Justin Quek, who won accolades as the chef at Les Amis, in Singapore (and before that, was private chef for the French ambassador in the Lion City), before leaving to establish La Petite Cuisine in Taipei, has opened three restaurants in Shanghai. La Plantane (top right; at 373 Huangpi South Road, near Xingye Road, tel: 86 21 5383 2998) is in a restored, stone gate house. The ground-floor space is a brasserie and bar serving French dishes with Asian accents such as truffle-infused foie gras xiao long bao (75 yuan/HK$82 for five) and chargrilled cote de boeuf (above left; 880 yuan for two to three persons). In the more formal dining area upstairs, guests can indulge in six-course degustation menus (from 708 yuan).
Next door to La Plantane is Villa du Lac (top left), in a building that once served as an exclusive private club. The restaurant serves Yangzhou palace dishes as well as Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine, all made without MSG. Dishes include Yangzhou hand-cut tofu (48 yuan) and egg tarts with longjing tea (38 yuan). It's at 383 Huangpi South Road, tel: 86 21 6387 6387.
The Fountain, in trendy Xintiandi, is what Quek describes as a 'fun and no-frills bistro and wine bar'. It serves western and Asian breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches and bento-style lunch sets. At dinner, guests can feast on tapas, rotisserie dishes and fresh seafood (above right). The Fountain is at unit 4, building 10-12, Lane 181 Taicang Road, Xintiandi, tel: 86 21 6326 8800.