In July 2017, French celebrity chef Pierre Gagnaire opened his 16th restaurant, Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, in Capella, part of The Leading Hotels & Resorts. Pierre Gagnaire is one of the world's most acclaimed chefs, with 17 Michelin stars and the "Chef of the World 2015" award from Le Chef magazine. His restaurants are all over the world, most notably Pierre Gagnaire's eponymous restaurant, which opened in Paris in 1996 and has been holding three Michelin stars for many years. Less than a year after its opening, Le Comptoir Shanghai was featured in the 2018 Michelin Guide, making it the shortest-running restaurant on the list. As a leader in rookie restaurants, Le Comptoir is challenging the established western restaurants in Shanghai.
Resident Executive Chef Romain comes from a culinary family, and his father is Alain Chapel, one of the greatest chefs in French history. Romain began his career as a chef in 2001 with three-Michelin-starred Michel Troisgros as an intern at Maison Troisgros in Roon, France. He went on to study with award-winning chefs, two of whom were Philippe Jousse and Jacques Maximin. After three years at Alain Chapel, who has two Michelin stars, Romain moved to London in 2012 to work at Pierre Gagnaire's star restaurant, Lecture Room and Library. Mr. Gagnaire has chosen him as Executive Chef for the Shanghai restaurant, and this Asian debut of Romain and Capella Hotel has injected new blood into Western restaurants in Shanghai.
Compared with the three-Michelin-starred Pierre Gagnaire store in Paris, which is committed to the ultimate in imaginative cuisine, the Shanghai store focuses on simple and casual light luxury, creating a relaxed atmosphere. The appetizer almond and garlic cold soup is served with fruit cubes, and the small and fresh fruit color scheme makes you feel bright. The soup is made with dried almonds and bread, marinated in various spices, and then added with milk to create a rich cold soup with a mellow and smooth texture and a unique flavor with sweet fruits. The crab salad is served with pineapple slices and carrots, and the tender and firm crab slices are sandwiched between the top and bottom, and the bright orange hue has a breezy texture.
Gaya style Dalbriezi oysters are made with sincerity, and the oysters that are flown in daily are guaranteed to be fresh, large, plump and clean, and worth a try. The Rose Chantilly puffs are unique and vivid, with a piece of shortbread on top, with the creaminess of the puffs and the crispiness of the biscuits, which blend just right, and can instantly capture the hearts of female diners.
Bullfrog cream stew is a less common dish in other Western restaurants. The bullfrog is fried until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, soaked in a seemingly rich but refreshing cream sauce, and the acidity in the sauce just balances the oiliness of the frying and echoes the sweetness of the bullfrog itself. In addition, dishes such as grilled Spanish pork chops, Montélimar frozen nougat, and signature foie gras jelly are produced at a stable level, winning by being conservative and not making mistakes.
Located in the Hengfu Historical and Cultural Landscape Reserve in Xuhui District, Capella Jianye is the only all-villa urban resort hotel in Shanghai, with the "Shikumen" complex originally built by a French real estate developer in the 30s of the last century. The restaurant is located in the heart of the hotel. The French-style dining room has panoramic windows and a terrace overlooking the Shikumen courtyard. The restaurant is elegantly designed, with wooden furnishings for a classic feel, and some seats have wooden sofas. A French-chinoiserie partition creates a semi-private area that can accommodate up to 20 people. Most of the waiters in the restaurant are foreigners, can speak simple Chinese, there is basically no obstacle to order communication, the service is warm and intimate, know how to grasp the distance, and charge 10% service charge.
