Azul Restaurant is located on Wukang Road, one of the most popular roads in the French Concession and Shanghai, and is a landmark restaurant in the area. Located on the seventh floor of Wu Hong Lane, Azul Restaurant is a small alfresco restaurant with an open 180° view, famous for its terrace overlooking the entire French Concession and the restaurant's iconic clock. Restaurant Terrace Wins 2015 ShanghaiWOW! "Best Rooftop Terrace", "Most Distinctive Terrace" and many other awards. Azul has been popular since it opened in 2003, and 15 years later, the restaurant is still full of diners. In addition, it is one of the top Spanish restaurants in Shanghai, such as "Best Latin American Restaurant in Shanghai" in 2016, "Outstanding Chef in the King of Chefs" in 2016, "Best Mediterranean Restaurant" in 2017 CityWeekend, and "Best Restaurant in Class B" in DiningCity in 2016.
The restaurant's founder, Eduardo Vargas, is the owner and chef of the largest number of casual Western restaurants in Shanghai to date. He has worked in restaurants and hotels in Banff, Canada, Toronto, Hawaii, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Beijing, etc., and was named one of the 20 most noteworthy people in Shanghai by CNN for his extensive experience in the food and beverage industry. Eduardo moved to Shanghai in 2002 and began to take root in the city's food and beverage scene. So far, he has opened more than 18 Western restaurants with different concepts in Shanghai, most of which are deeply loved by young urban diners with their relaxed and casual dining style, and have a non-negligible influence on Shanghai's Western food industry.
主厨Oscar Beltran曾经在西班牙、德国和美国的多家有名的餐厅工作, 其中包括他的家乡巴塞罗那的一间米其林三星餐厅Roca Brothers。Oscar目前是Azul Tapas & Lounge和新餐厅COLCA的行政总厨和合伙人。他于2016年在CCTV2的厨王争霸赛中,带领Azul团队杀入总决赛并赢得“优秀厨师”称号。
In the appetizer, a fresh shrimp and avocado salad is very pleasing, the shrimp are very fresh and plump, the crushed cucumber and tomato bring a slightly sour taste, and a small amount of sweet corn enriches the layer. The leafy greens are very fresh and moderately serving, with crispy corn chips at the bottom and avocados on the hard side but no flaws. The garlic prawns are grilled until fragrant and fragrant, and the shrimp body is sprinkled with herbs, and the shrimp gravy is delicious and evocative. Another dish of Parmesan cheese baked scallops, the scallops are full of weight, full and juicy, the grilled cheese with basil pesto has a very special taste, the special flavor of basil sets off the cheese taste quite thick, and friends who like cheese should not miss it.
In the classic paella, the sauce is carefully matched, and the seafood stock and tomato flavor are natural. The seafood ingredients used in the rice, such as shellfish, cuttlefish rings, and prawns, are all fresh. The chef replaced the traditional Valencian short-grain rice with domestic rice, and adjusted the hardness of the rice grains according to local conditions, improving the taste of the Spanish-style "raw rice", not making the rice too soft, and the soup was just right. One of the restaurant's most popular tapas is the fried squid rings. The skin is fried crispy and delicious, and the squid inside is completely preserved, and the taste is moderate but not greasy. Served with Greek yogurt cucumber, homemade tomato sauce and Spanish tartar sauce, it will satisfy all tastes.
Azul's desserts are of a good quality and have received a lot of praise. The most popular dessert is the crème brûlée, which is petite and lovely, with a very elastic taste, fragrant custard, and a sweet but not greasy taste. Another dessert is the lime pie with lemon cream puff pastry, the lower layer is crispy, the cheese compartment is sweet and sour, and the top layer is baked with cream. Pair it with crème brûlée and order it with a sweet and sour pairing. There's also an Italian pudding that's very different from the crème brûlée on the front and is more like fresh vanilla ice cream.
餐厅位于武康里七楼,搭乘电梯到六楼后需再走上一层楼梯。饭点时餐厅几乎座无虚席,在六楼楼梯就能听到热闹熙攘的声音,足以验证其超高的人气。餐厅装饰出自于成功打造Bar Rouge和Mr& Mrs Bund的法国设计师之手,内部装饰风格颇有极简主义的味道,却又不失摩登风貌。白天阳光透过钟形的大窗户照射进来,夜晚可以透过窗户眺望夜景,温馨的钨丝灯泡从天花板上坠下,具有轻松休闲的小资情调。服务员热情大方,时刻保持着微笑让人心情愉悦,不足的是对菜品的熟悉度略有欠缺,专业知识方面还有进步空间。