What: The first floor of Art Deco building Hamilton House, which has been revamped and turned into a stylishly retro French restaurant.
Look: Classy without being fussy. A long bar overlooks the other Art Deco buildings at the intersection, and an elegant white dining room extends out in the other direction. It’s airy and spacious, full of classic touches like period tables and scalloped chairs.
Food: Unpretentious bistro dishes, done with the confident hand of a skilled kitchen: poached eggs with spinach, shallots, smoked pork belly, and red wine butter; tripe Lyonnaise; frog legs with a Jerusalem artichoke puree and Madeira jus; turbot and cep Bordelaise; daube of beef.
People: For the moment, it’s still much of the Shanghai glitterati checking out a bright new star. But for the class and quality of food, the prices are more than reasonable, and should lead to a steady mix of foodies and scenesters filling both the bar and the tables.
Bill: ¥500-600 for a table of two, without wine.
