A small Chinese street in Shanghai is not where you would expect to have some of the finest delights Japanese cuisine has to offer. Yet, behind a simple door in the former French Concession you can savour some of the very best sushi Japan has to offer.
It is here that a Taiwanese trading family decided to open up a sushi restaurant because they felt Shanghai is the right place to serve traditional Japanese food in a modern setting. Inside there are small private rooms next to the traditional long bar where different groups sit next to one another. Thanks to the dimmed lighting and the use of Japanese artefacts the atmosphere is very peaceful inside.
The man calling shots at Maison Asano is Executive Chef Simon Lin who runs the kitchen together with a small team. Guests can choose between two menus: a standard set menu using fish at hand and the omakase, where the Chef is given absolute freedom to choose what is served best that day.
Almost all ingredients are flown in and include a wide selection of fish that are only available in Japan. Some of it is served as fresh as possible whereas others are cured in the kitchen up to several weeks before being served. Interestingly, Maison Asano also uses other parts of the fish that are usually left untouched in Western cuisine such as fish liver and cod milt. Thanks to their very specific texture they provide an interesting change for people that are more used to Western fine dining.
In addition to the premium sashimi and sushi, Executive Chef Simon Lin nicely varies the use of other ingredients such as oysters, sea urchin and shrimps. Those who want a real alternative to a fish based menu can always choose the sukiyaki set, a hotpot menu with wagyu beef.
There is no specific alcohol pairing to accompany the food throughout the menu though a decent collection of fine sake is available and served in designer cups.
All in all, dinner at Maison Asano is not entirely the same as at the premier places in Tokyo but is probably as good as it gets outside of Japan. Excellent produce, a dedicated team and a serene setting make this place a beacon of Japanese cuisine in China.
Written by Sebastiaan
