法国餐厅 — Restaurant in Shanghai

This place was an insult to Shanghai and a disgrace to the Michelin brand.

Genuinely, it was so bad that it made me think less of Michelin stars and skeptical of if they are trustworthy anymore — absolutely does not deserve a star.

If you're reading this, seriously do not waste your time or money. Here's why:

For the price (1500-1700 rmb) and level of restaurant, nothing was up to par. Across a group of 4, we tried the traditional set menu and the summer special set menu. I've eaten at whole-in-the-wall places and Michelin restaurants all around the world, and when you can have amazing meals for like 50-200 rmb all around town, this felt like an actual scam.

To start, the sourdough bread rolls were overcooked and the raisin walnut bread was dry/stale. For a French restaurant, bad bread was a sign of what was to come...

Creativity — all the dishes were things that are quite common, for example a chocolate lava cake for dessert. That's ok if done really well, but most stuff wasn't (the cake was tasty, but no moreso than a microwaveable one you could buy at the grocery store). The caviar egg sounded interesting, but was too one-dimensional and needed more balance (eg. eating with bread or something, it was like just eating butter by itself). Some dishes were an attempt to do something interesting, for example an early course that mixed a sweet, Shanghainese style fruit based sauce with fois gras, but the execution was flat. Flavors did not mix well together. On the summer menu, a sashimi mixed with an overly tart and mostly bland sauce with mushrooms didn't mask a forgettable quality of fish.

Execution — the second fish course was overcooked (cod) and overall was not even as good as something you could easily make at home. The wagyu beef was undercooked and undersalted. Again, I feel I can make better steak at home and thought to myself "why did I pay for this." It was served with onion rings that were worse than Burger King on top of a tomato compote that tasted like canned tomato sauce. Seriously. It was weird.

Service — friendly, but not at the level I'd expect for this tier restaurant. Delivery of dishes was uncoordinated, pacing was off (we waited like 20 minutes for the main course), one waiter almost spilled sauce all over me while serving the plate. It was also inconsistent, sometimes multiple people serving plates and coordinated, other courses one person running back and forth to get each plate, come back with the sauce, pour it on, then take it away, come back and explain the dish. Not because it was busy (it was maybe 60% full for dinner on a Sat night), it seemed like people were not properly trained.

Value — again, it genuinely felt like a scam. I have never been to a Michelin star restaurant (and I've been to over 20) that had zero memorable or at least tasty dishes. I'm writing this and legitimately wondering how the f did this place get a star — did they pay off the evaluators? It makes zero sense.

We went for a special night out with my partner and her parents, at the end of a wonderful weekend trip filled with lots of great meals around town, and all of us left wondering "why would anyone pay for a place this bad?" They should be ashamed of charging the prices they do for the product they provide.

View was nice though. lol

Don't make...

One of the few upscale restaurants in Shanghai that were happy to accommodate my guest’s vegetarian diet (another fashionable and upscale bistro had suggested that we order a RMB 15,000 set dinner, which did not exist, in their own obnoxious way of saying they couldn’t cater). The place is elegant and well-lit, and housed in one of Shanghai’s traditional buildings on the Bund. There’s also a selection of old world wines on the menu, but we brought our own bottle (corkage applies). The staff are professional — there were a couple of guests who were behaving oddly (though not offensively) at the table, but never once did the staff bat an eyelid. This is one of the few restaurants in Shanghai I’m happy...

jean georges 🍴 1 ⭐️ michelin restaurant jean georges on the 4th floor of threeonthebund has been one of my favorite western restaurants and brunch places in shanghai for the past few years with its consistingly high quality, starting from the bread&butter to the excellent desserts. after the renovation the space now also has a bright and friendly ambience. as for brunch 298 cny (+10% service charge) gets you two dishes from the a la carte menu (some subject to supplement) plus dessert. i do love the tuna tartare with avocado, radish and ginger marinade. picture: young coconut semi-freddo with...