Borderless Cuisine at Sage Shanghai, Chef Jun Nishiyama’s New Restaurant
On October 5, 2023
Singaporean chef Jun Nishiyama, previously senior sous chef at Ultraviolet, has joined up with Alan Grillo (Cometa) to open Sage, his first independent restaurant in Shanghai.
Sage dishes up borderless cuisine in the style of casual fine dining; it’s wholly casual and fine dining aspects are only found in the food and technique.
It’s the most interesting and exciting new restaurant I’ve seen this year; brazen flavors with eyebrow-raising accents, and memorable one-two punches is what you’ll find at Sage.
The Location
Located along Suzhou Creek right next to Cometa, Sage is a small space with about 22 seats, a galley dining room and a large table facing the open kitchen. It’s intimate, unstuffy, and comfortable.
There’s a tiny wine room, too.
The Food
The food at Sage isn’t limited to one cuisine; influences span the globe and are married with techniques usually found in fine dining kitchens. The result is one that’s unique and creative, yet playful and easy to enjoy.
Kingfish Crudo (¥138) – Cubed kingfish in a zingy tomato and pineapple water with pickled pineapple and horseradish. Ultra-fresh velvety fish in a bright marinade.Tomatoes & Gooseberries (¥78) – A medley of sweet tomatoes, cured and fresh, in a refreshing gooseberry dressing with walnuts and walnut oil. Layers of acidity, tartness, and fragrance that opens up the appetite.Grilled Duck Hearts (¥58) – Duck hearts kissed with char, dusted with burnt lemon powder and served with spicy homemade mustard.Thrice Fried Chicken (¥88) with tamarind kosho glaze and house pickles. The most perfect piece of fried chicken ever with crispy brittle skin coated in a sweet and tangy glaze. Biting into this is like a cross between Peking duck skin and chicharron but airier, which gives way to tender and juicy dark meat.
Highly recommend to NOT share this unless you must.
Charred Hispi Cabbage (¥98) – Cabbage in a buttery fermented mushroom cream with parsley and roasted buckwheat. Simple in form but delicious.Soft Shell Crab (¥168) – Drawing on his Singaporean roots, Jun serves up his version of chili crab. Big flavors of fruitiness and tartness from the passionfruit dressing and spicy accents from the marinated green papaya. A very special dish.Cauliflower Mushroom (¥108) – Cauliflower mushroom, a type of meaty, spongy mushroom, cooked in the style of a carbonara. Tossed with pancetta lardons, dusted with cured egg yolk, and served with walnuts. Crunchy mushroom in a creamy sauce with salty bacon. Yum!
Duck Breast (¥158) – Five-day dry-aged duck breast seared to a rosy finish served with grilled Brussels sprouts and shallots, topped with duck jus. You can really taste that dry-aged funkiness of the duck, a fantastically intense flavor that goes long.
Lamb Rump (¥188) – High quality Te Mana lamb served with grilled zucchini and lashings of velvety lamb jus. Tender lamb and a jus that makes you want to lick the plate clean.
Parisienne Gnocchi (¥128) – The humble gnocchi is elevated with braised pork shoulder, a crown of grilled Swiss chard, hazelnuts, and chili oil. An absolute comfort. A hint of spice and flavors that grow with each bite.
P125 Chocolate (¥98) – A very dark chocolate dessert contrasted with crunchy beetroot leaves and raspberry granite. My favorite dessert of the three.Macadamia (¥98) – House-made macadamia milk ice cream with brown butter biscuits and sweet and mellow pickled apricot jam.Burnt Cream (¥98) – Cream scorched over charcoal, served with vinegar berry coulis and kelp oil. A divisive dish permeated with smokiness; one that’s love or hate.
For drinks, wines by the glass start from ¥88, simple house cocktails from ¥88, Peroni beer ¥38.
In Summary
Sage is exciting.Flavors are big! No hiding that. Diners looking for a meal that’s experiential will likely find plenty of conversation starters here. While it is a dining experience that’s great for discovery, it is also very approachable in form—I believe anyone would find it enjoyable.
Very looking forward to more development at Sage.
Currently a la carte. Later, Sage aims to switch to a set menu with supplemental dishes.
Sage Gastro Shanghai Address: 1407 Nan Suzhou Lu 南苏州路1407号 Tel: 18917043962 WeChat: sage_gastro Hours: Tue-Sat, 6pm-midnight; closed Mon& Sun
Rachel Gouk has been writing about food and drink in Shanghai since 2011. She is a food critic, writer, photographer, and F&B consultant based in Shanghai. Nomfluence was founded in May 2018 as a means to express her love for the Shanghai F&B scene. Follow her blog www.nomfluence.com or on Instagram @nomfluence.
