This week in Shanghaiist
So last week the parents were in town and that meant fancy food for free! We decided to take them to Jade on 36, the Paul Pairet helmed restaurant in the Shangri La, and even we were surprised at how amazing it was. We can say without a doubt that it was one of the best, if not the best, meal of our lives. And we’ve eaten at a bunch of those uber-haute restaurants named after the chef.
The fabulous view of the Bund and the modern, yet understated room by Adam Tihany Design (definitely one of the coolest in the city) would normally be enough to warrant a good time. But the food was the real star of the show. According to the charming Maitre’d, Pairet developed, along with slightly more well-known chefs like El Bulli’s Ferran Adria and Fat Duck’s Heston Blumenthal, the world’s hottest culinary trend, ”Molecular Gastronomy”. The basics of this new style of cooking are creating flavors combinations that at first seem to make no sense, but end up becoming little flavor explosions in your mouth resulting in eating ecstasy.
A couple of standout dishes from the eight course set menu were the “Can’t Quit It” Foie Gras, a fruit flavored crispy cylinder stuffed with a creamy foie gras puree resembling a cigarette and served on an ashtray. Another delectable was the coca-cola strawberry spaghetti for dessert. The meal lasted for 4 hours, but flew by as all of the people we were dining with were on the edge of their seats awaiting Pairet’s next irreverent invention.
If you have a thousand or two kuai to spend on a night’s rations, then you can’t do any better than Jade on 36. Paul Pairet is a true artist at the pinnacle of his culinary excellence. Along with a breathtaking view and excellent service, Jade on 36 might convince those people at Michelin to start taking notice of Asia’s culinary Meccas.
Jade on 36. Level 36, Pudong Shangri-La, 33 Fu Cheng Road (富城路33号)
Reservations: (86-21) 6882-8888
Photo from Jadeon36.com
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Can you tell us more about all of the dishes and how they taste?
I hate the pretentiousness of things being served in an ashtray etc. but I guess the taste was supreme.
Also you left out the critical factor - how much did it cost? "thousand or two kuai" doesn;t tell us exactly how much or exactly what you got for it.
What night of the week did you go?
How busy was it?
How far in advance did you book?
How was the service?
Write a review goddamit!
No question, Jade36 strives for and achieves something very unique in Shanghai. I respect Mr. Calinoff's enthusiasm and am glad he and the folks enjoyed their meal atop the Shangri-La. I went there last Fall and left with some different opinions. I did enjoy the experimental feeling of trying something unique, but everything was designed to make your eyes and tastebuds say "Huh?". Some will love the place for that, I did not.
The space is indeed great, it's the right setting for fine dining both in terms of location and decor. But I felt the food was so high on concept and totally lacking in substance. I don't recall the actual dishes though I distinctly recall the waitress giving arduous descriptions of each course. There are set menus, priced something like 698, 898, 1198? Something like that. And with a pricey wine list and some cocktails, we must have run up about 1200-1400 per person. Don't forget the 15% automatic surcharge on top of it.
I felt like every course was the amuse-bouche, you know, where they've mixed something gelatinous with something brittle added something foamed and put it in a shot glass?! Ugh. If I'm spending that kind of coin, I want an Old Master or an Impressionist, not an Abstract Modernist.
I think Jade36 is for the uber-gourmet, the overly-pretentious, or someone who's been eating too many expense account meals across the river at JG & Laris and finds themselves bored. Curious what others think...
> What night of the week did you go?
> How busy was it?
> How far in advance did you book?
> How was the service?
> Write a review goddamit!
Or, write whatever you want. It's a blog, goddamit.
I generally eat burgers in bars, so I'm hardly 'uber-gourmet or overly-pretentious', but I ate at Jade two nights ago and loved every second of the experience. I tried the medium-sized menu and was stuffed by the end of it. Plenty of substance there, including huge chunks of lobster, a great wedge of beef cheek, and hearty desserts. Why go on about price? It's a high-end restaurant on the top floor of a luxury hotel in a pricey city. Of course it's expensive.
It's about time molecular gastronomy has come to Shanghai!!!!
Oh come on now, he gave full disclosure that its not his regular haunt so we understand the perspective of where he is coming from when complimenting all the niceties of Jade on 36. Reminded me of when i was in College and my parents came to visit and we went to some nice places to eat, places I never would have bothered to even walk into... sigh those were the days.
But here in SH, I must say there are very few places worth the amount they charge at Jade, but if one has the money and its worth it to them, then so be it. I will stick with my "regular people" food for now. :)
I've eaten at the restaurant three times before, but my experience there least week has elevated it to best meal in Shanghai.
I don't know what they have changed but it was exceptional.
The vegetarian set meal was also outstanding.
guest #3 -- it's not 'just' a blog - Shanghaiist shoud be and is usually above the standards of others blogs = a person saying "I ate at this restaurant and it was nice" or other inane personal crap - they give out info and news. (or just copy and paste from Shanghai Daily - but it's still news, just recycled)
Hi, this is Jordan Calinoff. I do agree with the above commenters that this is not a restaurant review. While I don't want to speak for the entire Shanghaiist staff, I do beleive the goal of our blog is to inform, entertain, and perhaps inspire our readers to experience and learn about Shanghai to its fullest. In addition, by its very nature a blog is personal and subjective. I wasn't aiming to write a detailed review, I was just trying to describe a very memorable experience I had in our great city.
While Jade has some drawbacks, namely the price tag, it is one of only a handful of restaurants in the world where food of that style and quality can be found. As a Shanghai blogger I hope that my experience might be helpful to others trying to enjoy the city to its fullest.
In reference to poster #6, three of the menus are brand new, which may be the reason for elevated quality, and for those of sufficient means it might warrant another visit in the near future.
Jordan Calinoff is right. I respect him very. I hope he continue to do more review.
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guest #1 / guest #7:
>What night of the week did you go?
>How busy was it?
>How far in advance did you book?
So you're saying there should be more of these scintillating details when someone at Shanghaiist writes about a visit to a restaurant. Okay, got it.
I hope you're writing this down, Shanghaiist staff! We don't want to see you straying from the path again. Goddamit!
nice post, but I just have to say- something about starting a restaurant review with "my parents have come to town so I'm goin' somewhere fancy!" and following up with "even WE were impressed by it" strikes me as awkward.
Fine.
Fill Shanghaiist with "I went to a restaurant and I liked it!"
Morons.
Where has this guy been? - Jade on 36 has been around for years. Try telling us something new about Shanghai; blogs should be of-the-moment, not historical record.