In association with Le Bistrot de Racine
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
Set on the corner of Changde Lu and Wuding Lu right in the heart of Jingan, Le Bistrot de Racine has been quietly turning out remarkably good classic French fare since its opening last year. Its subtle burgundy red awning and unassuming facade is the kind of storefront you might easily pass by, but that captures the ethos of the kitchen: unpretentious, quintessentially French cuisine.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
There's a distinct neighbourhood feel to Le Bistrot de Racine – elegant but still casual – and a surprising gem of a gorgeous glassed-in courtyard, which lends itself to incredibly well-lit photos and the rare pleasure of sitting al fresco but shielded from the Shanghai elements.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
The menu offers an introductory course to French bistro classics, opening with a full page of charcuterie and cheese, each platter for 388RMB and all made in-house with high-quality ingredients, like Spanish Iberico ham, and using traditional methods and curing for one to three months.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
Okay, so, if you need just one reason to go to Le Bistrot de Racine, it's the pâté plate. Decadent but not too over the top, it comes with three different varieties: a fragrant pâté made of Rougie foie gras, veal, Iberico, French cooked ham, Rougie duck and black truffle; a piquante headcheese pâté; and a Lyon-style pâté en croûte made of veal, Paris cooked ham, Australian beef tongue, Rougie duck, pig ear, spinach, olives and cocktail onions.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
They're served with a mix of home-made pickles and Belazu olives alongside a particularly lovely smoked chilli jelly and yellow mustard. It's a showstopper of a dish.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
Another solid rendition of a classic that the kitchen turns out is a rich, creamy Rougie foie gras terrine with fig chutney for smearing on slices of toasted brioche.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
The kitchen doesn't hold back on the foie gras. Wrapped in flaky, light pastry, the Beef Wellington comes with a generous slab of foie atop the meat, all drizzled with truffled red wine jus and accompanied with a delicate potato pavé. It's excessive perhaps, but in a very delicious kind of way.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine
In the supreme of pigeon, tender French pigeon breast is wrapped around Rougie foie gras and Australian M5 wagyu tenderloin with a side of confit pigeon leg drizzled with a beetroot port jus and basil oil.
Photograph: Cat Nelson
The duck confit arrives on a thyme-scented white bean cassoulet with herby roasted potato and a sherry duck jus. It's delightfully savoury, salty and intensely flavourful. Another well-executed classic.
Photograph: courtesy Le Bistrot de Racine (Blue mussels with white wine tomato sauce)
And that's what Le Bistrot de Racines is all about. It's the kind of neighbourhood place that you'll want to go for elevated classics that turn on excellent, high-quality ingredients and thoughtful in-house preparation.
The evening we go, it's humming pleasantly with tables of friends catching up and couples on a date night out and, invited or not, we leave wondering why we didn't come here sooner.
📍 609 Changde Lu, near Wuding Lu (5271 5067). Open midday to midnight Tue-Sun.