Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Shang

Last night I ate at Shang, the chinese resto in the LES Thompson Hotel.  Each dish, as well as the space and waitstaff, was gorgeous, meticulous, and very ornamental.  Each dish is meant to be shared and so began the parade of nine dishes we split between the three of us.

White snapper soup, Beijing cucumber salad, and a sashimi special that came with yellowtail, sliced artichokes and a sauce reminiscent of the Nobu sashimi salad dressing led the charge.  The soup was perfect for the windy night, the cuke salad came with ample avocado and was garnished with all sorts of tastys - persimmon, squash, lotus root.  We agreed on this as our favorite of the trio, noting that the sashimi sauce was the best part of the special.

Next dishes up were a homemade tofu.  It came steamed and enhanced with soy and spinach.  Atop it was a pile of chanterelles and other mushroooms.  I had been in Hong Kong with one of my dining companions last year and we both felt instantly transported back to the remarkable island.  The dumplings arrived soon after.  A net of crispies held four vegetable-potato dumplings in a perfect circle before we cracked through to them.  Steamed and soaked in soy and chili, the dumplings had a vibrant flavor, making them a complete meal in and of themselves.  If I were to come back to sit at the bar for a snack, this would be my meal.

We opted for two seafood dishes, the sablefish and shrimp.  The sable (also known as black cod) came "caramelized" and flecked with salmon roe.  The mustard was a good addition to the tradition, and oft overdone, miso cod.  The shrimp were a work of art.  Four jumbo ones hid beneath a spun web of rice tuille upon which rested an artichoke heart filled with sipnach gratin.  The shrimp sat in a spicy bath of tomato jam.  A favorite of the table.

For dessert we went for a banana chocolate cake and a fruit granita.  The chocolate dessert was more like a sticky toffee pudding with a layer of ganache hidden within.  The fruit dessert, described by the waitress as a "fruit explosion," was just that - and a great way to end the meal as well.

[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

On our way out the door, Susur stopped us to ask what our favorite dishes were.  At that point we had to decide.  It was split between the spinach tofu and the garlic shrimp.  But this morning, looking through my snapshots, I remembered how delicious the vegetable potato dumplings had been.  The truth is, each dish at Shang is a sculptural wonder and an axciting, refreshing juxtaposition of flavors worth giving a shot.  Check it out and explore - next up for me is returning at breakfast.

No comments:

Post a Comment