Restaurant Martin

What: Spanish fine dining from Martin Berasategui

Why: For a touch of three-star Michelin class (if only by proxy)

How much: RMB 500 per person (including a glass of wine)

Where: 811 Hengshan Lu, near Yuqing Lu (inside Xujiahui Park). Tel: 6431 6639

Martin Berasategui’s restaurant (also called Martin Berasategui) in San Sebastian, Spain, is an icon of modern Basque cuisine. Scientific methods are applied to traditional cooking techniques to bring out the boldest of flavours in seafood, meat and desserts.

Restaurant Martin is Berasategui’s newest venture, and his first outside of Spain. Berasategui himself oversees the project via regular Skype calls and teleconferences from Europe, but has left the day-to-day running of Restaurant Martin to his young protégés, Maxime Fanton and Yugo Márquez (both 25).

Set in a lovely old villa in Xujiahui Park, Restaurant Martin is classy and unassuming throughout. As you’re seated with the wine list, you might be surprised to look around at the crowd that’s turning up to try Shanghai’s hottest new fine dining venue. They are families, young couples and business diners in suits – mainly local – who don’t blink an eye at forking out RMB 150 for a (not particularly) generous glass of wine at the lower price end of the wine list.

Better value can be had with the cocktails (RMB 78 to 88), which are mixed strong and true. The lychee martini and Shanghai cosmopolitan are both particularly good (although when we asked our waiter what differentiated the Shanghai version from the average cosmo, he looked a bit miffed).

The poached tuna salad, peppers and chili sauce (RMB 158, pictured below) is a visually pleasing way to start, with the alarming red of the peppers, orange sauce and pink tuna slices working surprisingly well.

The cubes of cod with fried onions, chili and roast pepper sauce (RMB 210) is the pick of the seafood mains. Cod is usually a safe seafood bet in Spain and you won’t be disappointed by the moisture-laden hunks of fish surrounded by the molecular magic of foams and sauces that is served up at Restaurant Martin.

One criticism floating around about Restaurant Martin has been the service – complaints of five star food (and prices) being accompanied by sullen and inexperienced staff. Our experience, in comparison, was rather good. The waiter taking care of our table was both friendly and attentive, without being overbearing.

When asked for a recommendation for dessert he dissuaded us from the interesting-sounding option of frozen celery with cold mango slices and a brushstroke of beet and fruit compote (RMB 80), which he described as “just ordinary”, in favour of the pineapple and coconut ravioli with frozen ginger cream (RMB 80), which in his opinion “looks pretty”. It was a decision we didn’t regret.

Restaurant Martin’s food is almost flawless, but for that kind of perfection you pay a price comparable to the Bund, for only a Xujiahui view. It’s not the best place in town for tourists or visitors, but it is a real treat for Shanghai’s dedicated foodies.