Nova French Bar & Restaurant

By Brian Sun (Bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2009-03-30 15:30

It happened to be a rowdy evening with an adjacent table of jovial customers celebrating a friend’s birthday. This helped set the tone for my aperitif drink, Patis, an anise-flavored liqueur, which I enjoyed while I studied the menu. Going for signature French dishes, I ordered the Roasted French Brie rolled with dried fruits, pine nuts and wrapped in bacon. My dining partner selected the pan fried foie gras served on a ginger biscuit sitting on apple compote. These entrees were impressive, not only for the taste of the natural ingredients but the splendid combinations created by the Chef. Surprisingly for a humble bistro, the food presentation was pristine and avant-garde. Another appetizer, pepper surprise, was truly creative, as a mix of escargots and shellfish was hidden in hollowed red peppers bathed in light but tasty shellfish bisque. All three plates went back cleaned and licked!

The main courses carried all the traditional meat dishes, such as entrecote rib-eye steak and grilled lamb chops, but when I saw a full page of tartares de boeuf (steak tartare), I simply could not resist. Steak tartare is a meat dish made from finely chopped or ground raw beef or horse meat. Tartare can also be made by thinly slicing a high grade of meat, - such as strip steak - marinating it in wine or other spirits, spicing it to taste, and then chilling it. It is often served with onions, capers and seasonings. My beef tartare was served with pesto, shaved parmesan and diced basil; beautifully presented with pickings of capers, shallots, cornichons and a raw egg draping the raw beef. After thoroughly mixing all the fresh herbs into the beef, it is to be slowly enjoyed over a glass of full-bodied red wine. I must say that it is an acquired taste but a good indicator of the restaurant’s quality, which I would surely discover by the following morning. My partner selected something light-hearted; seared tuna cubes coated with a mix of black olives, fennel, and eggplant and accompanied by provencale sauce. While this dish was not overwhelmingly grand, it was perfectly paired with a nicely chilled glass of Sancerre.

Glancing at the pelting rain outside, it was a great reason to move on to desserts. It was the first time I had tried a raisin chocolate crumble. While I normally associate crumble with stewed fruits and custard, the blend of chocolate with crumble bits and raisins was justifying indulgent. Our second dessert was the poached pear tart, which looked more like a sponge cake with inner fillings of almond cream and pear. While it was well received with coffee, I was actually hoping for a traditional tart that had slices of pear, layer upon layer.

Overall, the new executive chef, Siv Ton Hao, is making great efforts to define the menu little by little. The owners seem to enjoy having a few drinks with their customers and living to their principle of pleasing others and taking delight in it.

 

Location(s) 418 Dagu Road, Jingan District, Shanghai

Tel: 8621 63401889 Shanghai,

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