At Nebula Shanghai, Chef Jonatan Rubio’s Menu 4.0 marks a significant evolution, moving the modern Spanish restaurant’s focus from molecular gastronomy toward a more heartfelt expression of the chef’s identity.
Nebula Shanghai | Menu 4.0
It is evident that in this latest menu, Chef Rubio has truly grown into his own, balancing his technical foundations with a charming and confident rendition of his heritage and travels.
The result is a deeply personal map, a well-paced journey that charts his Spanish heritage and Ecuadorean pedigree, enriched by his experiences in China and Southeast Asia.
The experience is both fun and explorative, a cohesive and deeply personal narrative. The overall feeling is one of comforting, essence-driven enjoyment rather than technical showmanship, resulting in a well-balanced meal that’s truly memorable.
Despite being 17 courses (the full menu), the meal is streamlined and can be completed in under two hours, with many dishes served in thematic sequences.
Menu 4.0 at Nebula Shanghai
Menu 4.0 begins with a non-alcoholic sangria, served hot or cold. The cool version is refreshing, a blend of reduced citrus and strawberries laced with cinnamon.
This leads into the first sequence: a quartet of bites from the sea.
Mini prawns rest on smoky scallion cream, finished with smoke. It’s a tribute to tapas, as prawns are cured like anchovies. Next, a hamachi ceviche in a passionfruit leche de tigre, which gets its punchy spice from China’s yellow lantern chilies instead of Peru’s aji amarillo, the crunch of cancha corn adding contrast.
It’s followed by tuna, which has been turned into a kind of sobrassada, served on a crunchy plantain cracker with smoked manchego. The sequence ends with a delicious white bean cream and clam foam with clam tartare and caviar. Intense sea flavors are balanced with the peppery finish of piparra peppers.
The second sequence is dedicated to the earth. The first bite, a smoky wagyu beef tartare, lightly seared on the grill. The beefiness is heady, and tastes as though it were dry-aged. It’s balanced with a hint of acidity from pickled radishes and smoked cream cheese. That’s followed by a savory mushroom and pumpkin tartlet, topped with black truffle.
The standout, however, is the duck roll. Tender shredded duck and rich foie gras cream are all tied together with a crispy nori roll, paired with a sweet-sour orange chili inspired by Southeast Asia. It’s Duck à l’Orange meets Asia.
House-made bread with olive oil act as an intermission.
Dealing a dose of warmth and comfort is the earthy maitake mushroom soup, featuring fantastically sweet crab and textural citrus cauliflower couscous, butter-roasted celeriac, and grilled king oyster mushrooms. The broth, a savory-herbal elixir of crab, ginger, and matcha tea, was excellent.
The meal reaches its first peak with the cuttlefish and roasted onion cream. A remarkably delicious sauce of roasted onions, Shaoxing wine, and cream hides sheets of tender cuttlefish. It might not look like much, but this dish packs a ton of flavor. A touch of Iberian ham powder, pickled onions, and caviar give finishing accents.
Then comes a rich duck and artichoke dish. Duck magret is paired with a likely cognac-infused foie gras cream, grilled artichoke and sea urchin. Pickled pears provide the perfect contrast.
A dish that Chef Jonathan is most proud of is the “Lobster in Three Stages“: soup, tail, and a fried bun.
The soup is a rich, dark bisque made of concentrated lobster and seafood flavors. It’s served with bread, laced with bits of house-cured pork belly. The main plate highlights the lobster tail, marinated with lime leaf and grilled, accompanied by a Thai-inspired tamarind-like sauce and black garlic gel for a kick of umami. The final bite is a fried bun, bursting with lobster stew and spicy mayo.
The final savory acts are all about concentrated flavors. My favorite and most memorable dish from the meal is the grilled monkfish. Steamed then grilled, it is paired with a clarified fish broth boosted with garlic and chili, served with fennel and a tiny cube of slow-cooked Iberian pork jowl. Intense flavors — I loved it.
Similarly, the squid ink paella packs a ton of flavor, and is creamy and satisfying. It is also designed to be the satiating course, one that aims to “fill you up.” The squid ink lends its sea flavor to the rice, and it’s topped with charcoal-grilled squid, scallop, and langoustine, paired with garlic and lime aioli to mix. Tiny peas lend a pop of sweetness to each bite.
The final hot dish is beef ribeye M5, served with 70% dark chocolate cream, inspired by Mexican mole. The beef is simply grilled, paired with a jus. The combination of the jus, mushroom and chestnuts, bittersweet chocolate, and rich fatness of the meat makes for an incredibly complex bite.
The first dessert is a refreshing house-made yogurt ice cream with apple and basil sauce, cardamom dusted green apples, and caramelized peanuts. It’s a welcome palate cleanser. It’s followed by a luxurious manchego Basque cheesecake with house-made Lotus Biscoff cookie crumble.
Finally, a thought-provoking send-off is the “Chocolate, Coconut & Mushrooms.” Yep, mushrooms. It appears in the form of porcini cream, which lends a hint of earthiness to the bite. It features 90% ganache ice cream topped with candied lemon peel for zest, coconut and citrus foam, and white chocolate ganache.
Finally, the petit fours. Don’t skip the chocolate truffle. That thing is madly dense and insanely decadent. Other final bites include a vanilla meringue with balsamic vinegar reduction and a one-bite tiramisu.
How Much?
Nebula Shanghai has three menus. This was the self-titled Nebula menu, 17 courses, priced at ¥1,588.
There’s also Pulsar, seven courses for ¥688, suitable for a short exploration, and Epica, a 12-course menu for ¥1,288. Prices subject to 10% service charge.
Nebula Shanghai
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