查看原文
其他

New Opening: Galleria Mixes Fine Art with Great Food

2018-01-29 Cristina Ng ShanghaiWOWeng


Walking into Galleria, you will be greeted by a vibrant pink balloon sculpture (a nod to the work of Jeff Koons) directing you to, “eat art,” with a fork stuck into it to drive the point home. Immediately after that you will see an image of surrealist legend, Salvador Dali, with a three dimensional yellow ball covering his mouth. Their combination of a restaurant with an art gallery could be perceived as a strange gimmick, if the creative Mediterranean food wasn’t so darn delicious. 



The open kitchen is a signature of this restaurant group (see Terroir Parisen, Morton’s Grille, etc.), but the placement at Galleria seems to put even more emphasis on the chefs working. The gallery theme continues throughout the main dining room with huge and elaborate chocolate sculptures, conceived and commissioned by founder Mario Zaccagnini, displayed throughout. 



Peruse the space and you will find paintings made out of a diverse range of materials including wine and squid ink. 



Four different dining rooms are themed with candy collages decorating the walls and images of famous icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Lauren presiding over the room. 



The actual menu reads like an of exhibition program with categories developed around the famous works of art pictured within. Starters are featured beneath the still life 'Nature Morte,' by 18th Century Spanish painter, Luis Melendez. 


Foie mi-cuit with lychee and rose (RMB 288)


While the foie mi-cuit is a lovely dish, whereby the semi cooked foie is reduced in port wine, breaded in green almond then accented with foams, air and whipped creams flavored with rose and lychee essences, we preferred the simpler foie grasso dish.


Foie Grasso (RMB 128) 


The fatty liver is cooked down to a decadent sauce that works well with the assortment of earthy mushrooms. The red prawns are meticulously prepped and cooked; we haven’t seen a prawn this pristine in Shanghai in ages. 


Sweet peas (RMB 138)


Peas are a vegetable that can go from beautiful to overcooked in the blink of an eye, but Galleria ensures that they are slowly cooked in French butter (natch) thereby retaining all of their freshness and sweetness. The brightness of the vegetables accented by natural salt from land and sea: Iberian pork belly and salicornia (AKA sea beans). A fresh shaving of black truffle along with pea and mint air finishes the dish. Overall the dishes in this category offer a surprising variety of techniques and high end ingredients at a pretty decent price point. 


Carabinero creamy rice and its secrets (RMB 288)


Rice and pasta dishes are listed with a portrait from Van Gogh’s Wheat Fields series, because wheat equals flour and flour equals pasta. Their chef, Alex Molina, shows off his Spanish heritage with the flavors of the Carabinero creamy rice. The rice is cooked in lobster stock and arrives perfectly al dente with wonderful sauce. Sweet chunks of red prawn and the surprise burst of briny flavor from the sea grapes are a great addition.  


Tagliatelle with oxtail ragu (RMB 118)


House made tagliatelle is a special treat made even better by the beautifully prepared oxtail ragu. While there is nothing crazy or inventive done with this dish, we appreciate the classic flavors highlighted with such a straightforward preparation. 


Beef tenderloin with Cumberland sauce, berries and floral nuances (RMB 398)


The meat section of the menu is joined by Francis Bacon’s “Figure with Meat” painting, which makes sense. One would expect a group behind Morton’s and (also newly opened in Shanghai) The Butcher’s Club, to have great steak, but the treatment of the steak is very creative at Galleria. The beef is on a gorgeous plate with edible flowers, vibrant Cumberland sauce, truffle spheres and assorted berries. It’s so fine dining that they’ve cut up the meat for you! 


Chocolate lover (RMB 78)


Strawberry fields (RMB 68)


Desserts imbue the Andy Warhol spirit with the colorful pops of color throughout. As they are listed with the artist’s “Ice Cream Dessert,” each one includes ice cream.  The chocolate dish has all the flavors to satisfy a dessert purist, while the strawberry one is more unique. It looks like Christmas on a plate and combines basil cake with little orbs of strawberry jelly, ice cream, strawberry foam and mint granita. It is almost savory from the herbal flavors and is perfect for those who don’t like too much sweetness. Soft coconut soul is served inside half a coconut shell and you will find lots of different textures and flavors as you scoop into the creamy top. We especially like the red berries ice cream. 


Soft coconut soul (RMB 78)


The theme and décor is really fun, but we are most pleased with the innovation along with solid technique that is happening in the kitchen. While some dishes are more successful than others, everything we tried was really interesting. We hear from our Pudong friends that there is a lack of cool restaurants in Lujiazui and here’s hoping this new opening gives them something to be excited about. 


Address: LG1-20, Bldg D, IFC Mall, 8 Century Dadao

Tel: 021 6088 0010

Hours: Sun-Thurs, 11:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11:30am-10:30pm


Related Articles




Find Out What Shanghai Health Gurus are Eating this Winter



Our Favorite Dishes this Month

您可能也对以下帖子感兴趣

文章有问题?点此查看未经处理的缓存