Jean-Georges, Shanghai

I wish I had four stomachs like cows. If so, I would be able to eat more and not suffer from chronic indigestion. Of all the food, I love dessert the most. I am addicted to dessert (and secretly to shoes). I would skip the main course but eat dessert. I often order 2 appetizers and one dessert, in case I get too full. I would have a salad for lunch, thinking that my jeans look too tight on me, and order a piece of chocolate fudge cake for dessert. I am someone who worries about what to eat for dinner while having lunch. (Actually, this runs in my family) The first section I would go through in a tourist guide book is the food/restaurant section. My favourite shops are The Whole Food, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and farmers' markets. Oh yes, I should not leave out city’super and grEAT. I literally spend hours there just browsing. So you can say that I have passion for food, and this passion inspired me and my darling SA to start this blog. Here comes my first.

I went to lunch at Jean-Georges in Shanghai a few months ago with my friend. It is located in 3 on the Bund. Laris and Whampoa Club are also in the same building. I was not sure what to expect before getting there but once I walked in, I was blown away by the ambience. To get to the dining area, you have to walk through a bar. The bar area itself is very sexy. It is a place you want to put on a sexy yet subtle cocktail dress (think Valentino black dress not Dolce & Gabana corset dress) and sip vodka martini with James Bond (shaken, not stirred, of course).
What a pity that I was there with my girlfriend...I am sure she was thinking the same thing.



Only if a man like this easy to find......


The dining area looks over the Huang Pu river and Pudong area. The interior design of the dining area is just so delicious. The restaurant is draped in velvet and silk. The ceiling is high and so are the windows. The chairs and sofas are plush, the velvet curtains are draped nicely around the windows. The weather was on the grim side when I visited the restaurant and the ligthing was soft. The word 'tryst' popped up in my head. (Note: Also recommended for proposing or anniversary celebration)

I ordered a set lunch. As usual, I ordered 2 appetizers and a dessert. I had foie gras crème brûlée to start with. At the bottom is a slice of toast, layered with foie gras brûlé, topped with candied pistachios, dried cherries and diced cucumbers (I remember them to be cucumber). Around the bottom is white port gelée.

I am not sure if the chef altered his recipe a little to reflect its location because somehow I could taste a bit of wu xiang. But that is just me. The dish was orgasmic. I could taste a lot in a single bite. The rich, luscious foie gras was nicely complemented by sweet and crunch pistachios and sour cherries while cucumber dices added a touch of freshness. The white port gelée provided a right level of kick to the dish. Unfortunately, although the dish was just so perfect, I felt sick towards the end of the dish. But that is just me. I love rich food but I always feel sick towards the end. (This is why I need 4 stomachs)

The next dish I had was a giant poached asparagus salad with bearnaise sauce on a bed of green salad. It was a bore. So I won't bother writing about it. But here is the pic.

Now the dessert, my favourite part of any meal...

I had Jean-Georges Chocolate Cake and Vanilla Ice cream. I should have followed my instinct and ordered something else. I love chocolate and chocolate dessert with molten center, the one that oozes out warm, rich chocolate sauce when you cut it. But the thing is, as long as the chef uses good quality chocolate, you can't really go wrong with that in any restaurant, including your own kitchen. I am sure that there is a difference between the one that comes out of your kitchen or other decent restaurants and the one from Jean-Georges in terms of presentation on the dish and the chocolate cake itself but then again, it is a warm chocolate cake served with ice cream. OK. It was good. But it did not blow me away. I guess I had too many warm chocolate cakes with molten center.
My friend had a crumble of some sort and ginger ice cream, I think. I had a bite. She had crab cakes and corn ravioli. I had a bite of each dish. They were nice, too.

To finish off, petits fours were served. Not bad but not spectacular either. But this could be because I was already full. There were tiny rasberry almond cake, strawberry marshmallow, truffle, etc. I did not have coffee, so no comment there.
I don’t quite remember but I think the 3-course set menu was around 400 RMB.

Jean-Georges
4th Floor
Three on the Bund
3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
Tel: 6321 7733

Jean-Georges
外灘3號。
上海中山東一路3號4樓
TEL：8621 6321 7733


http://www.jean-georges.com/