My old friend Jean Georges

It was a cold and rainy evening in early March, winter was still in the air in Shanghai. I put on my iPod earphones to keep my ears warm and headed out to the Bund at near freezing temperatures. Ten minutes of brisk walking later, I was standing in front of Three On The Bund.

The last time I had dined here was at least three years ago, also on a rainy night like this, sitting by the window of the cozy bar at Jean Georges, watching the lightning show brighten up the stormy Shanghai skyline. And the time before that was during my dad's birthday dinner celebration back in 2006.

Even though Jean Georges has changed much over the last few years, the restaurant has still retained a refined and cosy atmosphere that was rife with French sophistication. But gone were the beautiful ladies working the bar section in cheong sams, who, only a few years back, set the standard for sullty sex appeal on the Bund strip. Alas, there were only three waiters serving the room tonight, and only 3 tables taken up. Must be a slow Saturday night for this venerable institution of French culinary excellence.  The fine dining room appeared to be buzzing with activity, but I was here for some quiet reminiscing and nostalgia, so I picked the same table I had sat in three years ago and ordered a cocktail.

The prix fixe menu looked attractive at 250RMB, so I settled for that and selected my courses. Service seemed a bit slow that night, but I was in no hurry to leave. The waiter kept offering me their warm raisin bread, which was delightful. My first course finally arrived after a long wait - Wild Mushroom Soup, Parmesan, Chili and Thyme. The mushroom broth was full flavored, very tasty and the thyme was a nice herby contrast to the parmesan, and the chili slices added a bit of kick to the clear soup. Next up, I had the Slowly Cooked Salmon, Red Cabbage, Parsnips and Horseradish. Salmon always tasted wonderful when they're competently cooked - juicy, flaky and with a rich unique buttery flavor. The red cabbage was sweet and tart, while the parsnips was a little crunchy and contrasted well with the other ingredients, and created a very well balanced taste. For dessert, I picked the JG chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. This was their signature dessert that have been winning rave reviews over the past few years. I was heartened to find out that this was still the best chocolate cake in this part of Shanghai. A lot of restaurants try their hand at creating this dessert, but few can get the serving temperature perfect, and the chocolate cake texture to a consistency close to pudding, yet still remaining a cake.

While Jean Georges still serves up classy, delectable French cuisine, the restaurant is starting to show its age in the worn out armchairs, frayed curtains and as well as some of the fixtures around the room. The dimly lit bar still retains a Parisian air of sophistication and dignity, but perhaps it's time to kick off a complete makeover to compete with the new kids on the block like Mr& Mrs Bund. Nonetheless, Jean Georges never disappoints when it comes to excellent French cuisine.

Jean Georges is located at Three On The Bund, 4/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Shanghai.

Tel: +86-6321-7733

I felt like Alice in a Chinese Wonderland

Stepping in to the hip and trendy Mr&Mrs Bund by Paul Pairet made me feel like I was transported to the realm of the Red Queen in Alice In Wonderland, with flashes of the Mad Hatter's decorative whims thrown in. Here you find bright hues of red, black and silver, gigantic armchairs and darkwood sofas, whimsically placed table accessories, candlestick with transparent stems and waiters strutting around in hip casual attire wearing Converse All Stars. 

Although billed as a French restaurant, Mr&Mrs Bund takes classic French fare to the next level with very innovative cooking techniques (almost sous vide style at times), combined with high quality locally grown ingredients sourced from all over China. The menu itself comes in a large leather binder that reads like an extensive supermarket grocery list, with different types of meat sold by the gram, vegetables cooked in many different ways, raw delicacies like oysters, caviar, foie gras, pate and cheese selections on several pages. They even smoke their own salmon for the carpaccio. The restaurant serves meals family style, so everyone at the table gets to partake in sampling all the dishes.

One of the hallmarks of a good restaurant is the quality of the bread, and should always be served warm. The bread basket at Mr&Mrs Bund was generous, and the freshly baked goods came to the table warm, with a choice of tuna mouse or butter. The baguette was the best I've had in a long time.

I ordered duck foie gras with raisin hazelnut crumble for starters while I sipped my French martini. The hazelnut crumble was a very clever idea - crunchy bits of crsuhed hazelhuts with crystallized burnt brown sugar and caramelized raisins. The contrast of cruchiness with smooth foie gras was the perfect juxtaposition of taste and texture.

If you like prawn, you could order the Prawn Steamed in a Citrus Jar, which comes in an airtight glass jar filled with citrus juice, a  single stalk of lemongrass and a giant prawn steamed at 500degF. I was offered a whiff of the scent emanating from the steaming jar, and that was enough to send my tastebuds popping. The waiters are on hand to prepare and serve each dish deftly, as the prawn is lifted from the jar, quartered and placed onto a plate before being garnished. The prawn was very fresh, tender and almost fully cooked at the center. The accompanying soy sauce mixture was an excellent pairing, and truly showcased the talents of the chefs.

The second main course was Seafood In A Bag, which was black cod steamed with Chinese wine sauce. It sounded a little too Chinese, but our waiter assured us that this was one of the most popular signature dishes in the restaurant and we would not be disappointed. The dish arrived in a clear plastic bag, steamed and ready to be opened. Again, our waiter proceeded to prepare the food at our table, firstly, pouring the sauce over a small mound of rice in a bowl, and then placing the generous serving of black cod on top of it. My apprehensions were unfounded as the first mouthful of cod melted in my mouth and was unbelievably flavorful. Together with the Chinese sauce, it  didn't really taste totally Chinese, nor French, but a good balance between the two. I was most impressed with the texture of the fish, and the taste of freshness lingering in my mouth after I had devoured my last bite.

Shortly after my first visit, I returned a few nights later, drawn to the amazing duck foie gras with raisin and hazelnut crumble, and the freshly baked baguette and toast. This time we ordered a vegetarian meal, complete with potato gratin, tomato salad, vegetarian risotto, pasta and homemade Nutella and panacotta ice cream. All the dishes were well prepared, but the seafood dishes from the previous night definitely stood out from the ordinary. I think Mr&Mrs Bund just became my favorite restaurant in Shanghai.

Mr&Mrs Bund is located at 6/F Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, The Bund.
Tel: 021-6323-9898