The attention-grabbing development at Maison Lameloise Shanghai, the outpost of its French namesake establishment Maison Lameloise in France, was likely the one that Chef Alex takes over the baton in October, 2024.
Having sharpened his teeth at the group for a decade – including four years at the Burgundy flagship resto and six years in SH – has made him become the right one in the best possible light. Or put simply, a French chef is competent to cater to the Chinese market by reimagining Burgundy heritage with Chinese local influences.
In this regard, he gives a nod with confidence – well-grounded cooking skills in particular, on the basis of which he is making a further step to advance the degree of modern twist, somewhat like “less is more”. Not only can it be in tune with the times – again, SH is fast-changing, but also it manages to make the quintessential French cuisine digestible for Asians people.
Though with a clear picture, he’s in no hurry in the way he moves towards, under that condition of which is keeping the spirit of Chef Eric Pras while settling with his well-placed personal touch.
Not hard to see that he pulls it off, with its latest menu showing a new change: the decreasing of flavor profiles and combinations of ingredients, increases the quality of taste instead -straightforward, concentrated yet complex.
Duck, a course built on a simple modern aesthetic essential, receives a thumbs-up. Underneath the clean and colorful look – golden yellow, white, green, red-pink, brown – there’s a clear structure both in its taste and texture. The succulent duck cooked in a brioche being lived up by orange, black garlic, bigarade jus and celtus acquires a harmony – a blend of sweetness, acidity, savoury, spiciness, not boring.
Nestled on the 68th floor in the 632-meter-tall Shanghai Tower, the world’s third-tallest building by height to architectural top, the restaurant commands a full view of this magnificent megacity.
The lunch and dinner tasting menus now start from 488 yuan ($70) and 1,388 yuan ($198), respectively.