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Splurge, Save, Steal: Sweet Dreams Are Made of Cheese Boards

Michelle E. ShanghaiWOWeng 2018-11-30

Ok, so…you like queso. Well, you more than like it. Some might even say you are obsessed with it. There’s just something magical about letting milk curdle and mold so it can transform into delicious food. Nature is truly amazing.


If you like food and you live in Shanghai, you're a lucky one. Almost anything you crave can be found somewhere in this metropolis of gastronomy, but our cheese selection is woefully limited due to some very lactose intolerant customs restrictions. (Who could forget the cheese ban of 2017?) If you ever encounter raw milk cheese, chances are it was smuggled in someone’s suitcase. But all is not lost. There are still some treasures to be found if you know where to look. So it's time to check out the cheese boards found in Shanghai restaurants that will fit any budget.


Splurge


El Willy



Address: 22 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, Bund 22, 5/F

Tel: 021 5404 5757

Hours: Monday to Friday, 11:30am-2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm; Saturday and Sunday, 11:30am-3:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm


El Willy is the bastion for all things Spanish in Shanghai. The lighthearted and cheeky personality of chef Willy Trullas Moreno permeates all aspects of his flagship restaurant, from the eclectic decor to the pig-themed tableware and quirky menus. 


But if there's one thing El Willy never messes around with, it's food. Executive Chef Koen Vessies delights our palates with vibrant flavors and impressive techniques. If you haven’t eaten the Explosive Balik Salmon, one of El Willy’s signature dishes, you clearly haven't fully experienced Shanghai's food scene yet.


Photo Credit: Dianping user 这昵称绝了


El Willy’s sexy cheese platter (RMB 190) features five distinctive Spanish cheeses. Among our favorites are the 12-month-aged El Piconero Manchego, of which only 3,000 wheels are produced per year. We love the Murcia al Vino aged goat cheese with its purple tinted rind after being soaked in wine barrels for six months. The El Piconero Ibérico is an exemplary version of this classic blend of goat, sheep and cow milk cheese. Pair the cheeses with a glass of Navazos Niepoort, a truly unique wine that lies somewhere between a white wine and a sherry.


Épicerie & Caviste 62 Le Bec



Address: 62 Xinhua Lu, near Panyu Lu

Hours: Tuesday 4pm-10pm; Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-10pm


France is not only the World Cup champion but also the champion of fromage.


If you are looking for a French cheese plate, get over to Épicerie & Caviste 62 Le Bec tout de suite. This cafe-slash-wine bar is the latest venture opened by Nicolas Le Bec, a two-star Michelin chef back in France. Needless to say, his restaurant Bistro 321 Ville Le Bec is a temple of French cuisine in the city just down the road from Épicerie 62.


Venture into the back of this charming Parisian style cafe and enter Chai 8 Vin Le Bec, the wine bar and wine shop. Here, the masculine vibes are strong with concrete floors and pillars and industrial metal tables. The mood is somewhat stifled by the fluorescent glow of the wine fridges yet, on closer examination, their content reveals some serious juice.


Photo credit: Dianping user 奈允


Francophiles, prepare to swoon over this exclusively French cheese platter. With hefty price tag of RMB 260, it’s definitely an investment though the selection of five cheeses can easily be shared between two to three people. The assortment represents everything we love about French cheese - from the sharp and intense Beaufort with its little cheese crystals crunching between your teeth, to the soft and bloomy Pont-l'Évêque which brings some serious funk.


Save


La Galerie


Photo credit: La Galerie


Address: 1 Fenyang Lu, 1/F

Tel: 1590 064 9246

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 5pm-12am


This new wine bar located inside the Howard Johnson hotel is just a stone’s throw from the IAPM mall and an intimate haven for enjoying the finer things in life. The vibe feels more like the living room of your impossibly-cool and refined friend than a bar. The space functions as a showroom for partner Tina Su’s imported furniture, so the pieces will change on a regular basis. Staying true to its name, the bar is also an art gallery space, and the work of local artists adorns the walls.


Photo Credit: Dianping User JinAXiu


Let resident wine expert and partner Lionel Le Gal take you on a mini-tour of their wine cellar, guiding you through their collection of cool climate wines, with a rotating selection available by the glass.


