Marina by DN
What: Fine dining on the Pudong waterfront
Where: 2972 Binjiang Da Dao, near Dongyuan Lu. Tel: 5878 6326.
Why: To experience Chef Daniel Negreira’s first restaurant in Shanghai for yourself
Spanish chef, Daniel Negreira was awarded the title of best young chef in the Basque Country, by Bocuse D’Or, and this recognition has served as the foundation of the great reputation he has built over the following years. The creative chef’s perfectionism is manifested in the obvious attention to detail paid to each of the five senses in the creation of every dish. His restaurants in Taipei, El Toro and DN Innovación, gained a solid standing as some of the best restaurants in Asia, including best foreign cuisine restaurant in Taipei in ‘Asia's Finest Restaurants Top 500’ (2013).
In a unique location, the new Shanghai restaurant is located on the doorstep of the Lujiazui financial district and offers unobstructed views of The Bund across the stretch of water. Outdoor dining is also available for the summer months, making it an extremely memorable occasion especially when enjoyed on a clear night.
This is in no doubt a fine dining experience, and the prices are set to match this positioning (set menus start from RMB 398 per person and increase considerably). Wine is also taken very seriously at the venue, with wine selections made by expert sommelier, Ken Hsih, in order to enrich the experience received from every dish, so you will also need to account for this cost.
When we visited, we started with a Norwegian salmon mousse topped with tomato caviar. Served in a tin, this extremely fishy titbit was fresh and briny. Next up was “one bite” of mushroom that was over before it began, but left a
lasting impact. We were told that there were twenty types of mushrooms used to create this tiny mouthful, an example of the chef’s meticulousness. We tried another small bite, this time chicken soup coulant, topped with truffles and served on a wooden spoon resting on a grass mound positioned on a slate board. The flavourful chicken soup burst out of its encasing onto our palates and was quickly consumed. Our favourite dish of the day was next, foie gras cake. The carrot cake and soft foie texture was set against a backdrop of rich, sweet and savoury flavours. We then slurped up a “not that simple egg”, which, as you can imagine, was extremely complex. The egg yolk was infused with truffle oil and had a surprising centre. Spoiler alert: it’s not yolk. Our final dish, before the mains were paraded out, was the Mediterranean aromas barbecue, which was unlike any barbecue we have come across. A solitary and perfectly grilled scallop was placed in front of us, atop smouldering pine leaves, filling our nostrils with a wonderfully nostalgic scent.
For the mains, we were treated to Iberico pork, cooked for seven hours. A homage to the chef’s country of origin, the tender, juicy pork was done right andserved with a liquorice infusion. Then it was the turn of the Wagyu beef tenderloin with “just a corn on the cob”. Once again, all was not as it seemed, and the side was actually pulverised corn with saffron moulded into the shape of corn on the cob.
Finally, we just about had room for dessert, which included a beautifully presented berry garden tiramisu. The showstopper of the meal, “the candle”, comes to your table lit, but is in actual fact white chocolate encasing a nut cheesecake with raspberry filling. Delicious.
This is an extravagant dining option, metres from the centre of Lujiazui. Go there to impress and be impressed.
