" Excellent Food And Service "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Craving for French food tonight, my fiancee and I headed to Des Lys and ordered Fois Gras Terrine for appetizer and Duck Confit and Couscous Royal from their specialty selection.

Fois Gras Terrine arrived shortly and the combination of fois gras with fruit jam was excellent on bread.

Duck Confit and Couscous Royal arrived shortly after we were done with our appetizer and I was impressed with both dishes. Pulled duck with mash potato and mushroom on top blended in harmony with the fois gras sauce while couscous was delicious with lamb, chicken and beef.

While we were dining I found a foreign object in our Duck Confit and alerted the manager, who apologized immediately and comped the dish.

We were very impressed with the professional staff and service, we would definitely return again.

" Excellent French Food "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Ate here last night for the second time and again I was wowed. The food quality was excellent, The service, perfect. In Shanghai it is so rare to see such excellent service, especially at smaller, less expensive, "family style" places. The waiters, bartender and manager were all attentive without being pushy, and helpful without being leading. The decor is very homey and comforting, very conducive to a dinner with a few friends, a birthday night, or a date.

But, of course, the food is what you should come for. We had the Chevre salad which was a perfect size for two people to share, as well as the French Onion soup, which may be the best I have ever had. The Sole Fillet and Margaret du Canard were similarly excellent, though the duck was just slightly overcooked and tough. The sauces on both dishes were excellent, and the Fondant, an excellent (and rich) end to the night, was done just right.

Des Lys isn't cheap, but it is certainly a great value. The food is a downright bargain when you consider that this is Bund / International hotel quality cooking and ingredients and only about 200 per head (assuming 2 courses and a shared dessert, the Prix Fixe menu is 388 for 2 people, so that's a good idea). Finally, the wine list is short but well representative of France and downright cheap for Shanghai. We had a bottle of the Trimbach Pinot Blanc, one of my favorite whites for a "nicer than normal, but not uber-special occasion" meal, which was priced at just over 300, less than restaurants in the US. Considering the substantial taxes on wine here, that's certainly impressive.