Shanghai Observations

A few notes from a trip last month. The French Concession makes Shanghai special.

• Jesse (Huaihai Lu): good home-cooking, simple and delicious.
• Franck (Hunan Lu): a Frenchman's bistrot with authentic fare, chalkboards and all; must be cozy on a cold winter's night. I asked Franck why he couldn't do the same in HK....
• Mr & Mrs Bund (Bund): honestly don't understand what the hype is all about; food is stuck in an early 2000s time warp. Keep it real, keep it simple, keep it fresh!
• Mercato (Bund): Jean-Georges latest venture in town; he keeps it real, simple and fresh. Enjoyed a couple of perfectly made Americanos at the bar. 
• Goga (Dongping Lu): California diner with an Asian twist; big portions as you would expect. Small and fun; food was fine but need to return as head chef was on vacation. 

Salmon & Red Peppercorn

A simple dish from [ ], my favorite delicatessen in Santa Margherita.

best quality salmon filets, slice lengthways
EVOO to coat fish
1 tblsp red peppercorn
lime juice to taste

1. drizzle lime juice and EVOO into a flat, earthenware dish (preferably white)
2. layer salmon in dish, drizzle more EVOO so that fish is coated, then sprinkle some red peppercorns over the lot

Proper Bellini

I'm so happy to have found this Bellini, from Tortuga in Santa Margherita. Dare I say better than Harry's Bar? Thanks to Ali and Michelle for the discovery. If fresh and ripe white peaches are not on hand, best to wait until they are. Below is for one serving.

best quality white peach
about a tblsp of lemon juice, to taste
about a tblsp of white sugar, to taste
a good prosecco

1. in blender, mix the peach, lemon and sugar and let set a few hours
2. put a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, then add about equal quantity of prosecco to the amount of peach puree on hand (the recipe doubles, triples etc)
3. add the peach puree to the prosecco in the shaker and stir with a long spoon
4. poor into some glasses (preferably without stems) as you hold ice back with a bigger spoon--this allow for the foam to enter the glass as well

Cotto & Potato Salad

A dish I've never seen, from between Parma and Mantova, according to the Basilicatan chef. Need to do this asap, love it very much. Oddly, his potato salad was closer to the Japanese mashed variety, but I might make a more traditional variety.

best quality cotto, fairly thickly sliced
potato salad

1. heat plate in a oven broiler
2. take out, lay slices of ham on top, cover with foil for a couple minutes
3. remove foil, serve with potato salad

Fennel, Black Olive, Bottarga

Nice little number from one of my new favorite Italian restaurants in HK, Giando. There's some slice celery in here too, which is clever.

1 bulb fennel
1 stalk celery
some Italian black olives, pitted
parsley and chives
white wine vinegar
EVOO
maldon sea salt
cracked black pepper
bottarga (mullet)

1. slice fennel and celery, dress with EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper
2. let sit a couple hours
3. add black olives chopped herbs
4. shave bottarga over top and serve

Frisee & Cottage Cheese

A new crudite star is born. This came about accidentally tonight as I wanted to eat the left over frisee and cottage cheese. It is delicious this way.

frisee
tarragon, chives, parsley
dijon vinaigrette
a few tblsp cottage cheese

1. make frisee with herbs and vinaigrette
2. fold in the lumps of cottage cheese, and stir very crudely, making sure cottage cheese doesn't break up too much

Scallop & Truffle

A nice and simple little number. Sheer elegance and takes you 8 seconds to prepare. Nice to serve with a dessert fork and knife, as they are delicate. Make sure the balance of salt is just right; too little and the dish may come off as slightly bland.

sushi-grade scallop, sliced horizontally in half
truffle paste
truffle oil
EVOO
maldon sea salt

1. mix all the ingredients together in a bowl
2. gently mix the scallops with the ingredients
3. arrange a couple on small white plates