Shanghai Restaurant Review: Phénix

By Betty Richardson

The Place

Out with the old, and in with the new. So goes it at Jing’an’s PuLi Hotel, who have replaced their former Western dining concept, Jing’an Bistro, with a new French eatery: Phénix.

Aiming to be equal parts restaurant, lounge bar and brunch destination, Phénix offers a menu of French bistro-style eats with more wallet-friendly prices. Still manning the stove is Australian Chef Michael Wilson.

The Food

Doing French food in Shanghai is always going to be risky; the city already has dozens of cheap and upmarket options. With this in mind, it’s clear Chef Wilson has chosen quirky and ‘off-the-beaten-palate’ dishes when designing Phénix’s menu.

Interesting ingredients like tongue, tripe, venison and liver all make appearances. We start with the house-made chicken liver parfait, served in a wee mason jar with a layer of prune compote. Sadly, the parfait was lacking in that Madeira wine or brandy flavor that makes this dish special. It could also use more salt and lavosh crackers that don’t crumble so easily.

Venison tartare was a more than a little overpowered by the showering of pickled beetroot and julienned carrots that come atop it. Why hide a quality ingredient like venison under so much salad?
Caramelized garlic soup – a classic Provençal recipe – gets an upgrade with seared wild scallops, dates and burnt butter. The result is a smooth soup reminiscent of ramen broth, no bad thing for sure.
For mains, the ‘roast and confit’ duck breast is fabulously juicy and expertly cooked to be just pink enough in the middle, though the leg was a little dry. We have a soft spot for garlic leaves (weird, right?) and these charred strands were a judicious and flavorsome pairing.
Many restaurants are afraid of putting something like tripe on the menu, since they feel it will put squeamish diners off. Not so at Phénix. The tripe casserole with cuttlefish and tomato (RMB160) is a winner, and as for all that green stuff on top, it’s persillade – French for chopped parsley with garlic, oil and other herbs.
For desserts, we loved the nutty pistachio ice cream and delicious honeycomb, but didn’t really understand why the financier cake was cut into rectangle.
Seemingly, that same financier is moonlighting in another dessert we ordered, served as torn up chunks in the strawberry granite with basil and compressed strawberries.
Since desserts are RMB95 each, we don’t want to see the same elements being used in different dishes.

Food verdict: 1.5/3

The Vibe
The PuLi is one of the most stylish hotels in town, and you’d expect nothing less from their flagship restaurant. Phénix is spacious, comfortable, stylish and timeless, suitable for both formal and business occasions. Tables are well spaced apart – which affords privacy and not a ‘buzzing’ atmosphere.

Vibe verdict: 1/1

Value for Money
Our wine-less dinner for two sets us back over RMB900 once the 15 percent service charge kicks in. With prices like these, Phénix is competing with heavyweight French eateries like Franck, Villa Le Bec and Cuivre. Then again, those are all in the former French Concession. This is Jing’an baby, and Phénix has the market for dependable service and good quality French food cornered.
Value for Money: 0.5/1

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB450-500 per person
Who’s going: locals and expats, hotel guests
Good for: French food, formal occasions

Phénix, 2F, 1 Changde Lu, by Yanan Zhong Lu.

You May Also Like...

To leave your review, click "Read more" below.