Bistro 321 Le Bec

321 Xinhua Lu (near Dingxi Lu)

Changning District, Shangai, ChinaTel.: +85 021 6241 9100

The food:

Lobster bisque 

Lettuce hearts, anchovy filets, white vinaigrette 

Cherry tomatos and larger sundried tomatos with basil

Fried Frogs Legs

Lemon tart

The wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2013 Château
 Haut Selve Graves Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 88
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2013 Domaine Clos de l'Ecotard -
 Michel
Chevrè&nbsp;Saumur Blanc &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2009
 Sauternes
 </td>
 <td>
 88</td></tr></tbody></table>

Nicholas le Bec is a former two Michelin star French chef who plied his
trade in Lyon to often rave reviews. Many saw the boyish-looking le Bec as an enfant prodige quite likely to nail
three stars one day. Things didn’t quite work out that way as le Bec moved
first towards simpler, larger brasserie style concepts such as Rue le Bec and
Comptoir le Bec then abruptly skipped town in 2012 altogether to move to
Shanghai (China is his wife’s home country). Bistro 321 le Bec is located in one
of Shanghai’s absolutely most beautiful and quiet areas, the Xinhua Lu in Changning District, complete
with tree lined streets and the well known Film Arts Center. The restaurant
itself is housed in a colonial style villa
that also includes a courtyard and a quieter garden in the back.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457129872357-Green+Salad.JPG"> 

Lettuce hearts, anchovy
filets, white vinaigrette 

Vaulted ceilings and dark hardwood floors give the bistro much of its
attractive look, I have been to Bistro 321 le Bec wice now, and can vouch that is
seems to be a huge success, always abuzz with happy, well heeled city folk and
many French expats and visitors devouring typical French&nbsp;fare. While the cooking is resolutely French, each dish showcases oriental touches, such as the use of ginger and soy glazes in what would be otherwise straightforward renditions of French recipes. On&nbsp;my latest visit, the best dish by far was the fried frogs legs, but the salad
was also very fresh and satisfying. The best thing I can say is that the food
really did take me back to France with each mouthful, not always an easy thing
to accomplish when cooking far away with local rather than French ingredients.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457129880046-Frogs+Legs.JPG"> Fried Frogs Legs

The wine list is short and compact but offers many interesting choices that
run off the beaten track. I kicked things off with the lovely 2013 Graves Blanc Château Haut Selve, a
precise, fresh Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon redolent of green fig, yellow melon,
beeswax and gooseberry aromas and flavors that made a Bordeaux lover such as
myself smile from ear to ear. Château Haut Selve is located at Saint Selve, about 50 km South-East of
Bordeaux and its wine deserves to be better known. Readers may
not know that back in the 19th century, Château Haut Selve was, at 350 hectares and counting, the biggest property in
Bordeaux. Its vines destroyed by phylloxera at the end of the 19th
century, the estate was abandoned, but is now part
of the Lesgourgues vineyards (along with, for example, Château Peyros in
Madiran and Château Cadillac, a lovely Bordeaux Supérieur). Next up, and just
as interesting, was the 2013 Domaine Clos de l'Ecotard Saumur Blanc, made by&nbsp;talented Michel Chevrè, who was cellar master at the cult Loire property Domaine des Roches Neuves.&nbsp;Although the 2013 vintage was difficult in Vouvray and Montlouis, it was
much better in Saumur with wines offering excellent acidity and fine precision.&nbsp;Another great white wine to spend
lunch with, Clos de l'Ecotard is
made from Chenin Blanc grapes grown on argilo-calcaire
soil organically farmed. Layered and complex, it offers minerality and fresh
green fruit in spades, with compelling freshness and size, not unlike a very
good Pfalz Riesling.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457129887685-wines.JPG"> 

Last but not least, the simplest, but
in many ways most interesting, wine of the day and one that will resonate with
Vinous’s erudite wine lovers: an intentionally vaguely-labeled 2009 Sauternes (a great year for the
region), but one harboring an important secret in its soul. This is an
assemblage “constructed” by a Bordelais
merchant, made from lots cast off by some of Sauternes’ most famous estates,
and I mean really most famous (though
I am not at liberty to state which estates, a little imagination and optimism
will take you in the right direction). The wine itself was nicely balanced and
not overly sweet, exuding 2009’s telltale tactile richness and size. It was a good
way to end a simple, but fine, meal on a quiet afternoon in Shanghai.

Clearly, Bistro 321 le Bec is most
important for locals who can’t get back to France as often as they’d like,
while visitors might prefer to indulge in authentic Chinese cuisine while in
Shanghai. Overall though, I’d say Bistro 321 le Bec is a very fine addition to
the city’s many dining establishments, and one I will go back to happily again.

-- Ian D’Agata

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