The House

What: A house away from home

Why: Finally … fondue!

How Much: RMB 150-200 per person, including fondue and wine

Where: House 102, 861 Jiangning Lu, near Haifang Lu. Tel: 5172 1161

The House feels more like its name than a restaurant. Located in a quiet corner of Jing’an, the unassuming lane house is equipped with an open-concept kitchen that fits only about two kitchen staff and a cosy seating area of five small tables. 

Besides Italian fare, the House’s true specialty is fondue. The restaurant’s owner, Michael Chan, previously opened Taikang Lu’s Café Mojo because of his love for coffee, and now he’s turning to his love for the European culinary pastime of cooking your own food. Chan, who moved to Shanghai from San Francisco, says his new restaurant is the answer to his tireless search for fondue in the city.

The House’s hot oil steak bourguignonne (RMB 165) comes with cubes of rib-eye steak, mushrooms and broccoli, which you stab with metal sticks and cook in a small communal pot of hot oil. While the deliciously seasoned meat comes out steamy and tender, the broccoli is more difficult to dip without getting a dangerous sputtering splash of oil. Save it for the end when the pot settles a bit.

Another set, the avocado Swiss cheese fondue (RMB 150) – served with cooked shrimp, chicken, carrots, tomatoes and French bread – is a new take on the classic Swiss meal and great for sharing with friends.

Since opening in July, the House has seen more visitors during breakfast and lunch hours. That’s probably because the majority of its menu is made of morning nosh and casual Italian dishes like Paninis, pizzas and pastas. The rosemary pumpkin soup (RMB 25) and spinach salad with honey mustard dressing (RMB 40) are both simple but safe bets.

For dessert, try the apple pie and brownie served with banana and a dollop of whipped cream. Traditionally rich and heavy sweets, the House does a decent job of making them lighter without compromising on their decadence.

The restaurant’s décor has details that many people might want to see in their own homes: stainless steel appliances, flooring and tables made with white marble imported from Greece, as well as an outdoor courtyard lined with bamboo to sit, dwell and relax in.

With these features and furnishings in its tiny venue, the House will make you feel right at home.

Next pages: Cristal, Restaurant Martin and Balthazar

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Cristal

What: Global fine dining

Why: The grilled scallops, duo of duck and a beautiful terrace

Where: 4F, 269 Wujiang Lu, near Taixing Lu. Tel: 6136 1388

How Much: "Might buy you Cris’, but that about it / Might light your wrist, but that about it"

Cristal (the restaurant, not the rappers' delight) sits above the Wujiang Lu ped-mall, opposite the Jia hotel. The entrance is on Taixing Lu, not far from Dairy Queen, but a quick elevator ride pulls you up out of the hubbub and leaves you in spacious, modestly elegant surrounds. An entire wall of the bar and dining room opens onto a broad terrace, a nice spot to glean some lunchtime winter sunshine. Shrubs are planted around the perimeter. There's wicker furniture, and candles at night. You get the picture.

When it comes to food, Cristal is all about the set menus. There are lunch sets for RMB 108 and 148, and four course dinner sets for RMB 298 and 398, with at least three options for each course.

The menus include fine dining's usual suspects: lobster, foie gras, veal, salmon, truffles, etc. In most respects, Cristal's food isn't especially distinctive, but it is nicely executed.

We tried the RMB 398 menu and found that some of the best dishes brought Asian influences into the restaurant's purported Mediterranean mix. Oversized shrimp ravioli sit in a fair helping of soup, almost like wontons. A duo of duck includes the crispy skinned barbecued variety as well as rather rare slices of citrus duck in the à l'orange tradition. The panacotta insinuates a delightful jasmine flavour, best sampled first without the more powerful berry compote it’s served with.

Other standout dishes include the coal-grilled scallops and the cheesy pumpkin risotto. The lobster and crab bisque cappuccino was frothy and creamy but carries with it, unsurprisingly, that slightly dirty bisque taste. A better bet for seafood lovers is the Fideo, a bouillabaisse broth with sea bass, halibut, prawns, mussels and clams, served with clipped spaghetti.

Each dessert option offers four or five sweet things to try. There are parades of apple desserts, chocolate desserts, and a mixed platter that features a drunken rum baba and a wet, minty fruit salad – like an edible mojito.

Cristal hedges its bets with its ensemble desserts, the same way it does with its classic fine dining fare, and by giving an Eastern flavour to some Western staples. Yet the individual dishes are more confident than the overall approach might suggest. 

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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. 

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Balthazar

What: Casual French Brasserie in a great area

Why: Affordable, simple, good quality food

How much: RMB 200 per person (including a glass of wine)

Where: No. 7, Lane 155 Jianguo Lu, near Ruijin Lu. Tel: 6473 0820

If you’ve been hiding under a table with your eyes closed and ears blocked for the past six weeks, it may have escaped your notice that larger-than-life restaurateur, Eduardo Vargas, has opened three new restaurants in quick succession. This is one of them.

Located in the Tianzifang area (the back lanes of Taikang Lu), Balthazar is the perfect option for warming up over dinner after a spot of shopping or art collecting. The space, in an old house, provides intimate enclaves over three floors, including one large table that sits alone between floors which would be perfect for parties.

The atmosphere is cosy and the greetings from the staff are friendly and welcoming. The baked oysters Rockefeller (RMB 65) with spinach, bacon and hollandaise are perfect for sharing between two – the six large pieces might be a little overwhelming for one.

Adventurous diners might want to start with the escargot (RMB 45) in sizzling garlic and tarragon butter, which are delicious and soak up plenty of buttery flavour from the sauce.

Main courses start at an incredibly reasonable RMB 68 for fish and chips and the USDA prime brasserie burger, but if you’re looking to splash out, seafood fans will love the black cod bouillabaisse (RMB 140, pictured below), with mussels, prawns, scallops, fennel and saffron broth served with a crusty stick of bread to soak up the left-over juices.

The most expensive dish on the menu is the black angus steak frites (RMB 200), with grilled, dry-aged USDA angus sirloin, béarnaise, spinach and pommes frites. Each of the items are served separately and simply, allowing the steak to stand alone without muddling the flavours. Our medium-rare steak was served more rare than medium, but that’s a common occurrence in Shanghai. The frites are hands down one of the best uses of potatoes in town – they are uniformly crunchy, with just the right amount of saltiness and a fantastically natural flavour.

For dessert, try the excellent profiteroles (RMB 35), filled with ice-cream topped with steaming, rich chocolate sauce, or finish your meal by lingering over an Artisanal Cheese Board (RMB 100 to 150 depending on the number of cheeses) and a glass of wine.