[Lunch Break]: Nova
By Justin Fischer, Feb 7th, 2012 | In Dining
The Area: Dagu Lu. That small strip between Shimen Lu and the North-South expressway. Once the city's hub for bootleg DVD shops, it has since become a popular spot for mid-range eats, QED Haya's, Little Huia, and Da Papa Mario.
The Place: Your typical French bistro. Dark varnished wood and brass contrast with whitewashed walls. Next to the bar is the obligatory blackboard advertising specials and wine pours. Rows of free-standing tables alternate with semi-circle Scarface-style booths. The atmosphere is heavy with the sound of double air-kisses. Francophonic tones emanate from the sound system, the staff and much of the clientele. It's the kind of place where a postprandial pastis or brandy is almost mandatory. Also, true to French form, a patio sidles up to the sidewalk, making Nova an ideal spot for an al fresco nosh in the warmer months.
The Menu: All things buttery and beautiful. This is rich, stick-to-your-ribs French comfort food. Expect selections from the French culinary canon like steak au poivre with french fries, escargot with parsley butter, caramelized lamb shank and desserts like chocolate mousse. You've got a choice of five starters, four mains and four desserts.
The Deal: There are two. For 88rmb you've got a choice of two courses, either a starter and a main or a main and a dessert. 108rmb gets you a starter, main and dessert. Both deals are available every Monday through Saturday. Drinks are extra. Let's look at one possible permutation thereof:
The Starter
To the rest of the world, this dish is known as French onion soup. In France, however, they call it soupe à l'oignon, which translates as, erm, onion soup. You might notice the slightly unorthodox presentation. Instead of covering the top in a thick blanket of bread and cheese and baking it in the oven for a spell, they float a couple of crostini topped with melted emmenthaler in the middle. My guess is that this is for purely practical reasons, and I can hardly blame them. Do you have any idea how long it takes the guy in the dish pit to scrape burnt cheese off of crockery?
The Main
This is another one from the canon, sole Meunière. It's a simple, rustic preparation ideal for light, delicately flavored fish. Basically, it's a few fillets dredged in flour, sauteed, and smothered in a sauce of brown butter, chopped parsley and lemon--nothing more nothing less. Those colorful quenelles in the background are, from left to right, purees of cauliflower, broccoli and carrot. Hold on to your arteries. Each is cut with a substantial dose of cream and butter.
The Dessert
To finish it off, I like their apple tart. That scoop of vanilla ice cream on top hardens all the caramelized sugar to a candy-like caramel shell.
The Verdict: All told, Nova's lunch is good value for the money. Portions are generous and contain enough calories that you could--probably even should--skip dinner. Not only that, while you're more than welcome to take a long and leisurely lunch, Nova's menu is designed with efficiency in mind. Prep times on everything are surprisingly quick. I managed to sprint through my three courses in just under 45 minutes, with time to spare for an espresso. Opened:
October 2006
Address:
418 Dagu Lu,
near Chengdu Bei Lu
大沽路418号,
近成都北路
Map&Details
Hours:
Sun-Thu, 12pm-12am
Fri-Sat, 12pm-2am
Prices:
88rmb for two courses, 108rmb for three courses
The Place: Your typical French bistro. Dark varnished wood and brass contrast with whitewashed walls. Next to the bar is the obligatory blackboard advertising specials and wine pours. Rows of free-standing tables alternate with semi-circle Scarface-style booths. The atmosphere is heavy with the sound of double air-kisses. Francophonic tones emanate from the sound system, the staff and much of the clientele. It's the kind of place where a postprandial pastis or brandy is almost mandatory. Also, true to French form, a patio sidles up to the sidewalk, making Nova an ideal spot for an al fresco nosh in the warmer months.
The Menu: All things buttery and beautiful. This is rich, stick-to-your-ribs French comfort food. Expect selections from the French culinary canon like steak au poivre with french fries, escargot with parsley butter, caramelized lamb shank and desserts like chocolate mousse. You've got a choice of five starters, four mains and four desserts.
The Deal: There are two. For 88rmb you've got a choice of two courses, either a starter and a main or a main and a dessert. 108rmb gets you a starter, main and dessert. Both deals are available every Monday through Saturday. Drinks are extra. Let's look at one possible permutation thereof:
The Starter
To the rest of the world, this dish is known as French onion soup. In France, however, they call it soupe à l'oignon, which translates as, erm, onion soup. You might notice the slightly unorthodox presentation. Instead of covering the top in a thick blanket of bread and cheese and baking it in the oven for a spell, they float a couple of crostini topped with melted emmenthaler in the middle. My guess is that this is for purely practical reasons, and I can hardly blame them. Do you have any idea how long it takes the guy in the dish pit to scrape burnt cheese off of crockery?
The Main
This is another one from the canon, sole Meunière. It's a simple, rustic preparation ideal for light, delicately flavored fish. Basically, it's a few fillets dredged in flour, sauteed, and smothered in a sauce of brown butter, chopped parsley and lemon--nothing more nothing less. Those colorful quenelles in the background are, from left to right, purees of cauliflower, broccoli and carrot. Hold on to your arteries. Each is cut with a substantial dose of cream and butter.
The Dessert
To finish it off, I like their apple tart. That scoop of vanilla ice cream on top hardens all the caramelized sugar to a candy-like caramel shell.
The Verdict: All told, Nova's lunch is good value for the money. Portions are generous and contain enough calories that you could--probably even should--skip dinner. Not only that, while you're more than welcome to take a long and leisurely lunch, Nova's menu is designed with efficiency in mind. Prep times on everything are surprisingly quick. I managed to sprint through my three courses in just under 45 minutes, with time to spare for an espresso. Opened:
October 2006
Address:
418 Dagu Lu,
near Chengdu Bei Lu
大沽路418号,
近成都北路
Map&Details
Hours:
Sun-Thu, 12pm-12am
Fri-Sat, 12pm-2am
Prices:
88rmb for two courses, 108rmb for three courses
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