[Shanghai 上海] Daimon Bistro 廚魔館

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[Shanghai 上海] Daimon Bistro 廚魔館

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Daimon Bistro

Add: 6F, 20 Guangdong Lu, Shanghai
Tel: 5383 2031
Hours: 6pm~12am
Price: 300~350 rmb/person
Visited: Nov 2016

Bo Shanghai‘s neighbor Daimon Bistro is also presented to the Shanghai dining crowd by chef Alvin Leung, but in terms of price point it’s much easier to swallow (around 300 rmb/person) for its fine dining other half. The design inspiration comes from Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City – pawnshop at the entrance, purple neon lights, walls full of graffiti, waiters dressed in cop and gangster outfits – all the details chip in for the wild and raucous ambience at the bistro.

Bo Shanghai 的鄰居 Daimon Bistro 同樣出于 Alvin Leung 之手，是（以外灘來說）價格親民的餐廳。設計靈感來自香港 “三不管” 九龍城寨，入口處的當鋪、紫色暧昧燈光、滿牆壁的塗鴉，各種細節營造出混亂市井的氛圍，連服務員都穿的像警察和流氓（金項鏈好閃）。

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The bar area, using bamboo to mimic the scaffoldings in the Walled City.

還有酒吧的區域，特別用竹子搭建了腳手架、模仿九龍城寨違章建築的感覺。

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[Shanghai 上海] Bo Shanghai

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[Shanghai 上海] Bo Shanghai

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Bo Shanghai

Add: 6/F, Bund 5, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
Tel: 5383 3656
Hours: 6:30-11pm
Price: set menu 1500 RMB + 10%, with wine pairing 2200 RMB + 10%
Visited: Oct 2016

Please note that this was an invited tasting arranged by the restaurant.

I haven’t been to Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, but I have heard quite a lot about this much-debated Three Michelin star restaurant and its self-proclaimed “demon chef” Alvin Leung. London-born, Canada-raised Alvin was originally an engineer, and after teaching himself how to cook, he opened Bo Innovation in his 40s and quickly won two Michelin stars (subsequently three stars, and the restaurant is also currently ranked #28 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants). His brand new Bo Shanghai recently soft-opened, and before it officially launches at the end of this month, let’s go have a sneak peek.

請注意本次為餐廳安排試吃。

沒有吃過香港的 Bo Innovation，不過對這家爭議不斷的米其林三星餐廳和其自稱 “廚魔” 的主廚 Alvin Leung 早有耳聞。倫敦出生、加拿大長大的 Alvin 本是工程師，自學廚藝後在40幾歲時開了自己第一家餐廳 Bo Innovation，並迅速得到了米其林得青睐（目前也名列 “世界最佳50餐廳” 第28位）。最近他在上海外灘五號的 Bo Shanghai 開始試運營，聽說月底要正式開幕，趕在那之前，先來嚐嚐。

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Arriving on the 6th floor of Bund Five, I was led through Bistro Daimon (another new concept by Alvin) to the hidden Bo Shanghai. So it does seem like everything needs to be hidden these days…like Tai’an Table (which was recently awarded one Michelin star but had to close due to license issues) or Speak Low (a perpetually packed speakeasy bar by famed Japanese bartender Shingo Gokan). Bo Shanghai has just 26 seats (including 6 at the bar) with a nice view of the bund, though the view really isn’t the focus here…

抵達外灘五號的6樓，先經過 Bistro Daimon，在服務人員的引導下來到藏在牆後的 Bo Shanghai。現在的餐廳（比如剛得米其林一星就被迫關門的泰安門）和酒吧（像是穿過角落的書架方得入內的Speak Low），為何都流行藏起來？Anyway，進入 Bo Shanghai 後發現其實地方很小，位子就26個，夜景挺美的（不過來這裡吃飯，夜景應該不是重點哦…）

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The two chefs at Bo Shanghai (DeAille and Simon, the two on the right in the photo below) are both Cantonese who grew up in Toronto, and before arriving in Shanghai they were working with Alvin for over two years in Bo Innovation.

