A Revitalized Classic: Le Verre à vin Wine Bistro

If you've been here a while, you might have heard of Le Verre à vin, one of Shanghai's longstanding wine bistros. It just relocated to Ferguson Lane, and has reopened with a fresh new look and a revitalized bistro menu that's both eclectic and comforting.

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About

Le Verre à vin

When it first opened in 2014, Le Verre à vin was one of only a handful of wine-forward bistros. But the recent wine bar boom and the loss of key partners put the old Le Verre in a precarious position of having to adapt. (It's operated by the MIG restaurant group, which also has Le Vin, Miss Ali, and 鸟啸, a yakitori with three locations in Shanghai.)

It took a little while, but Le Verre has not only found itself a new, classy space to roost, but also a young chef to modernize the menu. Behind the food is chef “K-Wen” Xie Pei Wen (谢沛文), who's added his spin on bistro fare. The Shanghainese chef spent his early years honing skills in New York, and most recently catering private dinners in Shanghai.

It's a warm and cozy space that can accomodate up to 60 people. There's also a small private room that fits eight people comfortably, and a few tables outside for al fresco.

On The Menu

The Food

The menu retains a couple of the Le Verre fan favorites like the marinated pig ears and the deep fried intestines with yuzu pepper, but is otherwise is a complete revamp with influences from Japanese, French and Chinese cuisine. It’s eclectic, but in a good way, with some truly original dishes and classics done well.

Table bread

Appetizers and snacks of course include the requisite cheese and cold cuts plates, but also ceviche, sashimi, stuffed squid, and beef tartare. Mains are mostly meats with the exception of sautéed scallops and a fantastic miso marinated cod filet.

Hamachi Crudo (¥78) – A light starter of fresh hamachi and house pickled fennel. A lovely combination of buttery sweet hamachi and crunchy, citrusy fennel.

Angus Beef Tartare (¥108) - 120g of diced Angus beef in a mildly spicy, acidic dressing, topped with quail yolk and sweet pickled biquinho peppers.

The beef tartare is served with spice-dusted housemade rice crisps, which are so crunchy and brittle that one could almost mistake them for chicharron.

Marinated Razor Clams (¥68) – A cold starter of vinegary razor clams dusted with smoky paprika.

Garlic Chili Shrimp (¥68) – A simple dish done well with just the right amount of spice. Prawns in homemade chili oil made from Chinese red and green peppers and plenty of garlic chips. Be sure to save some of that house bread to sop up the spicy, garlicky oil.

Deep-Fried Bullfrog Legs (¥88) – Tempura frog legs and perilla leaves served with jalapeño mayo. Taut and juicy meat in a light, crispy batter paired with a tasty sauce. It’s a classy alternative to chicken wings.

Fujian Baby Squid (¥88) – Baby squid stuffed with squid roe served with romanesco broccoli, potatoes, and confit garlic in a luscious sauce that’s citrusy and buttery. The squid roe is a first for me, but it’s rather delicious, and has a gelatinous texture similar to braised beef tendon. A refined dish with a sauce begs to be enjoyed with bread.

Chongming Baby Goose Breast (¥168) – Dry-aged goose breast seared with butter, served with Japanese pumpkin, a crunchy onion and orange marmalade, and yuzu jus. Ask for it to be cooked medium to medium rare for optimum enjoyment.

Braised Beef Short-Rib (¥158) – Braised short-rib finished with a crispy char in a stock of mirin, beef jerky dashi, and mustard sauce, served with house dill pickles. An excellent combination of rich short-rib with a bright, acidic stock and crunchy cukes.

Grilled Beef Tongue (¥118) – Three massive medallions of beef tongue cooked to perfection. It could use more truffle jus and béchamel sauce, but otherwise excellent, and good value, too.

Miso Cured Alaskan Black Cod (¥188) – A classic done right. A buttery, rich fillet of black cod flavored with miso alongside braised eggplant and a miso black sesame dressing.

Le Verre Flatbread (¥78) – An uber thin flatbread topped with black truffle, preserved duck egg yolk, and mozzarella cheese. The duck yolk is jammy, and isn't salty or intense. A simple yet very enjoyable dish that's a great as a starter or snack to share.

Shanghai-Style Angel Hair Pasta (¥88) – Scallion noodles made elegant. Thin pasta with soy sauce, olive oil, and toasted scallions topped with salmon roe for a touch of salinity.

Gâteau Basque Cheesecake (¥68) with vanilla ice cream. Seems like there isn’t a restaurant out there that can avoid putting a basque on the menu. It’s a standard ooey-gooey basque cheesecake.

As for drinks, house wines start at an agreeable ¥49/glass and ¥249/bottle. Following the trend, bottles are on display with listed prices all along the shelves. It’s a mix of everything—new, old, and funky—but more importantly, they stock more than 100 labels in the ¥300-450 range.

It’s always nice to see old favorites successfully reinventing themselves. It doesn’t take much to realize that change needs to happen, but it takes courage and gumption to pull it off. Overall, it’s a huge improvement from the former Le Verre, and if I'm completely honest, it's almost a completely different venue all together. What hasn’t changed is perhaps the pricing, which is friendly and approachable for both food and wine.   

Le Verre a vin is currently in soft opening. Some prices and dishes may be adjusted based on cost and availability of ingredients.

Deals

Nomfluence Readers Deals

The deal below is valid from now until December 4, 2022 for Nomfluence readers when you book via the QR Code below!

• Get 10% off your food bill.
  

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Sponsored by Le Verre à vin

Le Verre à vin
📍 No. 105, Ferguson Lane, 378 Wukang Lu, near Taian Lu 武康路378号武康庭105铺, 近泰安路
📞  17821987133
🕒  Daily, 5:30pm-1am

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