福禄居 匠 Atelier @ Shanghai

I heard so much about their roast pigeon and roast goose, but it was not happening this lunchtime. One of the best Cantonese restaurant in Shanghai that is just below my new office.

福禄居 匠 Atelier opened very recently (2023) and is the latest of a chain of fine dining Cantonese restaurants in Shanghai. The interior decorations are similar to another Michelin rate Cantonese restaurant by they have no association.

The three auspicious deities of Chinese culture Fu Lu Shou 福禄寿 (joy, luck and longevity) welcome you into the main dining hall. All the materials were chosen to create and reinforce the sense that you’re walking onto a Shaw Brothers film set, transporting you back to the glamour and elegance of smoky, post-war Hong Kong.

佛山汾蹄 Foshan Pig Trotter

This is a classic appetiser dish, but it wasn’t popular outside of the Greater Bay area 大湾区. I would have this as a choice for my BBQ roast rice bento in Hong Kong, but I could find it here in Singapore. Crunchy and tasty, with the must-have Teochew chilli, leek and vinegar sauce.

马兰头三文鱼籽 Chopped Indian Aster with Salmon Roe

Indian aster 马兰头 is a local herb that is chopped up and served as an appetiser. They incorporated salmon roe (ikura) to balance the herby taste with umami from the ikura, transforming this local appetiser to something Cantonese. Delicious and innovative.

海米翡翠嫩双笋 Shredded Vegetables with Dried Shrimps

An ok appetiser, nothing to shout about.

蜜汁叉烧肠粉 Charsiew Rice Roll

We ordered a few dimsum dishes to supplement the main course. First up, the charsiew rice roll. Excellent charsiew which stood up under the rice roll which was perfect in terms of thickness and texture. Very high standard, I would come here for yumcha next time.

沙爹金钱肚 Steamed Beef Tripe in Satay Sauce

蚝皇蜜汁叉烧酥 Baked Charsiew Puffs

This was their signature, and it tends to run out very quickly. We were very lucky to have two portions (3 pieces per portion). I didn’t know what the fuss was about. Puffy with really good BBQ charsiew, but they all taste like that in the good dimsum restaurants in Hong Kong.

黑椒牛柳肠粉 Black Pepper Rice Roll

I didn’t know what it was, and the rest of the group could not tell as well. But when I bite into one, it was beef in rice roll 肠粉. Unlike the usual soy sauce over the rice roll, the chef had made a sauce to pour over it. The beef was sautéed with a black pepper sauce and rolled with the translucent rice roll. It was like a watdun horfun 滑蛋河粉. Full marks on taste and innovation.

菜胆竹笙和牛汤 Poached Wagyu with Bokchoy and Bamboo Fungus

The slice of wagyu beef was scotched by pouring boiling soup over it. The soup base is chicken and pork with a hint of scallops. A good soup, but no surprise.

蒜香雪花牛肩肉 Garlic Chips with Stir-Fried Sirloin Cubes

There’s only one doneness for beef in a Cantonese restaurant – the doneness the chef wants you to have. The beef cubes were cooked thoroughly and yet tender and juicy. No blood.

清蒸笋壳鱼 Steamed Marble Goby

The marble goby is farmed as you can tell from the firm flesh. The technique is Cantonese, which the fish is steamed and the sauce poured over. You can taste the naturally flavour of the fish, unadulterated by another other condiments.

虾汤丝瓜煮蛏子 Bamboo Clams and Loofahs in Prawn Stock

I cook this all the time at home, so I have my yardstick for a good loofah in stock dish. And this one ticked all the boxes – crunchy and young loofahs, delicious stock with umami, the seafood/shellfish did not overpower the sweetness of the loofahs.

当红炸子鸡 Roast Chicken

They ran out of their signature pigeons and goose, and we had to settle for roast chicken. But it was not shabby at all. Crispy skin, tender and moist meat, it was a good replacement.

清炒豆苗 Sautéed Pea Shoots

A simple yet difficult to execute dish. You need rapid tossing of the pea shoots in an extremely hot cast iron wok to achieve the wokhei while not withering the delicate vegetable. Not to wet, and yet every stalk of pea shoot had the exact same flavour.

I love Cantonese cuisine, not because I am a (Chinese) Southern boy at heart, but for the innovation and constant upgrading of techniques, flavours and presentations by these tireless Cantonese chefs. While the food was solid Cantonese, there was some surprises (and no misses). They use local ingredients (like the Indian aster) and yet the finished dish is distinctly Cantonese. I would not be surprised they will get a Michelin star here (or elsewhere)

福祿居·匠 ATELIER (兴业太古汇店)
上海市黄浦区石门一路288号LG147室
Tel : +86 (021) 6288 8812; (021) 6288 0027

Visited Jun 2024