What to eat: Mediterranean-inspired French cuisine
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The cooking team. (Top) moules tapas. Photo: Courtesy of Maison Pourcel |
Twin brothers Jacques and Laurent Pourcel will now be serving up their Michelin-starred fare to Shanghai's food lovers. The pair have just opened their first eponymous eatery, Maison Pourcel, in the historic Red House on Shaanxi Road South. During the 1930s the building housed the city's most famous fine-dining establishment, the Red House Western Food Restaurant. The Montpellie-based brothers will be hoping to revive the site's glorious past by offering their unique take on Mediterranean-inspired French cuisine.
"This would be a challenge for any restaurateur in the world as Shanghai has always offered the best and most diversified global cuisine," admits Jacques Pourcel. "The menu I designed is inspired by our restaurant Jardin de Sens in Montpellier, France. It's a menu I'm confident with and I hope Shanghai diners will enjoy it."
Expo experience
Shanghai fine-diners may already know the brothers from their running of 6Sens, the official restaurant at Shanghai Expo's France Pavilion. Jacques will now spend most of his mornings at Maison Pourcel, before heading off to Pudong for the evening sitting at 6Sens.
He went on to say: "People here have very different tastes and ideas about dishes. Drawing from my experience at the World Expo, the Chinese are very fond of pan-fried foie gras and beef fillet. So I would say these dishes on the menu are very likely to stay and will hopefully become classics. However, I would personally recommend the sea bass as a main course. It is served with potato foam which mixes well with fish. It's a light and tasty option."
The Pig's Trotter Carpaccio with Prawn Skewers for 158 yuan ($23) was beautifully presented and worked well with its southern vinaigrette dressing. And although it is only a starter the portion is large enough to be a main course.
The Scallop with Mixed Greens and Tomato Confit for 128 yuan as a warm starter comes with five large scallop shells. Flavorwise, the dish may work well in winter, but was a little too salty and heavy for the heat of summer.
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