A special year-end menu featuring indulgent and decadent Chinese delicacies for the fall and winter.

Once you walk into the Chinoise Story, you feel the elegance and luxury that it offers. Winner of countless Best Restaurant awards and listed in all the travel guide books, it seems to be THE place to be and be seen for Shanghainese, and one glance at the menu explains why. It is full of rare Chinese delicacies like liver, abalone, fish maw, and shark's fin. Their present set menus are a year-end special and give diners the chance to sample each of these renowned delicacies. The fantastic general manager Mary planned a set menu perfect for us to taste their cold-weather specialties.

We started off with a rich and creamy foie gras with fruit and nut salad (148rmb). It was obvious from the first glance that this was nothing like the foie gras you see at French restaurants, it looked almost like a piece of duck breast. The liver itself seemed more natural, un-trimmed and therefore full of fat. I didn't complain because the extra fat made it taste even more decadent. Exquisitely paired with a sweet and tangy salad of candied walnuts and dried goji berries, which also have medicinal qualities in Traditional Chinese Medicine, this appetizer perfectly blended a traditional Western dish with Asian flavors.

As I savored every bite of the appetizer, our server brought two shallow bowls full of a thick orange soup, one of the restaurants signature lavish dishes: slow-cooked shark's fin and fish maw (300rmb). The last time I had shark's fin, I was young and unaware of the harmful way the fins are collected. But fish maw I had never tried before but heard of it and Mary mentioned its benefits for your skin; it is a natural source of collagen and helps keep your skin healthy during the cold. I used to love shark's fin and have been curious to try it again, and this soup did not disappoint. It is true that shark's fin and fish maw do not have their own flavors, it is their textures that distinguishes them. Slippery, rubbery and chewy, they really are an acquired taste. The best you can hope for is that they are cooked in a tasty sauce or broth because they absorb them well. This soup was decadent again: rich, buttery and perfect for the cold weather.

Now I was craving for a salad or side of steamed vegetables with our main course, as the first two dishes were just so fatty. We were served the slow-cooked veal steak in abalone black-pepper sauce (58rmb). The meat was tender and fell right off the bone, roasted perfectly and smothered with what tasted like a barbecue sauce. The dish itself was served only with two broccoli florets, and they didn't serve the mini steamed pumpkin with vegetables until we had finished the steak. I would have preferred more vegetables, as the pumpkin only had one piece of asparagus, and a single piece of mushroom, water chestnut, and cucumber chopped up inside.

As we waited for our desserts, we perused their full menu and commented on the restaurant itself. Although a weekday evening, there were a number of visitors, mostly Asian but with a few Westerners. The contemporary seating arrangement made it a private dining experience, another Western feature of the Chinoise Story. Looking back at our meal, I probably should have ordered wine with the foie gras and veal. One look at their comprehensive wine list, I regretted not having a chance to sample it. I discussed with my dining companion why the restaurant was so popular and we both agreed that the fusion works perfectly: Chinese locals enjoy eating Chinese food cooked in a Western way while Westnerners find it easy to try Chinese dishes that have European flavors. I am not sure when I will be back since this place is not cheap, but it is definitely worth the splurge. I would highly recommend this venue for special occasions, especially anniversaries.

Location

No. 59 South Maoming Rd. //錦廬，茂名南路59號，錦江飯店一層 Tel:021-6445 1717 Shanghai

Service quality:

excellent

Food quality:

excellent

Price per head (RMB):

300-400

Environment:

excellent

Feature dish or menu:

Shark’s fin and fish maw, foie gras

This article is brought to you by Best Food in China (www.bestfoodinchina.net ). Best Food in China is the first and leading English-medium website featuring reviews on food, cuisine and restaurants in China. For more information, please visit www.bestfoodinchina.net.