Bo Shanghai 的兩位主廚（下圖右邊二位）是在多倫多長大的香港人，來上海之前在 Bo Innovation 工作了兩年多。女主廚 DeAille 說話非常客氣，有空時會很詳細的分享他們的料理故事。男主廚 Simon 說起話來很活潑，有種天然的喜感（喂，這樣說別人好嗎？）。我坐在吧台前用餐，邊吃邊和他們兩位聊天，學習了不少有趣的事情。

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Bo Shanghai’s 10-course tasting menu (1500 RMB + 10%, with wine pairing 2200 RMB + 10%) is inspired by the traditional cuisine from China’s 8 different regions, in fusion with French techniques, and is completely different from the offerings in Hong Kong. To start, here are the amuse bouche: croissant with scallion oil filling, and a Chinese bun with black truffles and comté cheese.

Bo Shanghai 的菜色將來自于中國八大菜系的靈感與法國料理做了結合，呈現的是和香港店完全不同的創意。目前只有一個10道菜的套餐，價格 1500 RMB + 10%（配酒套餐 2200 RMB + 10%)。從開胃的 amuse bouche 和面包就已經能嚐到主廚們的融合概念，比如這個放了蔥油的可頌，以及加了黑松露和法國的 comté 芝士的中式花卷。

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[Recipe] Fig Almond Tart with Raspberries

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[Recipe] Fig Almond Tart with Raspberries

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It’s almost the end of Fall, and before the fig season is officially over, it is absolutely imperative to make a fig almond tart. Here’s a simple recipe that can be done at home, composed to a shortbread tart shell, homemade fig jam, almond cream, and fresh figs. It’s pretty, and it’s delicious.

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It’s not always the case to add raspberries to fig tarts, but I thought it’d be nice to add a bit of acidity, especially when pairing the tart with a glass of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Edition Automne 2005, a champagne I recently discovered at a tasting event. For pairing with this charming rose champagne, I added some fresh raspberries, and increased the dose of lime juice in the jam recipe for extra acidity.

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So, let’s get started.

For the tart shell:

butter…48g / powdered sugar…30g / eggs…19g / ground almond…10g / salt…0.5g / flour…80g

Steps:

1. Separately, sift all powders.

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[Shanghai 上海] Pierre Marcolini

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[Shanghai 上海] Pierre Marcolini

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Pierre Marcolini

Add: 206, K11 Shopping Mall, 300 Middle Huaihai Road
Tel: 6333 7318
Hours: 10am-10pm
Price: [chocolate] 20-22 RMB/ea [macaron] 250 RMB/ea (pre-packaged boxes available)
Visited: Jun 2016

I passed by a Pierre Marcolini boutique five years ago in Brussels by chance, and, without knowing anything about this brand, bought two boxes of chocolates just because the shop was pretty. Some post hoc research told me that Pierre Marcolini won the title of World Champion of Pastry in 1995, and has shops not only in Brussels, but also in Paris, London, Tokyo, Monaco, Luxembourg etc. In fact, he is kind of a big deal.

五年前在布魯塞爾閒逛時，曾無意間經過一家非常漂亮的巧克力店。擡頭一看，名字是 ”Pierre Marcolini“…嗯，沒聽過，不過樣子似乎很厲害，那就買兩盒試試吧。後來才知道 Pierre Marcolini 是位出名的比利時巧克力大師，1995 年在法國裏昂得到世界甜點冠軍之後，于布魯塞爾開了自己的第一家巧克力店，現在在巴黎、倫敦、東京、摩納哥等地方也都能看到他的作品。

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But it wasn’t until moving to Paris that I got to know a bit more about this chocolatier, mostly through a French TV show I used to follow called “Qui Sera Le Prochain Grand Pâtissier” (Who Will be the Next Big Pastry Chef”), in which Pierre Marcolini was one of the four judges.