Now that your soul has been fed with fine art and wine, feed your tummy with some French cuisine. La Galerie features a short and sweet menu with a French influence. Enjoy an evening apéro on their small patio with a mixed cheese plate of three cheeses. A small portion (RMB 128) will feed two to four friends while a large one (RMB 188) is enough for four to six people.


Blackbird



Address: 1262 Yan’an Xi Lu, Building 8

Tel: 187 0199 0479

Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11am-1am; Friday and Saturday, 11am-2am


Get your selfie sticks ready! Put on your #OOTD and head to Blackbird, located in Columbia Circle also known as Shanghai's current Instagram hotspot.



Blackbird is a unicorn in Shanghai - it’s one of those rare places that manages to pull off both style and substance with aplomb. The space is gorgeous, with the glassed-in first floor serving as the bar and cafe area. The second floor houses Table Black which will bring a new take on the set menu dining experience. Then there’s the rooftop terrace, which also houses their herb garden.



The food is nice to look at. But more importantly, it’s delicious. Chef Blake Thornley is like a mad scientist, utilizing some cool food technology to create dishes unlike any you’ve seen before.


Take their cheese course, for instance. Yes, a cheese course! The kind that is meant to be served at the end of a meal, not at the beginning. These three “Cheeses for Jesus” feature sauces made using a SonicPrep ultrasonic homogenizer which quickly infuses flavors into liquids.



The French Brie pairs perfectly with the flavors and textures of apple; we fell in love with the caramelized grape puree that comes with the Tomme de Savoie, and the Fourme d’Ambert is a mini-burger full of big earthy flavors of mushroom and Mountain Ham. You could order just one of these cheeses for RMB 45, but we recommend going all in for RMB 110.


Steal


Alimentari & Degusteria  



Address: 343 Jiaozhou Lu

Tel: 021 6256 5005

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10am-12am


QV is dead; long live Alimentari. Popolo Group did a quick turnaround on the QV space, transforming it from a sleek wine bar into a cheerful neighborhood deli. This second location of Alimentari offers an expanded menu that includes an all-day breakfast and more seating. They are also planning weekly tasting/pairing events.


Stop in and browse the shelves of packaged Italian goods such as pasta and fancy vinegars. Take a gander at the cases filled with cheese, charcuterie, fresh sausage, olives and more. If all that browsing makes you hungry, order some sustenance at the counter then grab a seat and enjoy it right in the store.



The Alimentari cheese board is a superb deal at RMB 75 that features a shareable portion of three cheeses. We nibbled on a black pepper Gouda, an umami-rich Parmesan and cubes of creamy Emmental with an ample pile of sliced whole wheat baguette. Add the Aperol Spritz (RMB 98) bottled cocktail, which contains three servings, and you’ve got a nice little aperitivo for you and a couple friends all for under RMB 200.


Mercado 505



Address: 505 Wulumuqi Lu

Tel: 021 6248 8505

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11:30am-11:30pm


Mercado 505 is the buzzy new kid on the block. The three-story restaurant features a bar on the first floor as well a deli-style market where you can pick up cheese, charcuterie and wine to take home. The second floor offers restaurant seating and the top floor serves as private dining space.



The best thing about Mercado 505? We think it's quite possibly the spacious patio. Why all of Shanghai is not flocking to this charming space is beyond us. The terrace is surrounded by planters to offer some separation from the street and foot traffic. String lights add to the ambiance once the sun has set.



Mercado 505 specializes in high-quality imported products and Spanish delicacies that include cheese, seafood, Chilean Wagyu beef and Ibérico pork. The menu is confusing at first - many prices are listed by weight increments. How often do you order your steak by the gram?


At first sight, the cheese section featuring Spanish and French cheeses is particularly daunting - prices are listed per 100 grams. After learning that you can order a minimum of 20 grams per type of cheese, we DIY’d a cheese platter with an 18-month-aged Comté, a 9-month-aged Manchego, and the ooey-gooey triple cream brie Savarin, a triple cream brie. The grand total for our personalized cheese platter was a mere RMB 42.80.


If you need us this summer, we’ll be on the patio at Mercado 505 with a cheese platter and a pitcher of sangria.




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