Dining room at Nougatine & Menus
Another great upscale dinner we had at Shanghai was at Jean Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant, Nougatine at Three on the Bund. I ate at Jean Georges Restaurant and Nougatine in New York City but I was curious how it fared out on the other side of the globe.
Three on the Bund is Shanghai’s newest epicurean lifestyle destination blending gastronomy, art, culture, and music in an elegant, sophisticated gathering place for dynamic people and stimulating ideas. It created and manages six award-winning restaurants and bars, The Cupola, and Shanghai Gallery of Art. It is also home to German luxury leather goods located on the lower floors.
Once we entered the lobby of Nougatine and Jean Georges, it felt like a club (but it’s the norm in trendy restaurants in China, as I’ve learned eating around); dimly lit and lots of dark wood. We were greeted with a duo of friendly hostesses and quickly took us to our large table.
When we ordered our water (bottle of French sparkling water from Badoit; 56 RMB), dishes, and chose our bread from the large, shiny hammered stainless steel bowl, not too soon came out our surprise welcoming amuse bouche of egg on egg. According to our captain, he said this particular dish is exclusively served at Jean Georges Restaurant across the hall but they wanted to treat us to one of the restaurant’s distinctive bites because we’ve come far abroad. That’s terribly sweet of them. The egg on egg is sublime. My entire table was collectively silent for nearly 30 seconds because this was so good! (And keeping us quite is a feat in itself.) We were swooned by the perfectly toasted thin brioche slices sandwiching those beautiful deep orange golden orbs of duck egg yolks and topped with a generous quenelle of sturgeon caviar. Life couldn’t get better that.
My dad ordered something so unusual and that is a salad. If you ever know him, he loves his meat so hearing that come off his lips shocked me. Knowing that Jean Georges’ style and the team he has, they did deliver a tasty steamed shrimp salad, tender greens and Champagne vinaigrette (98 RMB). It’s a mix of sweet and bitter greens and the salad wasn’t overdressed and the shrimp was large and sweet.
I must have the signature foie gras brûlée, dried sour cherries and candied pistachio (128 RMB). Having this foie gras brought back memories when I ate for the first time several years back and it’s still incredibly good. My family was blown away by how the subtly crisp brioche meeting creamy, livery foie that’s coated in sweetly glazed caramelized sugar and pistachios for added crunch when they took a bite of my dish.
My brother opted for a crisp crab cake with sugar snap pea remoulade (118 RMB). Delicately crisp breading met with the sweet, fluffy crab meat. The sugar snap pea remoulade was added freshness and sweetness to the crab cake.
My mom had the tuna tartar, avocado, spicy radish with ginger dressing (118 RMB) was very tasty. The dish was silky, creamy and fresh and the ginger dressing added a bit of zesty contrast.
Top to bottom: Red snapper crusted with nuts and seeds, sweet and sour jus; Roasted cod with mushrooms, herbal ginger scallion condiment; Sautéed sea bass, sweet garlic sauce, crunchy potatoes and sweet peas
Most of us stuck with the fish route for our main courses since we felt the need to eat a bit light. All of the fish were nicely moist and seared properly. The red snapper crusted with nuts and seeds, sweet and sour jus (188 RMB) was wonderfully sweet and sour with a nutty undertone. The roasted cod with mushrooms and herbal ginger scallion condiment (198 RMB) had light, clean and spring-like flavors of the peas, fresh shiitakes, and the spicy ginger. The sautéed sea bass, sweet garlic sauce, crunchy potatoes and sweet peas (178 RMB) was tasty. Beautifully burnished, crisp skin echoing the crispy potatoes and the sweet peas enhance the sweetness of the dish.
My brother wanted meat and had the caramelized beef tenderloin and crunchy potato gratin (218 RMB). The beef was incredibly tender and cuts like butter. The saucer sized potato grain was decadent and is a classic pairing with the beef. Rich but not overtly.
We shared our desserts (62 RMB each) since the portion sizes of our savory courses were fairly substantial. The crème fraîche cheesecake, berry sorbet, mixed berries compote that is a delicious cheesecake that was light and both treatments of berries contrasted with temperatures and textures.
The carrot sorbet, cream cheese mousse, and orange salad is a sophisticated, primarily frozen interpretation of carrot cake. It’s refreshing, light and it almost taste like carrot cake save for the spices (which technically, I never really cared for the latter).
We had a fantastic dinner and service was friendly and professional. It tastes very similar to the original New York City Nougatine but in a darker, handsome setting.
To view more photos of these vists, please CLICK HERE or view the gallery below:
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Information:
Nougatine by Jean Georges at Three on The Bund
Website
17 Guangdong Road
4th Floor
Shanghai, China
Telephone: +86 21 6321 7733
Lunch
Monday – Sunday
11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner
Monday – Sunday
6:00pm – 11:00pm
Brunch
Saturday and Sunday
11:30am – 3:00pm