Newly Opened Akmé brings Paris Chic to Shanghai

A new and exclusive French restaurant has opened in Shanghai. A cross between Jean George and Coquille, Akmé is located in the FFC, inside a hotel complex. It is sophisticated, clean, quiet and Parisian style.  

THE CONCEPT

The name, the chef, the color

Akmé is the third brainchild of Michelin Star chef, Akrame Benallal. He is already well known for his other two restaurants, Restaurant Akrame, located in Paris and Hong Kong. From the time these two restaurants opened, they have not seen a quiet day. Constantly packed with diners, searching for the sophisticated taste, getting a table is hard. In Paris especially, RSVP in advance is required to secure a seat.

So how will Akmé stand out in Shanghai? For sure, Shanghai dining scene does not lack any Michelin star chef luster, but because of Chef Akrame Benallal's popularity, there is a lot to look forward to.  So, what magic is Chef Benallal brewing in his kitchen?

Expect Black

A rare glimpse of the chef’s notes, which carefully shows the drafting of each dish

Black? Yes. Usually this color choice is better saved to describe design details, but if it is from Chef Akrame, he designed his signature dishes with the color black as inspiration. Of course, this also carries over to the design of the restaurant interior, which is reminiscent of Jean Georges meet Coquille. Especially with the high ceilings and black touches. They also have an open kitchen concept where you can see the chefs in their creative element, like a moving artwork.

THE CUISINE

Dining here is a true luxury, and the prices do not fall short of that mark. Fixed price menu include four courses for RMB588, six courses for RMB988 and RMB1288 for eight courses. The options to choose from include vegetables, which is mainly classic French prepared dishes. Meats, which include game meat of pigeon and duck, or a tenderloin and lamb chops. Seafood options include, oysters, sea urchin, King Prawns, lobster or turbot.

Our four-course culinary journey begins with a Fois Gras Flan with Mango and Duck sauce.

Foie Gras Flan, Mango, Duck Sauce

This dish is delicious. Between the tart caramel and the flan with touches of foie gras. The texture is soft and slightly pasty in mouth. It is as sweet cream, however the taste is strongly foie gras-ish. The black powder bread brings some crunchiness to the whole. It was by far the best of the meal!

King Prawns and consommé with smoked black tea

Our second dish was King Prawns and Consommé with Smoked black tea. First layer is a King prawns paired with a… what is this ball? It’s made in a quenelle style, which is seafood and fish are cooked together and then reshaped with a knife to get this round adorable shape. Then they envelope the ball with leaves of spinach which gave to the whole its black shade (we told you this color will appear several times during this journey). Last touch: basil powder. Served with a exquisite smoked black  tea. Consommé is the canonical, and most elegant, French soup, done with Asian flairs this time. 

Grilled Blue Lobster, Grapefruit and Turnip

One of the signature dish of the chef, as the venue emphasize is on seafood. The Lobster is grilled in front of your eye in order to serve it perfectly warm. Turnip gives it the crunchiness and the sweetness of the grapefruit pairs wonderfully with the lobster. Something is hidden under the turnip, if you want to know what it is, you need to try it! (RMB 188 extra charge).

Smoked and Slow-Roasted Pineapple, Vanilla ice cream and Eatable Charcoal

For sure you never, ever saw a dish like this one before. Try to guess what it is for a minute… This is the game of Chef Akrame. He likes to play with people to enrich their dining experience.

Is it a meat? No… it s a dessert. This is their take on Pineapple and vanilla ice cream, did you guess right? We didn’t.   

EXTRA DISH

We were supposed to have four courses, but we had the opportunity to try an extra one.

Grilled Australian Beef Tenderloin on Charcoal Red Beet and Sweets Onions

Excellent beef with crunchy red beets paired with a voluptuous sweet onions cream. RMB 98 supplement if you pick this one.

Who you should go with:  A slow eater with a petite appetite who enjoys savoring each dish  

What you should drink: Some wine from their wine cellar

What you should eat: The foie gras flan was the highlight on the afternoon, we can’t wait to have it again.

AKMÉ

Address: Level 1, 55 by The Group, No.55 South Wulumuqi Road

Hours: Daily 6:00pm-10pm

Tel: [phone]

Price: RMB 588 per person 

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