[Industry Nights]: Hamish Pollitt
By Justin Fischer, Jan 17th, 2011 | In Dining
Industry Nights is a semi-regular column featuring the haunts of chefs, restaurant owners, F&B managers, and other marginally sane people with good eating recommendations.
When Chef Hamish Pollitt of M on the Bund isn’t crusting legs of lamb with salt or beating egg whites to stiff peaks for pavlova, he’s cruising the Concession for baked goods, bistros and one hole-in-the-wall restaurant that is frustratingly difficult to find...
Franck
Ferguson Lane, 367 Wukang Lu, near Hunan Lu
"My favorite in Shanghai. I cannot think of a better way to spend a Sunday lunch! I find it hard to not order the steak tartare, but anything Simon or Chef recommends always hits the spot. The chef there is really creative on the classics and incredibly consistent with the product. I really enjoy Franck’s vision, having watched this bistro evolve over the last four years."
Baker & Spice
195 Anfu Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu
"Baker & Spice has really raised the bar in this city on the baking side of things -- well done, Jackie and Co. I go there for their breads, and anything else that catches my eye. Lately I have been hooked on their caramels."
A Si Man
1251 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu
"On the corner of Fuxing Lu and Xiangyang Lu there is a great Uihgur BBQ shop that also has a little "bakery" attached. A tandoori style oven produces great flat breads, as well as the "lamb bombs" [Ed. Note: kao baozi] that my good mate and colleague Adam discovered. These are little breads stuffed with all the bad parts of the lamb that taste so good, plus they have a charred flavor! Head there between 12.30 and 1pm for them. That's when their hot and ready."
Wasabi
1 Xianxia Lu, near Yan’an Xi Lu
"I don’t know. This one just might be based on pure emotion. My wife and I had a baby boy just last year and the hospital was out Hongqiao way. After nine months or so without sashimi, my wife had quite a craving. So I wandered down the road and found a restaurant called Wasabi. I ordered some take-away for my wife, and while I waited they sat me down and I had a cold Asahi draft and a fantastic dashi with some tuna collar in it. The dashi was so flavorsome (which in my view is a pretty good indicator), the fish tender and juicy. The take-away was great too, but I would really like to go back again and give the place a proper nudge."
Bistro Santiago
N/A
"This one is a little cryptic, and I intend it to be. Bistro Santiago is where I have had some of my most memorable gastronomic experiences, from braised ox tongue to foie gras on chicken leg mushrooms to Wagyu skewers on the BBQ. Jacques and Sylvie are the greatest of hosts, with an amazing cellar and sense of generosity. It is around the Jiashan Lu and Fuxing Lu area, but you really have to work hard to find it."
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Der, Jan 17th, 2011
Dude, it's pronounced AssMan not A Si Man!Justin Fischer, Jan 18th, 2011
We're going with the direct transliteration from Hanzi on this one. 阿=A, 斯=Si, 曼=Man. Besides, would you at at a restaurant called Ass Man?Der, Jan 18th, 2011
It's pronounced differently in arabicJustin Fischer, Jan 18th, 2011
I'm sure it's pronounced differently in Uyghur, too. However, my Mandarin skills are more proficient than my Uyghur skills. So in this case, I err on the side of caution and go with the pronounciation that I more immediately recognize from the signage -- the Mandarin.scottyg, Jan 19th, 2011
Going to take a guess that Bistro Santiago is someone's home...Justin Fischer, Jan 19th, 2011
Very astute, scottyg. That is correct. Hamish just called me to tell me as much.... After I spent the better part of an afternoon wandering through all the longtangs near that intersection.Please sign in or register to comment