不過其實對這位巧克力師更多的印象，是來自我後來住巴黎時看的一個叫做 “Qui Sera Le Prochain Grand Pâtissier”（誰會成爲下一個甜點大師）的電視節目。這是個幾乎所有法國甜點師都會看的節目，我當時也不例外的每周追隨，而 Pierre Marcolini 就是四位大有來頭的評審之一。

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And just last week, his boutique opened in Shanghai. So far it’s a temporary pop-up on the second floor of K11 shopping mall, though a tea salon is scheduled open in October – something to look forward to. On an unrelated note, even the doorknobs are in the shape of Marcolini’s signature chocolate squares…how cute!

就在上周，他的巧克力店在上海開幕了。地點位于 K11 的二樓，目前只是暫時的零售 pop-up store，十月份會開有座位的 salon de thé，除了有巧克力之外，聽說還會有別的驚喜？不知道是甜點還是冰淇淋還是什麽，總之令人有些期待。（連門把都是 Marcolini 巧克力磚的造型，可愛。）

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Et voilà voilà, les chocolats.

店裏主打的自然是巧克力。

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[Shanghai 上海] Garden Terrace at Le Baron 花園露台

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[Shanghai 上海] Garden Terrace at Le Baron 花園露台

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Garden Terrace at Le Baron

Add: 7F 20 Donghu Road
Tel: 5424 5181
Hours: Tue-Sat 5-11pm (closed on Sun-Mon)
Price: [alcohol] 70-100 RMB [oysters] 98-256 RMB/dozen from 5-8pm, 198-456 RMB/dozen after 8pm
Visited: May 2016

Shanghai has been raining nonstop lately, so I’m going to tell you about a good place to go when it finally turns sunny and we’ll all have something to look forward to. You might have heard of Le Baron, or are even a frequent patron of this ever-so-popular night club, but you probably didn’t know that it has a lovely garden terrace up on its rooftop. There’s sun, cool breeze, music, alcohol, and the best part is that it’s not so crowded…well, at least for now.

最近上海真是下雨下到人都要長霉了，所以今天決定介紹一個放晴時的好去處給大家心裏曬曬太陽。 你可能知道 Le Baron 這家傳說中紅到很難入場的夜店，不過你應該想不到它的頂樓居然藏了一個隱秘舒適的露台…有陽光、有微風、有音樂、有美酒，而且重點是人超級少。嗯，至少目前爲止是的。

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For those who haven’t been, this is what Le Baron looks like. These two photos were taken in the afternoon before the club opens, hence the lack of people. It’s indeed a bit eerie to see the space this empty, given how happening it is during night time.

我們先看一眼 Le Baron 舞池和 lounge 的部份。這兩張照片是下午還沒開門時拍的，可自行配上人頭竄動的畫面還有咚滋咚滋的背景音樂。

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[Shanghai 上海] Cafe 385

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[Shanghai 上海] Cafe 385

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Cafe 385

Add: Huashan Road (please contact below wechat for details)
Wechat: andrew_wu_china
Hours: reservation only
Price: hand drip coffee 50-65 RMB
Visited: May 2016

The other day at Moon Coffee I casually asked their barista A-Tang where he goes for coffee in Shanghai. After some thoughts, he told me about this “coffee bar inside an apartment building”, and without quite explaining what it is, he gave me the barista contact. Always curious about these hidden places, I made a reservation right away for a visit.

之前在月球和阿堂閒聊時，隨口問了身爲咖啡師的他平時會去哪裏喝咖啡。慢條斯理地想了想後，他告訴我有一家 “公寓裏的咖啡館”，具體是個什麽樣的地方他也沒說清楚，總之把店主的聯系方式給了我。這種隱藏起來的地方我最有興趣了，約好時間，就這麽去了。

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The space is located on the 2nd floor of an apartment building on Huashan Road, and only upon entering did I find out its name –  “Cafe 385”.  It’s a charming place with soft natural light, antique-looking furniture, and chairs that fit just right.

這個空間位于華山路上一間老公寓的二樓，直到進門後我才知道它叫做 Cafe 385。起居室裏陽光柔和、空氣安靜、家具擺飾看起來熟悉、椅子也正好合身。咖啡吧後面站的就是這裏的主人 Andrew，大家都叫他小安。

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Behind the coffee bar is Andrew from Taiwan, who is still very fresh to Shanghai. Before this coffee venture, he was working in Sony Taiwan doing photography tutorials and sales training for DSLRs. As for coffee, he started drinking it at the age of 17, and since then has met quite a few coffee experts and afficionados. He came to China for the first time last March to attend a coffee expo, fell in love with the Former French Concession area, and decided to stay for a while.

