Shanghai: House of Flour & Mistral

Shanghai: House of Flour

I had heard great things about House of Flour (HoF) from Shau Ru and was dying to check it out. Although I do prefer Asian desserts to western ones, it had been a minute since I had a great slice of chocolate cake. After a great meal at the newly-opened Mistral, I found that I still had room for dessert and jumped in a cab to HoF.

house of flour HoF shanghai china chocolate orange mud cake
The chocolate-orange mud cake sounded absolutely irresistible, so we ordered a slice a la mode. It definitely lived up to its reputation – the cake was incredibly moist, dense, and spiked with orange fragrance.

house of flour HoF shanghai china creamy hot chocolate
Being the overly-indulgent eaters that we are, we also tried out the creamy hot chocolate. It had a silky smooth texture and was full-bodied and rich in flavor. Definitely the perfect dessert for chocolate-lovers.

HoF is open until midnight or later, so it’s a great place to catch a late night treat.

Enjoy!

House of Flour
30 Sinan Lu at Huaihai Zhong Lu
思南路30号近淮海中路
+86 21 6093 2058
www.houseofflour.com

Shanghai: Mistral

Mistral is a new Spanish tapas restaurant that just opened up on Fuxing Lu, in a space that used to be occupied by Marrakesh. It’s owned by the same people who make the quality cocktails at Tara 57. The whitewashed interiors are simple and elegant, and I was pleased that we had snagged a table on their lovely terrace. Unfortunately, Mistral’s only menu is written on a blackboard on the first floor in Spanish. So if you are upstairs, make sure you order your dinner before being seated to avoid that extra trip. I thought this blackboard ordering system was a notch above Franck’s on the pretentiousness scale, but after conversing with the charming and knowledgeable chef, I thought maybe this isn’t so bad. Still, Mistral could think of way to keep their “Spanish-style” menu intact without having to greatly inconvenience their diners.

mistral fried goat cheese shanghai china
After we ordered, we headed back upstairs and enjoyed the warm Shanghai evening on the terrace. Our first tapas dish came – three small balls of goat cheese, drizzled with honey and served with a bit of carmelized onion. The goat cheese was absolutely delicious – creamy, rich, robust, and perfectly complimented by the sweetness of the honey and the onions. My only complaint was that at $60RMB for a 2 person portion, they could have thrown and extra ball of cheese on the plate. How are 2 people supposed to split 3 tiny balls of cheese anyways?

codfish with raspberry aioli mistral shanghai china
We also went for the codfish with raspberry aioli. The creamy, slightly sweet and tangy raspberry sauce was a great accompaniment to the white fish. Delicious, but the 2 person order clocked in at $75RMB. Order wisely.

mussels shiitake saffron cream mistral shanghai china
I absolutely love mussels, so I couldn’t resist ordering the mussels with shiitake in saffron cream ($45RMB). I had imagined that they would be in the shell, so I was a bit disappointed when the dish arrived bearing the equivalent of 2 whole mussels – chopped! Nonetheless, the mussels and shiitake were fantastic, the sauce was creamy, earthy, and flavorful.

mistral shanghai china paella a banda
After the three tapas came and went, I was still desperately hungry and praying that our 2 person paella ($150RMB) would be portioned a little more generously. Luckily it was. The paella arrived on our table piping hot and was studded with squid, clams, and mussels. The rice was cooked perfectly, and came with a dish of raspberry sauce on the side. The paella was fragrant and delicious, but it did have small chunks of uncooked garlic throughout, making date night a little less fun…

Mistral is a great new addition to the French Concession. Even though the meal wasn’t perfect and there were several service hiccups (the table next to us repeatedly asked for their tortilla espanola – it was delivered to our table, not theirs, ten minutes later), I think Mistral has a good thing going on. The chef is obviously talented and his kitchen is churning out near-perfect dishes. With a lowered price point (both tapas and wine) and more staff training, I think Mistral could become a neighborhood gem.

Enjoy!

Mistral
133 Fuxing Xi Lu at Yongfu Lu
复兴西路133号近永福路
+86 21 6433 4261

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