Fuxing Project: New Menu & Free Seafood Platters

That’s right! Fuxing Project is giving away free seafood platters this summer. But before I give you the cheat codes to that promo, let me get into what’s new on the dinner menu.

New Menu at Fuxing Project

Fuxing Project - A bakery, brunch spot and bistro in Fuxing Park, Shanghai

I first covered Fuxing Project’s brunch back in spring, a soft launch for their permanent French-Japanese direction. It makes complete sense, given that it sits under the Sake Ichi group’s mostly-Japanese portfolio, and that executive chef Alexander Bitterling is French trained.

Fuxing Project - Bistro and Brunch restaurant in Shanghai.

Fuxing Project (Bakery, Brunch & Bistro) is located at INS within Fuxing Park, a destination known more for its nightlife. But the bistro-brunch spot is determined to make their corner a reliable pop-in neighborhood spot.

Walk through the bakery entrance and push past a velvet curtain to the bistro dining room, a rustic, wood-toned space, cozy and low-key.

Top 3 Dinner Dishes

There are nearly a dozen new dishes on the dinner menu. And my top three? Radish Cake Beignets, Mala Squid Ink Capellini, and Koji Aged Wagyu Beef A2 Fillet.

The Radish Cake Beignets (¥48) starts as poached daikon, slow-cooking in dashi, soaking up it up like a sponge. It’s then battered and fried. It’s juicy with a delightful crunch with prosciutto on top boosting savoriness. Inspired by dim sum and braised Japanese radish.

The Mala Squid Ink Capellini (¥88) presents a complete pasta plate that could easily be dinner on its own. It’s a showpiece, thin pasta over squid ink sauce topped with diced squid and prawns. Sea-forward flavors are restrained but not muted, balanced with a touch of heat from the green peppers and a low numbing hum. A squeeze of lemon is recommended.

The ‘everyday bistro’ dish comes in the form of Koji Aged Wagyu Beef A2 Fillet (¥228/180g), swimming in an umami-forward shio-kombu sauce with diced seaweed-carrot salad on the side.

Koji aging is becoming a thing in Shanghai — I see it on menus more often these days — it’s basically a coat of rice koji culture, the same starter used to make soy sauce, which tends to enhance beefiness when it comes to steak. What can I say, other than: the beef was beefy and good!

Bistro Dinner Dishes

Other appetizers include Drunken Foie Gras (¥88), a Chinese-inspired dish with yellow wine. It’s lighter than you’d expect and does well as a spreadable starter with bread.

The Marinated Citrus Kosho Seafood Salad (¥68), a dish of cooked and cooled seafood, leans on the bright and fragrant citrus kosho; and Anchovy Butter Mushrooms (¥58), a makes for a suitable side dish.

The Grilled Beef Cheek & Japanese Curry Risotto (¥98) is a fusion of two dishes: risotto and Japanese curry. It’s a combo I’ve dabbled with at home, though with pasta instead of risotto. The risotto is cooked to a creamy al dente, paired with tender beef cheek finished with jus.
Japanese curry is distinct — sweet and savory, pungent with turmeric and thicker than you’d expect. Here, it acts as a secondary sauce, adding warmth and spice.

A dish that’s rising in popularity is the Roasted Suckling Pig Leg (¥168/¥198), a whole leg roasted to a crispy crackly finish with a mustard-seaweed sauce that’s sharp enough to cut through the fat. It’s a smart combination, and I’d be happy to see the sauce applied to other cuts of meat.

Several brunch dishes cross over, too. Including the Mentaiko Carbonara Udon (¥108). Seriously, don’t skip that one.

Finish with a Sweetcorn & Salted Egg Yolk Cake (¥42), the latest creation from the bakery. It’s meant to trigger a kind of nostalgia — sweetcorn finds its way into Southeast Asian desserts — but my link is to icy treats. That said, others might find the connection!