Best Food In China

Location

Enjoy an exquisite lunch menu in a contemporary restaurant set in a neo-classical historical building facing the surreal skyline of Pudong.

In the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, most restaurants tend to offer cookie cutter style set lunch menus where “quick and easy” is the operative word. It dawned on me that despite the collection of restaurants in Shanghai, it is not that easy to enjoy a fine lunch in a tranquil setting.

Thus, it was a pleasant treat to re-visit one of the pinnacle establishments on the Bund during the day time. Laris is easily ranked as one of the leading fine-dining restaurants in the city’s circuit. The Australian-Greek celebrity chef, David Laris, founded this establishment which has recently passed its 5th year anniversary.
While the evening atmosphere is enthralling with the brightly lit buildings along the Bund and towering plinths of Pudong, the day light setting gives Laris a calm and soothing atmosphere. The wall to ceiling luxury white marble interior bathes the restaurant in a sea of natural light. The dining area continues to encapsulate this image of a breezy Mediterranean with light blue and light grey velvet upholstery.

The offerings for Mid Day Delight is simple yet eloquent, suggesting 3 courses for RMB 220 net or 2 courses for RMB 180 net, including coffee or tea. Adhering to Laris penchant for fresh ingredients and international flavors, the starters and mains propose 3 selections overlapping with European, Asian and an healthy organic salad.

With David Laris reputation for seafood, my choices are indicatively on the oceanic front. Starting with XO Scallops with sweet potato and lightly tossed Indian lettuce, this appetizer is a medley of summery colors. XO sauce is a prestigious concoction of spicy seafood sauce developed in Hong Kong for Cantonese cuisine. When pan-seared with large scallops, this combination whets the appetite with its savory flavors. Sitting on a bed of Indian lettuce and sweet potato sauce is not only a colorful sight but balanced sweetness to the savory after-taste of the scallops. The hint of sweet potato foam appeals to the avant-garde culinary aspirations. A good start!

My incoming entrée was a Grilled Rare Salmon on a bed of Broccoli with Slow Poached Egg and Salmon Roe. While this appears to be a simple dish, it is a signature test to the freshness of the fish and the attention to the cooking. Salmon can be easily over-cooked and a slow-poached egg is not an easy feat either. I could have welcomed more as the three succulent morsels of salmon was perfectly grilled with a tinge of rare in the centre. I left the poached runny egg last to enjoy with the saltiness of the salmon roe.

With plenty of room left for dessert, I accepted the dessert trio with delight and was tickled to see Laris “all time stars” on a platter – warm chocolate pudding with melted chocolate fondant, poached pear with white truffle honey ice cream and cheesecake crème brulee. Having these trios in mini versions made it all less sinful for clearing up the platter shamelessly.

If you are not in a rush to the next meeting, savor the ambience and order some Chilean wine by the glass (RMB 48 per glass) to while away the afternoon as the rest of Shanghai continues moving at break-neck pace.

-- by Brian Sun

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