[Shanghai] Le Champagne
Le Champagne | Dianping
Address: 新乐路82号5楼(近襄阳北路) – Level 5, 82 Xinle Lu near Xiangyang Bei Lu (徐汇区 Xuhui District)
Date visited: 2014.07 for dinner
Total bill: RMB¥977 for two people excluding champagne
Will return: Likely
What to get:
– Pan seared foie gras
– Escargot
– Australian black wagyu beef rib eye
Le Champagne inside The Mansion Hotel serves classic French food with a catalog of champagnes.
Sitting at the top of The Mansion Hotel, there is a dazzling view through the giant windows at night.
Champagne on champagne on champagne.
NV Pommery POP Champagne (RMB¥1,080 per bottle)
Please note this was generously gifted by the restaurant.
Man #1 and #2 were out of town so #3 entertained me on our fake date. This one is the fancy consultant with monogrammed cuffs. He left the ordering to me. Fancy, polite and available, ladies.
Champagne glasses with beautiful detailing.
Soft and perfectly salted butter to start. I always comment on bread and butter because having room temperature butter is a small but important task that sets my expectations for the rest of the meal.
Scallop carpaccio (RMB¥98) with orange, almond and sour cream
Recommend: no
The oranges sounded nice on paper but in reality overpowered the scallops when eaten together.
Escargot (RMB¥68) with spinach, potato and garlic butter
Recommend: yes
The escargots, still sizzling at arrival, brought a nice aroma to the table. A well-executed classic French dish.
Pan seared foie gras (RMB¥145) with pickled cherry, balsamic reduction
Recommend: yes
Thick piece of foie gras complemented perfectly by a touch of sweetness from the balsamic reduction. Another rendition of a classic dish done right.
Pork belly confit (RMB¥260) with sauce soubise
Recommend: yes
Looking quite bland as it arrived at the table, the pork belly actually tasted more flavorful than it looked with a good balance of meat and fat.
Australian black wagyu beef rib eye (RMB¥298) with choice of one sauce (chimichurri, burnt onion puree, bone marrow sauce)
Recommend: yes
The bone marrow sauce elevated the tender steak with the scallions topping it off with a little something different.
For sides, we got mash potatoes and black truffle fries. The mashed potatoes were just fine but nothing memorable. The fries were sprinkled with truffle but were too thick in cut for my liking. I do prefer my fries to be on the thin side.
Medium rare cooked steak exactly as expected.
A few of desserts had elements that looked interesting such as black truffle ice cream, lime tart with basil, and strawberry and smoke cream cheese but we were boring and stuck to the basics to finish off our classic dishes. Next time, next time.
Profiteroles (RMB¥78) with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce
Recommend: yes
Cannot (and should not) go wrong with profiteroles. Comes with a vat of warm chocolate sauce on the side.
Creme brûlée Mansion (RMB¥68)
Recommend: no
Absolutely not. This is what I imagine how I would botch creme brûlée during my first attempt to make it. The texture was like runny poached egg white, far from the creamy custard I expected it to be. A total disappointment. I like this place but I really don’t like this creme brûlée. Management said this was not the first time a customer has expressed this but apparently the chef is adamant about this recipe.
