New & Noted: Restaurant Reviews

Cuivre by Michael Wendling

What: French culinary traditions with a modern twist

Where: 1502 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu. Tel: 6437 4219

Why: For one of the best designed dining rooms in town

Cuivre is pretty. The name, it turns out, is a confusing conjunction of consonants that in French means copper, and they mean it. From spiralled lamps to the bar stools, the metal is practically everywhere, usually in combination with repurposed wood, museum-worthy sculptures and parasol ceiling installations made up of 25,000 chopsticks. You can perch on an old Shanghai bike while nursing a cocktail at the bar or curl up in comfy leather armchairs fit for a villain in the lounge.

After we finished admiring the décor, we got straight to the menu – a leather-bound iPad that makes for easy menu updates for the chef and flipping fun for the diners. Short and sweet, the menu offers a handful of traditional dishes, but Wendling has put his modern spin on them. Red tuna tartare (RMB 128) with avocado can be oh-so-90s, but not with Cuirve’s citrusy marinade to bring it to the next level. The spinach salad (RMB 78) with chunks of pumpkin and warm goat cheese toast had us swooning with its pungent flavours and bang-for-its-buck size.

Our tastes continued to veer toward the clean flavours of the sous vide chicken breast (RMB 138). Wisely, the dish was served with its skin still on and slightly grilled so it didn’t fall victim to the raw look that often plagues poultry when cooked under pressure. Over sauced in a heavy red wine sauce and a bit tough, the Aussie Wagyu beef (RMB 178) could have been better. But we’re confident that the only way this restaurant is going is up.