A part of the Black Sheep Group in Hong Kong, one Michelin-starred restaurant Belon served up a taste of their tag-lined “sincere, modern French cuisine” to the Shanghai foodie loving community this past Friday, January 13 by taking over the kitchen for just one day at Café Gray Deluxe in The Middle House. 

Chef de Cuisine Jacob Zuidervliet – accompanied by Belon’s Restaurant Manager Jules Privat, Sous Chef Ardy Ferguson, and Pastry Chef Daphne Lung–  together brought their passion for culinary artistry and precision to the bustling heart of Shanghai with a six-course tasting menu (and optional wine pairing) pulling inspiration from Belon’s current and previous menu iterations. 

The dinner unfolded with Spot Prawns two ways – raw and as a consommé jelly, adorned with glistening beads of caviar and pomelo segments. Balanced in its simplicity, the crustacean’s natural sweetness is tempered by the roe’s salinity and the citrus’ sour and bitter blend.

Whipped foie gras parfait is the focal point of the Tarte Au Foie Gras, the liver’s minerality juxtaposed against paper thin pleats of maple syrup-brushed plum, arranged atop a thin layer of chicken and Madeira wine jelly. 

A more delicate alternative to the conventional pâté en croute, the Brittany Lobster en Croute is encased in a flaky filo, supported by springy Yunnan-sourced morels and a chanterelle Madeira wine reduction.

The star of the night, a thick slab of Australian Wagyu is salt-crusted, torched, and served medium rare, dribbled with a red onion reduction. A dim sum “purse” filled with chopped pine nuts and bacon, plus an artichoke leaf and black truffle stack rounded out the plate.

A palate cleanser for what’s yet to come, bright Sake Sorbet is drizzled tableside with a Kumamoto melon, mint and sea salt water, paired with Petite Manseng sweet wine hailing from Jurançon, France. 

Presented in its entirety, a Banana Charlotte – or a type of layered ice box cake, in this case with banana cream and white chocolate – is finished with freshly shaved black truffle, an earthy indulgence to finish off a standout supper. 

While Shanghai was lucky to have the Belon team visit, this bodes well for the city’s still recovering F&B industry, highlighting the promising development of future collaborations, popups and patnerships with other accoladed venues across the region. 

Café Gray Deluxe, 3/F, The Middle House, 366 Shimen Yi Lu, by Wujiang Lu, 石门一路366号上海镛舍三层, 近吴江路.