Best Bite: Azure's Fettuccine

In this monthly column, Shanghai’s most voracious dining editors scour the city for the best bite of the month. From questionable street food to multi-course tasting menus, there’s nothing our intrepid Dining Out team won’t sample. Which mouthful will take home the trophy this month? Read on to find out.

At times, what might seem like a simple dish – just your average pasta picked off the menu in a small Western style café – can rise out of its supposed plainness and astound you. The fettuccine with sausage & mushroom from Azure Café has this exact effect.

The plate comes in, and what you see is a concoction of fettuccine, tomatoes, shallots, mushrooms and small sausage rounds with a dash of Parmesan on top. 'Ah, I've seen this one before,' you think to yourself. But once your fork reaches your mouth, a whole new story begins. Instead of that sharp and somewhat piquant taste that often comes with a typical tomato sauce, this one's smooth and saturated – almost creamy, despite the lack of, well, cream.

This sauce’s secret lies in its ingredients and preparation: the mushrooms are butter fried, Rocca Ventosa Chardonnay is the base for the sauce and the fines herbes are well selected fresh fronds. It turns out to be no surprise when we find out that the chef’s recipe is influenced by Le Cordon Bleu. For RMB 38, you can’t beat that. And vegetarians, fear not – just simply ask to have the sausage removed, and the dish will be just as well-rounded and 'pastalicious'.

RMB 38. Azure. 291 Panyu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. Tel: 135 6437 2186