Oh Josephine s’en vient à Shanghai, chez Paul Pairet…

756Shanghai: Mr & Ms Bund – A Sensible Twist

Very untypical for the glamorous Bund in Shanghai, Mr & Ms Bund – the haute French bistro of local celebrity chef Paul Pairet, doesn’t really seem to care that much about ‘being FINE’ with its interior – it does not smell of prestige nor luxury (like most of its fellow tenants on the bund do), in fact, it’s pretty simple, almost funny in a way.

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It was a strange day, first snow of the winter, and quite heavy for Shanghai; the snow stopped several times during our lunch, with sun shined for minutes, then it carried on, restlessly.

I liked my ‘Smoked Salmon Essential’ (in house smoked salmon seasoned at the table) a lot, it seemed like they have a way to make their own unique smoky taste – gentle and somehow remote, but very clear and distinct. It was a fancy presentation too, 9 sorts of seasoning – from yolk to capers – all tasted fantastic with the salmon! To be honest, it was far beyond my expectation, a very nice surprise!

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My main was ‘Scallops Lemon-Ginger’ (seared scallops, olive oil, lemon, soy, garlic, ginger), also excellent. Instead of accompanying the scallops with ham (as how scallops are often prepared these days), there was pickled ginger slices (a traditional Chinese pickle often used to make wok dishes) under the scallops, giving a fine but cloying touch of Asia – a sensational try, perfect combination, bravo Monsieur Pairet!

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While liking my two course a lot, some of my friends’ dishes were under average (so was the bread here, fine in shapes but tasted incredibly dull); also have to mention that, not every ‘twist between the east and the west’ are dream marriages – the signature desert ‘Lemon and Lemon Tart’ (candied whole lemon, lemon sorbet & curd, vanilla Chantilly, sable), for example, was way too sweet and over-perfumed, reminded me of a tired-looking prostitute with cheap perfume, from the 30s of Shanghai. But it seems they do have a way sealing a signature taste to their smoky dishes (Lamb Shank Istanbul, for instance, has a similar interesting smoky touch).

739In general, the food here is impressingly good for China, I’d like to go again to explore some more dishes soon…

Price: RMB500+ per person, excluding drinks; 3 courses lunch menu RMB 250 + 10% service charge per person.

Address: Bund 18, 6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu (near Nanjing Dong Lu), Shanghai 200002. +86 21 6323 9898 732

  • Annie
    27 avril 2014 at 13 h 36 min

    J’avais adoré la langoustine (énorme !) à la vanille, cuite dans un bocal.