Friday, April 20, 2007

Jean Georges - Three on the Bund

Saw the ad of their brunch after having lunch at Whompoa Club (the two restaurants are in the same building), made a booking immediately to try it out.
Croissant and chocolate croissant with the brunch set arrived with three dipping (think they are chocolate, coffee and jam). The reason for forgetting the dipping is the croissants are simply wonderful. They arrived cold yet it's crispy outside and soft and fluffy inside. You can smell the salty buttery aroma when held it close. (Wonder how much butter goes into it...)

Mom and I both encountered our "unforgettable" croissant when we were in Paris. Coincidentally, both were bought near Paris train station. (But there's at least 20 years in between...) For unknown reason, we've rarely have croissant like that again (you'd think you can find anything in HK, Taiwan and China nowadays), until now...

Foie gras brule, dried sour cherries and candied pistachio. This was from the lunch set, which is RMB198, includes 2 dishes plus a dessert. You can choose anything thing from the menu. The sour taste of the cherries balanced well with the richness of the foie gras. Needless to say, I stole most of this dish.

Slow baked salmon, steamed wild mushrooms, sake ginger dressing. Uhm...this is one of the best fish dishes cooked in Western style I've every tried.

This is the brunch set - clockwise from the top left - brioche french toast, caramelized apple; buttermilk pancakes, warm maple syrup; smoked salmon, potato-horseradish gallettes, creme fraiche and eggs Benedict. The french toast is almost like a sponge cake and the eggs Benedict is just right with the centre running. It's nice to have a small portion of each type. The set also include juice and coffee besides the croissants, at RMB$168. No wonder the place is full and you can see the set on most tables.
Veal tenderloin and shank, potato cannelloni, Liquid Parmesan. The veal tenderloin and shank are just perfect. Not too keen on the potato cannelloni though.Roast organic chicken breast, kumquat-lemongrass chutney, mandarin sauce. This was a very nice surprise. Never expect to fin the chicken so tender and juicy, and taste so nice with the olive paste and orange dipping.
Warm chocolate cake. Rich, not too sweet and lovely with ice cream.Petite fours - the chocolates were nice but the best was the marshmallows!!(Macaroons are just so so.)
Originally asked about buying some croissants as take away(that's how good they are), and was told that the croissants were made especially for the brunch sets and not for sale. Luckily, later the very helpful and friendly General Manager, Mr. Godard, said he would go to the kitchen and find a few for us as Easter present! The two bars of Chocolates were Easter treats for ladies.

Enjoyed a lovely brunch and most important thing is finally convinced my parents that western food can be tasty too.

Will definitely go again when in Shanghai again and highly recommended to all visiting Shanghai.

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