Fortune Meal

I wanted just one proper fine-dining meal in Shanghai but it's a challenge finding a place that can accommodate party of one. Fu 1015 on Yu Yuan Lu is one of those few that serves Tasting Menu in individual portion so I asked hotel concierge to help me book for one of the evenings. 

The restaurant is on number 1015 Yu Yuan Lu (hence part of the restaurant name with Fu means Fortune in Chinese) in an European-styled townhouse built in the 1930s (once occupied from a wealthy banker and then a famous general during the Nationalist regime). I am sure the facade of this historical building in the former French Concession was charismatic but braving the rain I literally just ran past and went right inside. 

There's no communal dining room but instead they seated everyone in private rooms - yes that included those coming alone like myself. I don't really mind but it did get a little strange sitting in a vast room by myself especially in between courses and after the last course was served. ("Am I supposed to stand up and go? Or they will come in with the check?" I wondered). But then the antiques and furniture in my room and also others were very nice to look at. 

There were a choice of tasting menus, one more classic (and slightly longer) and one more adventurous with some new dishes prepared in more contemporary style (but slightly shorter) Overall, the meal was quite decent and enjoyable. My favorite was the wok-fried fresh river shrimp and hairy crab meat, combining two classic and seasonal Shanghainese ingredients and cooking into a single dish. The shrimps were done in nice bouncy texture and the crab meat (more a mixture with crab roes) was decadent in nice golden color. 

Steamed yellow croaker was served as fillet with the piece from the belly with a splash of sweet soy sauce and topped with finely minced scallions on top. I love the delicate texture. The braised hairy crab leg with asparagus is a crafty dish with meat from the small hairy crab was carefully picked off the shells and sauteed with the most tender bits of asparagus, also cut in bite-sized strips. It's simple yet elegant. 

But for the rest, it's quite ordinary to be honest and I did expect more for the price they are charging. The cold appetizers of jelly fish with cucumbers, the glass noodle rolls wrapped with vegetables, and the pickled turnips were all good but then I could count a dozen other places in Shanghai (or even Hong Kong) that did just as good, if not better. The same with the double-boiled matsutake and bamboo pith soup - good, but not out of this world good. I felt they just put the braised abalone and pork belly together as the rice course just to include some presumably expensive ingredient into the menu. 

The lack of wine by the glass or half-bottle selection meant I resorted to tea and beer to go with the meal. And I finished with two desserts including the soy ice-cream with crispy dough sticks and steamed rice cake with red date paste - both okay but nothing worth write home about. 

In our last Shanghai outing I was impressed by Fu He Hui, the restaurant under the same group housed in another historical building down the road with a series of creative vegetarian dishes, but I felt Fu 1015 is definitely lacking something despite "costing a fortune" (relatively speaking), maybe the charisma or finesse in the cooking that matched the level of decor and presentation they put so much effort in. 

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720310943194

When? August 30 2023
Where? Fu 1015, 1015 Yu Yuan Lu, Changning District, Shanghai, China
福 1015 中國上海市長寧區愚園路1015號
Menu Highlights? Wok-fried Fresh River Shrimp with Hairy Crab Meat 炒蝦蟹
Web: (Michelin Guide) https://guide.michelin.com/hk/en/shanghai-municipality/shanghai/restaurant/fu-1015