Rich flavors return to fall menus
An autumn culinary feast
This autumn, Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality has brought together four hotels in four cities to present an “Autumn Culinary Feast” series for diners in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Sanya, highlighting a wide variety of ingredients and cooking techniques to make the best of the golden season.
The two restaurants at Bellagio Shanghai, Mansion on One and LAGO by Julian Serrano, have crafted seasonal dishes for the series that will last through November 8.
A hairy crab feast at Mansion on One incorporates Western-style ingredients such as truffles and foie gras to find new inspirations in traditional dishes — like adding the intense aroma of black truffle in clay pot rice cooked with sweet hairy crab meat, or the deep-fried almond wrapped crab claws with foie gras and shrimp paste that adds extra creaminess.
Clay pot rice with sweet hairy crab meat and black truffles
At LAGO by Julian Serrano, the Italian restaurant has put together the season’s favorite ingredients — black truffles, porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and straw mushrooms — to create a five-course Italian-style mushroom menu. Special dishes include wagyu beef carpaccio with straw mushroom and Parmesan cheese, as well as the grilled salmon served with chanterelles and Arctic clam.
Meanwhile, the three Diaoyutai MGM hotels in Hangzhou, Chengdu and Sanya have created special dishes highlighting local flavors that are served during the culinary feast series at the hotels:
Sichuan-style fish-flavored abalone
Hangzhou: Diaoyutai silk tofu with matsutake
MGM Grand Sanya: Agaricus blazei (a mushroom) and scallop stew
Address: Bellagio Shanghai, 188 Suzhou Rd N.
Mansion on One: 3680-6766
LAGO by Julian Serrano: 3680-6777
Wagyu beef carpaccio with straw mushroom and parmesan cheese
Shanghai hosts first Vinexpo
Vinexpo is ramping up its presence in the Chinese mainland by launching the first edition of Vinexpo Shanghai from October 23 to 25 at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.
A total of 260 exhibitors from 18 countries and 40 wine-producing regions attended Vinexpo Shanghai hoping to consolidate links with the most dynamic market in the world and meet the key buyers.
France, the leading supplier of still wines to China, had a sizable delegation of over 50 exhibitors. Italy was the second most represented country in terms of exhibitor numbers, giving Chinese buyers a chance to discover the country’s native grape varieties.
In response to the incredible rise in organic products globally, Vinexpo Shanghai also created a zone dedicated to organic and biodynamic wines and spirits, presenting over 100 products from nine countries. By 2021, consumption of still wines imported into China is expected to outstrip consumption of locally produced wines for the first time: 79.1 million 9-liter cases versus 71.2 million.
Xindalu-China Kitchen: hairy crab and a little heat for autumn
Xindalu-China Kitchen, at Hyatt on the Bund, has released a new fall menu to highlight seasonal offerings, especially hairy crabs.
For appetizers, two light vegetarian dishes are great starters to a meal of rich autumn flavors: spicy bamboo shoot in scallion oil and sweet-and-sour Yunnan zucchini that’s shredded thinly like noodles.
The crispy pork neck cooked with soy sauce is a succulent dish with a hint of sweetness.
Crispy pork neck
In addition to the return of popular hairy crab dishes such as sautéed crab meat and roe served with sesame pancakes, braised crab roe with shredded mandarin fish, and wok-fried crab claw meat with asparagus, chef de cuisine Du Caiqing has created a few new delicacies, like noodles served with crab roe and sea urchin: a rich, creamy staple dish that can be shared by two to three people. The fresh sea urchin is added at the last minute and slowly melts into the crab roe to present a harmonious flavor and texture.
A quite unique new dish this season is the braised bullfrog with dried bean curd, ginger and chili, served in a sizzling hot clay pot. The dish certainly packs some heat and the addition of baby lotus root also adds a lovable crunchiness.
Braised bullfrog with dried bean curd, ginger and chilli
Sautéed crab meat and roe with sesame pancakes
For dessert, the double-boiled white fungus soup with lily bulb and lotus seed, plus a sweet hawthorn jelly cake on the side, is a refreshing, chilled end to an intense meal of fall flavors.
In November, Thitid Tassanakajohn, chef of the Bann and Le Du (No. 20 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019) in Bangkok, Thailand will be a guest at Hyatt on the Bund to present a special menu at VUE Restaurant and a new station at Aroma buffet.
Address: 199 Huangpu Rd
Tel: 6393-1234 ext 6318
New opening: The C. House
The C. House is a new Western-style restaurant opened by CP Group dedicated to the “farm-to-table” philosophy, bringing together high-quality ingredients sourced by CP Group from around the world.
From beef flown in from Australia to fresh fruits and vegetables from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, The C. House has put together a classic menu to emphasize ingredients such as beef tartare, lamb chop, dry-aged rib-eye steak and deep-fried bullfrog legs.
Address: 5/F, 88 Yuanmingyuan Rd
Tel: 5308-8332
Deep-fried bullfrog legs
