Best Food In China

Location

More attention to detail will make this restaurant a true celebration of flavors.
While modern day Mardi Gras festivities conjure up images of beads, beverages, and Bourbon Street, the roots of the holiday are steeped in culinary traditions. French for "Fat Tuesday", Mardi Gras refers to the gorging of oneself on rich, fatty foods in preparation for the 40 days of fasting during Lent. Shanghai's Mardi Gras bistro combines a French restaurant with a cocktail lounge and cigar bar to create its own version of this sinfully delicious feast. Luckily, you don't have to fast for 40 days afterward to atone for your dinner.

The Japanese-owned restaurant is located off a quiet street deep in the historic French Concession. With an outdoor patio for al fresco dining and a two-story villa, it's a formidable structure that seems to promise sumptuous treats at first glance. The downstairs bar is located directly across from the double doors, making a tempting suggestion to patrons from the moment they walk in. The dark wood and potted forest of greenery suggest a nighttime oasis filled with dark corners, if only they had left the Enya, Sarah McLachlan, and Evita playlist out of the stereo. A working fireplace must add to the ambiance, but on an almost-spring evening, lighting it would have been wantonly wasteful. The tables are a bit too close for comfort, but luckily the restaurant was empty enough that no one sat close enough to eavesdrop -- although the right conversation would have been a glorious respite from the trilling reservation phone and noisy AC system.

The menu isn't large by any means, but offers a strong representation of classic French cuisine. The extensive wine list only offers four wines by the glass and bottles range from RMB 380 to well over RMB 4000. The chef, Kenji Ishibashi, is Japanese but came to Shanghai by way of Marseilles and Nice, and his cooking chops are definitely impressive with stints at a three Michelin star restaurant under his belt. Fresh bread arrived piping hot to our table to whet our appetite. Unfortunately, the pats of butter were so cold that spreading them on the bread proved to be a trying task not worth the effort. To start, we ordered the Caesar Salad (RMB 78) and Home-smoked Duck Breast and Duck Liver Confit with Marinated Vegetables (RMB 180). In surprisingly un-French fashion, both appetizers were exceptionally large, big enough to serve as a main dish. The Caesar offered thick shavings of Parmesan cheese, crispy bits of bacon, and a dressing with a heavy anchovy bite. Straying from tradition, avocado came with the salad, perhaps to help justify the hefty price tag. The duck breast came perfectly medium rare, refreshingly smoky, and perched atop a bed of pickled vegetables. The texture of the duck confit was buttery and delectable, melting in my mouth and on the bread from the before-dinner basket. A sharper knife would've been helpful for slicing the duck breast, but overall the poultry was the clear star of this plate. As a big fan of all pickled vegetables, I hate to degrade them, but in this dish they served merely as a pitiful distraction from the duck. Pickled carrot just has no place alongside confit.

For our main course, we selected the Bouillabaisse (RMB 380). Designed for two people, this savory soup is packed with an ocean of seafood. Lobster, scallops, mussels, codfish, snapper, and seabass were swimming in a rich fish broth flavored with rosemary and potatoes. The dish came accompanied with the traditional rouille - a garlicky mayonnaise that adds depth to the soup, freshly grated Parmesan, and slices of bread perfect for dipping. The delightful broth was anything but fishy and both my dining partner and I could not stop slurping it down and soaking our bread in its succulent flavors. The lobster and scallops were a bit on the tough side, but the seabass was delectable -- perfectly flavored and decidedly flakey.

Homemade desserts fill the glass display case by the downstairs bar, offering sweet treats from a chocolate torte to creme brulee. We opted for the Rum Baba and Lemon Meringue Tart. The former's rum-flavored syrup overpowered the flavor of the cake, but the dish was saved by a dollop of unsweetened creme. The Lemon Meringue Tart was a taste of home, but my dining partner deemed it too sweet. Luckily that meant more for me, so I'll agree to disagree. A stop upstairs to the exquisitely-designed bar to watch legendary bartender, Keisuke Kerihura, in action was the perfect end to the evening.

-- by Jamie Barys