The Chinese capital may be the Asian city getting the attention this summer, but even its best restaurants still won't be winning any culinary awards. No, to have a meal that truly brings home the gold, Olympics fans will have to make a southern detour, to Jean Georges Shanghai.
Having staked a claim in Asia on two previous occasions — in Hong Kong, with the since-closed Vong, at the Mandarin Oriental, and on Bora-Bora, with Lagoon, at the St. Regis — the Alsatian chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is now an established name on the Chinese mainland. His 155-seat dining room within Shanghai's Three on the Bund complex, a Beaux-Arts building that overlooks the Huangpu River, has been crowded with well-traveled guests who schedule their trips around available reservations (especially in the two-seat cupola upstairs). Awash in Oriental crimsons, copper foil and exotic materials (eel-skin sofas, pony-hide armchairs), the Michael Graves–designed space is illuminated by the futuristic skyscrapers of the Pudong neighborhood, across the river.
Chef Eric Johnson (a Long Island native, formerly of Daniel and Jean Georges in New York) draws upon both French and Asian influences, evident in such dishes as foie gras brûlé with dried sour cherries and candied pistachios; Kumamoto oysters in Bollinger Champagne gelée; and giant tiger prawns with house-smoked bacon, passion-fruit mustard and cumin honey.
Skeptics wondering why you should go all the way to China to eat in a Jean Georges restaurant, take our word for it: JG Shanghai is like nothing you'll find in the Western Hemisphere. Three on the Bund, 3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road, 4th floor; 011-86-21-6321-7733; jean-georges.com.
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