小安，30來歲的台灣人，做咖啡師之前其實是個攝影師，在台灣 Sony 工作了好一段時間，主要負責單眼相機和一些其他産品的銷售訓練和攝影教學。十七歲開始喝咖啡以來陸陸續續地結識不少咖啡人與咖啡愛好者，去年三月來上海參加咖啡展會時愛上了舊法租界，決定在這裏待上一陣子。

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[Shanghai 上海] Tai’an Table 泰安門

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[Shanghai 上海] Tai’an Table 泰安門

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Tai’an Table

Add: N/A
Tel: N/A
Website: www.taian-table.com
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 6pm-12am (closed on Mon & Sun)
Visited on: Apr 2016

Rumor has it that Stefan Stiller’s dream has always been to have a small restaurant with an open kitchen cooking seasonal cuisine, and it seems like the recently-opened Tai’an Table is exactly that – a completely open kitchen, 20 bar seats, and one seasonal menu that changes monthly. No address, no phone number, just a reservation website. You go?

Stefan Stiller在德國曾擁有自己的米其林一星餐廳，也在上海開過精致的 fine dining 和閃亮亮的廚藝教室。不過，聽說大廚一直以來的夢想，其實是經營一家有開放式廚房的季節料理小餐廳。兩周前悄悄開幕的 “泰安門 Tai’an Table” 似乎是這樣的一個地方 － 完全開放式的廚房、20個吧台座位、一個每月更換的套餐；沒有地址，沒有電話，只有一個訂位網站。你，去嗎？

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Stiller is cooking in the kitchen himself, but has also hired Jeno Racz from Hungary to be his chef de cuisine. Racz used to work at Noma in Copenhagen, Robuchon in Singapore, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London, and more recently at a molecular gastronomy catering company called Bubble Food.

Stefan Stiller 除了親自掌管廚房之外，也請了來自匈牙利的 Jeno Racz 擔任 chef de cuisine。Racz 曾任職于哥本哈根Noma、新加坡 Robuchon、倫敦 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal、以及分子料理外燴公司 Bubble Food，履曆相當漂亮的他，一個多月前來到了上海。

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[Shanghai 上海] Botanist

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[Shanghai 上海] Botanist

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Botanist

Add: 17-2 North Xiangyang Road
Tel: 6433 0538
Hours: 7pm-2am (closed on Mon)
Price: 80-95 RMB/cocktail
Visited on: Apr 2016

So Flask is moving because of land issues (new location TBD), and in the meanwhile their second project has already opened its doors. The new bar is called Botanist, apparently they got the inspiration when watching The Martian, in which Matt Damon plays the role of an astronaut/botanist stranded alone on Mars. It’s just a matter of time before this place gets packed everyday, so let’s go now to see what drinks they’ve got…

之前介紹過的 Flask 因爲地的原因要搬家了，新的地點還未確定，而我爲了將要有一段時間吃不到他們美味 grill cheese sandwich 在難過時，老板們的第二家酒吧已默默開幕。新的店名叫 Botanist，說是看到 “The Martian火星人” 裏 Matt Damon 演的生物學家這個角色時得到的靈感。趁他們剛開幕還不需要等位，先去嚐嚐鮮。

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The style of Botanist is completely different from that of Flask – it is not a hidden speakeasy, but rather a street-side bar in plain view. There are floor-to-ceiling windows that can be opened up completely, and there’s a lovely patio bound to be highly sought-after as the weather warms up. True to the “botanist” concept, there are plants everywhere in the space, and not only does that make it all green and pretty,  it actually smells really nice right near the herb wall too. And very importantly, there’s a no smoking policy at Botanist – weee!

