu featuring fresh seasonal ingredients. JeanGeorges also houses over 700 old and new world labels emphasising French and American wines available by the glass or bottle. A wine pairing tasting menu is also an option (RMB 988).

Second Helpings: The Cut Nyima Pratten

all-you-can-eat, seasonal, healthy salad bar features a range of eight different salads.

What: A contemporary steakhouse in the heart of the city Where: IAPM Mall, 6-7/F, 999 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu. Tel: 6443 5136. Web: www.thecut-shanghai.com Why: For a classy dinner before the legendary Thursday after work drinks on the seventh floor terrace

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he Cut touts itself as being an affordable, meat-focused restaurant rather than a pricey steakhouse.

Run by VOL group, the powerhouse company behind Ultraviolet, Mr & Mrs Bund, Bar Rouge and From a Chinese Cookbook, the restaurant serves wellsourced beef cuts. Originally, the menu comprised of only steak dishes, and guests

who weren’t keen on a meat-focused meal were out of luck. However, the menu recently had a revamp to include a new range of sides and a wide variety of grilled dishes. As a testament to the restaurant’s affordability, unlimited homemade potato wedges accompany cuts of meat and the

To start our meal, we sampled the fresh David Herve #4 Oysters (RMB 118 for three or RMB 198 for six). Duck liver foie gras with pickled shallots, roasted apples and brioche (RMB 118) was next on the list of new items to try, and it didn’t disappoint with a perfect balance of savoury and sweet flavours on toasted brioche. However, the Black Angus beef Carpaccio (RMB 98), was the standout starter in our eyes, which was generously sprinkled with aged parmesan, black truffle and confit shallots. For our main, meaty course, we selected the Chinese Snow Dragon Xuelong

Wagyu rib eye grade A2 (RMB 338 for 250 grams). The quality cut came to our table medium rare, as requested, and cut like butter before being dipped into the accompanying béarnaise sauce. The Asian sundae cup, with nuts and a salted caramel topping (RMB 68), was the sweet treat we had been hoping it would be, and we were able to select three flavours from a wide range of locally made ice cream.

After your meal, make sure to head up to the seventh floor of the venue, which is only accessible by an elevator in the restaurant. The upstairs bar includes a gigantic glass box, which offers sweeping views of the Jing'an skyline and a spacious outdoor terrace.

Second Helpings: Pelham’s @ Waldorf Astoria Shanghai On The Bund Nyima Pratten

What: Fine-dining in one of the Bund’s most famous heritage buildings Where: Waldorf Astoria, 2 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu. Tel: 6322 9988. Web: www. waldorfastoriashanghai.com Why: For a new lighter and fresher summer menu to see in the warmer weather

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hef Jean-Philippe Dupas’ new menu reflects a lighter and more enticing range of dishes and draws inspiration from fresh ingredients.

His philosophy has been to move away from complex food and create dishes that allow guests to truly understand what is on their plate by using only three main ingredients and extracting the maximum flavour possible from those key ingredients. Although this might sound

counterintuitive in a high-end restaurant, the intense flavours are showcased in an authentic and genuine way, heightening the senses and making for a memorable meal.

The lunch and dinner menus now offer a wider range of starters and mains. We sampled the beautifully balanced appetizer of lightly seared smoked salmon served with feta cheese, fresh cucumber yoghurt and a nutrient-dense quinoa salad. The

cleanness and pureness of each ingredient came through strongly in the dish and left us wanting more.

executed fusion between European and Asian flavours, which, we imagine, also meets the demands of local customers.

Guests would miss out by not choosing one of the signature steaks on the menu, and we sampled the tender Australian tenderloin with a delicate truffle jus. To finish our meal on a sweet note, we indulged in the light and summery red berry mille-feuille served with a refreshing avocado and basil curd, and a green tea mousse with red bean paste, yoghurt honey ice cream, raspberry gel and a coconut meringue. A perfectly

Of course, no visit to Pelham’s would be complete without taking advantage of the expertly trained wine sommelier’s professional knowledge. We had a personalised wine pairing for each dish, which worked perfectly in terms of taste, balance and environmental aspects of the meal. The restaurant has, quite naturally, a large selection of old and new world wines, available by the glass or the bottle.

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