YongF00 Elite
"YongFoo Elite, nestled in the former residence of the renowned physician Kuang Ankun and the site of the British consulate, is a Spanish-style old house.
Outside, the bustling road is under repair, but stepping into the narrow entrance of YongFoo Elite, one is guided by dim lights along the ground. After a short walk, the main building emerges, opening up like a hidden paradise.
The remnants of its private club heritage are still prominent, with luxurious deep purple walls, layered lace tablecloths, plush European leather chairs, chandeliers aged with time casting a hazy yellow glow, and a Maison Margiela lamp lazily reclining on the table.
This visit to YongFoo Elite was prompted by news of the new chef taking charge. Chef Liu Chang, freshly returned from a fifteen-year culinary sojourn in Italy, where he helmed Japanese-Italian and Chinese-Italian fusion cuisine in Milan and interned at Noma, now spearheads a dual-track reform. Building upon the foundation of traditional Shanghai cuisine, Chef Liu aims to develop a new style of sophisticated local dishes.
For my inaugural visit, I selected the Lite menu. Broadly speaking, the menu suggests the chef is full of ideas, yet on one hand, there’s a noticeable restraint, perhaps due to budget or the confines of the cuisine, which has led to a selection of rather ordinary ingredients. On the other hand, the menu has completely adopted the style of a "foreign chef" with taste clashes so intense they verge on chaotic, a jumble I’m certain is not the "harmony" favored by most local patrons.
The meal began with three appetizers: horse mackerel, beef tongue, and sticky rice green dumplings, creatively presented on toast, tacos, and tartlets, which were pleasant enough.
The Shanghai-style bread bun was substantial. When this bun, much larger than a fist, arrived with its humble presentation, it was clear there was an intention to feed me promptly. True, it was more refined than street food offerings, yet it was, simply put, just a bun. Jinsha Hall too adapted Shanghai breakfast but created a remarkable duck liver sauce scallion pancake; only at such a level of creativity does it qualify as a dish.
The first course was chicken soup. The addition of Parmesan cheese to the soup created a discordant flavor, and the crispy strands seemed out of place, where one would normally expect chicken, bamboo shoots, cordyceps... The chef later clarified that this dish was "Yangzhou people in Italy." Judged by that concept, indeed, the flavor clash reflects cultural collision, and I could come to terms with it.
The second course was flounder, adorned with fried potato shreds and accented with pickled vegetables and ginger paste, ringed with seafood and basil sauces. The pickled vegetables were satisfying, fragrant with just the right amount of acidity to complement the fat, but the other sauces seemed a bit haphazard.
The third course, pork neck, was akin to char siu but ought to take cues from Yu Tang Chun Nuan. This serving of char siu was unevenly marbled, slightly over-seasoned, paired with the pronounced sourness of lemon juice and apple puree, resulting in another clash.
The fourth course was a Basque cake paired with ice cream, where the osmanthus, not in season, lacked the aroma of fresh flowers. The dessert itself was a platter style, uninspired in conception.
Considering the new chef's esteemed background, I plan to try the 1800 menu in the future, yet this first experience did not meet my expectations.
Such a beautiful and elegant setting at YongFoo Elite, juxtaposed with the contradictory culinary offerings. The trendy local cuisine and the secluded literary bar – in the age of high-end dining's marketization, there's a longing to preserve the exclusive feel of a private club while not forsaking the patronage of the public. Striving to be both artistic and trendy, yet clearly constrained. The contradiction isn't within the walls, perhaps it's in the minds of those who make the decisions.
Time flows serenely at this place, where our fleeting presence briefly intersects with a bygone era. Before the end of an age, no one can discern that the seemingly ordinary days slipping by are, in fact, the last golden age."
