Asian-fusion with flair
Friday - October 12, 2007
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When Li May Tang opened her gorgeous Asian-fusion restaurant in Discovery Bay Center, she took the concept of northern Chinese and Hong Kong-style cooking and mixed the food with influences from Japan and Thailand.
In a fine-dining setting that incorporates teak furniture, imported handmade pottery, an extensive teapot collection, designer lighting and a some of the most beautiful bathrooms in town, Shanghai Bistro seems more like the kind of place you’d find Alan Wong and his fine staff, not Chinese chefs trying to change the face of ethnic dining.
But that’s exactly what Tang and her executive chef, Chih Chieh Chang, have achieved - a fine-dining setting with an exquisite Asian-fusion menu. And now the team has introduced an incredibly inexpensive way to taste some of the chef’s signature dishes.
“We’ve been running a lunch buffet for quite some time,” says Tang of the lunch that runs daily from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.“Now we’re also offering a choice of entrees so people can either eat lightly or try some of the chef ‘s specials at lunchtime.”
Chef ‘s specials have always been a big part of the attraction at Shanghai Bistro. Chang is a talented chef with a passion for cooking and discovering new flavors.
“We’re not doing Pacific Rim cuisine or just Chinese food, but a fusion of a lot of different cultures and food that is suggested by our traveling,” says Tang. She travels frequently to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and takes note of food fashions around the world.
Almost all of the dishes at Shanghai Bistro will surprise you. Kung Pao Chicken, a standard on many Chinese menus, comes to the table on a steaming hot, handmade plate, and the dish is full of spice and chili pepper. Tender chicken melts in a mouth that at times is on fire. It’s Kung Pao with a kick. There’s also a beautifully delicate shrimp dish that comes with its own tiny straw. You pierce the deep-fried ball and release an aromatic steam before lifting the ball to your mouth and tasting both broth and shrimp in one bite. Chef Chang’s Special Dried Beef is a well-seasoned dish of gently marinated beef, stir-fried with green onions, carrots and celery, and his Hot and Spicy Tenderloin Steak is a welcome alternative to overcooked beef. The dish is served on a flaming platter and comes with choi sum, mushrooms, garlic and basil.
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And if you’re still not convinced that Shanghai Bistro is different, then try some Crab Meat Dip served with homemade lavosh, or Crispy Bacon Tofu Rolls dipped in soy sauce.
Not an average menu, and certainly not an average chef. For $8.95, taste a dozen or more dishes at the lunchtime all-you-caneat buffet, and for an extra $4 try one of chef ‘s daily entrees, including a vegetarian version of his spicy beef, and shrimp steaks. A weekend lunch buffet at Shanghai Bistro features additional dishes including whole seasoned crab, shrimp, fish, chicken, duck, pork, noodles, salads, dim sum and desserts - all for $15.95.
If you like Chinese food, elegant dining and want more from your dining experience than just a place to eat - you’ll love this restaurant.
Shanghai Bistro
Discovery Bay Center
955-8668
Validated Parking within center building.
Open daily 11a.m.-10 p.m.
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