Botanist 和 Flas k的風格截然不同，並非隱藏的 speakeasy，而是一目了然的街邊酒吧，有可以整面打開的落地窗和舒服的露台，這個春夏肯定會大受歡迎。利落的線條加上冷色調的白光，走的是有點未來感的設計。以 botanist 植物學家爲概念，空間裏四處都有植物，不僅綠油油的很好看，走近香草牆時真的會聞到淡淡的香味。此外，Botanist 室內禁煙這點更是另我開心。

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[Shanghai 上海] Fu He Hui 福和慧

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[Shanghai 上海] Fu He Hui 福和慧

Fu He Hui 福和慧

Add: 1037 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiangsu Lu
Tel: 3980 9188
Hours: 11am-2pm, 5:30-11pm
Price: 380-880 RMB/person
Visited: Apr 2016

福和慧 – Fu (fortune), He (harmony), Hui (wisdom) – is the fine dining vegetarian restaurant by Fang Yuan and Tony Lu, who have established a solid reputation through their Fu series (Fu 1039, Fu 1088, and Fu 1055), all sharing a penchant of refined Shanghainese dishes in nostalgic old villas. Fu He Hui has also been attracting its fair share of attention since opening in 2015, and is ranked #19 on the latest Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

美國來玩的朋友說想去吃一頓精致的中國菜，最近正好看到福和慧在今年 “亞洲50佳餐廳” 排名第19，又有不少朋友推薦，于是就把晚餐訂在這裏了。說福和慧是家素菜館，可不是一般的素菜館。這裏的老板早在幾年前就打造了一系列非常出名的 “福” 餐廳，旗下有福1039，1088，和1015。這幾家我先後都去過，雖然是好幾年前的事了，不過對這些洋房裏的精致上海菜印象一直不錯，有朋友來上海玩，不要求環境的我會帶去老吉士，要求環境的話就去福。

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The vegetarian restaurant offers a few prix fixe menus at three different price points: 380, 680 and 880 RMB per person, all coming with 8 courses. We decided to try one of the two 880 RMB sets to see what the chef has got in his repertoire.

第一次來到福和慧，發現這裏的風格和其他福餐廳很不一樣，沒有繁複雕琢的裝飾，整個空間和內裝都線條簡潔，頗有禅意。菜單上簡單的列了幾種套膳選擇，價位380、680、和880，其中880的有兩套。我們選了880元的其中一個，就坐著等吃了。

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First, a pot of 奇丹 Qi Dan (188 RMB), a famous varietal of Oolong tea from Wuyi.

服務員推薦下了一壺奇丹，聽說這是來自武夷的上等岩茶。順帶一提，服務員飄逸感十足的白色制服好好看啊，可惜忘了拍給你們看。

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Dinner started with two amuse bouche. The first: roast potato with pumpkin and micro coriander.

開胃小點，第一個是烤土豆和南瓜泥。

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[Shanghai 上海] Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon

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[Shanghai 上海] Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon

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Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon

Add: 1F No. 18 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road
Tel: 6070 8888
Hours: 10am-10pm
Price: [Afternoon Tea] 328 RMB/person, 588 RMB/2 persons [a la carte] 65-88 RMB
Visited: Apr 2016

Please note that this was an invited tasting.

So, Robuchon is finally in Shanghai. He who owns the most number of Michelin stars in the world recently opened his first L’Atelier and Salon de Thé ever on mainland China, both located in Bund 18. Let’s go take a look.

請注意本次為餐廳安排試吃。

終于，Robuchon來了。這位在全世界擁有最多顆米其林星星的 “世紀名廚”，這兩周先後在上海外灘 18 號開了他在中國內地的第一家餐廳 L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon 以及茶室 Salon de Thé。不囉唆，去瞧瞧。

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On the first floor is Robuchon’s pastry boutique, displaying rows of alluring cakes, macarons, chocolates, and breads. The design is his signature red and black, the stark contrast is sleek and eye-catching.

一樓進去首先是 Robuchon 的面包甜點店，陳列著各式令人垂涎欲滴的蛋糕、馬卡龍、巧克力、和面包。裝潢風格是 Robuchon 一貫的紅黑色強烈對比。

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