Avant-garde Chef Paul Pairet is bringing the finest simplicity to Shanghai with Mr & Mrs Bund.
Mr & Mrs Bund – a modern French eatery by Paul Pairet – is a charming juxtaposition of contradictions. While it’s located in the swanky Bund area of Shanghai, in the sophisticated heritage Bund18 building, nonetheless, the vibe of the eatery is far from ostentatious. The man at the helm, Chef Paul Pairet, is internationally renowned for his avant-garde cuisine, but here at Mr & Mrs Bund, he pays homage to the finesse of simplicity. And while it looks like a ritzy fine-dining destination at first glance, it’s actually a cosy venue to enjoy a hearty, family-style meal with loved ones.
While Paul puts French flavours at the restaurant’s centre stage, he incorporates international touches to complement the main star. Furthermore, he adopts a somewhat elusive concept of “declension” to build the whole menu around – a “thematic variation” or a “culinary riffing”, if you will – where the diners are indulged by selections that cater to their whims.
To understand the concept, imagine starting by choosing the turbot, after which you can choose the style of preparation, like the turbot essential, turbot béarnaise or turbot truffle new meuniere. Of course, if you prefer to have the béarnaise sauce with chicken or beef, that’s allowed too. You might want to spruce up the plate with some frites or mashed potatoes; all’s good. In a nutshell, Paul wants to offer “cuisine for diners” that serves even their most specific cravings.
“Mr & Mrs Bund is a restaurant where the diner leads, through what they know, through their own choices,” Paul explained. “Each diner will, out of all the menu ‘proposals’ that we have, find something that suits him or her exactly.” Above all, Mr & Mrs Bund is simple, not an unnecessary gimmick or publicity stunt.
Regarding the family-style approach, Paul mused, “Food in France was served in exactly the same way as in China – a communal, sharing style – not so long ago, before French nouvelle cuisine. Before that, pre-1970s, all restaurants were serving food the same way I’m serving it at Mr & Mrs Bund.”
In addition to the bountiful delicacies served here, the wine selection deserves recognition of its own, offering 32 bottles by the glass in varying sizes. Keeping up with the latest wine preservation and service technology, the eatery presents a personally selected mix of overlooked fine wines and definite classics, with a wide price range to cater to all clienteles. Top off the dining and drinking experience with the excellent service and the curated playlist, and you’re good to go.
Jumbo Shrimp in Citrus Jar PP
Ingredients
Aromatics
- 4 slices of orange
- 8 lime leaves
- 4 lemongrass
- ¼ dried vanilla pod
- 20cm lemon skin
- 20cm grapefruit skin
- 20cm orange skin
- Citrus juice mix
- 50ml orange juice
- 50ml lemon juice
- 50ml grapefruit juice
- Soy nam jim
- 125g brown sugar
- 50g soy
- 125g lime juice
- 50g fish sauce (Golden Boy)
- 10g ginger
- 10g lemongrass
- 5g garlic
Method
- Peel the lemongrass to make the skewers, cut hearts to 12cm and ends on angle. Store in water.
- For the soy nam jim, dissolve sugar in warm soy. Purée lime juice, fish sauce and aromatics on high speed for two mintues. Add sugar-soy mixture. Steep until ready to use, strain.
- Blanch shrimps for 20 seconds in boiling water, peel de-vein and cut each shrimp into four bites.
- Skewer shrimp on sticks of lemongrass.
- Place shrimp into glass jar with aromatics.
- Boil citrus juice, pour 5ml in each jar and close immediately.
- Steam jars seven to nine minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Note, you could also alternatively cook the jars in boiling water.
- Serve with the soy nam jim dressing.
SERVES 4
Mr & Mrs Bund
Bund 18, 6/F
18 Zhongshan Dong Yu Lu
Shanghai 200002
T: (+86) 2163239898
