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“Susur Lee's Shang ”

Susur Lee, for those of you who don’t know the name, is sort of the Nobu of Toronto. He’s the spirited celebrity chef of haute pan-Asian restaurants like his namesake Lee, and his more eclectic European restaurant, Madeleine. Now the strikingly handsome man with the long black ponytail, who started out as a 15-year-old apprentice at Hong Kong's most elegant hotels, is bringing his signature brand of cross-border Chinese cooking to New York City with Shang, his debut at the Thompson LES Hotel on Orchard Street.

Craig and I had a chance to check out Shang last week at a Friends and Family preview, and the space is, as you might expect, luxurious and sexy, perfect for a geisha in waiting or, in our case, the tall and glamorous fashion industry set that was in attendance last week. The room is colored in shades of ebony, slate, and black with oversized silk lights the color of Geraniums casting a soft rosy warmth over the dining room and Chinese silk screens depicting age-old scenes of orgies with large red dots blocking out any indecency. A long bar serves cocktails pressed from fresh juices, flavored with mint, basil, lemongrass and the like. In the summertime, a wide outdoor terrace will offer al fresco lounging and dining.  

Lee’s menu offers no less than 30 dishes, divided into soups, salads, vegetables, fish, meats and sides, all served up family style and meant to be shared with friends. While some plates are large enough to do so, like his tangy signature Singapore slaw made from 19 ingredients ($16), others are smaller and made just for one or two, like the crispy lobster with lemon balm, shallot, and chili lime juice in lettuce wrap nestled inside two lettuce cups ($19). I’d be sure and ask your server if you’ve ordered enough or too much, as we found the portion sizes to vary significantly from one dish to the next. In any case, I’d definitely have the Singapore slaw and the crispy lobster though, as well as the Mongolian lamb chops with glazed bananas, chili mint, carrot cardamom chutney and peanut sauce (2 pcs, $20). While there’s certainly not a lack of options from which to make a lovely meal, but I was disappointed in the complete absence of rice and noodle dishes. Maybe it’s just me, but I like fried rice.

While China is the main prism through which the menu is created—you’ll find plates like Shang's spiced slow cooked Berkshire pork belly with puree of lily bulb, red cabbage and sautéed apples ($18) and Kung Pao oysters, chili garlic, black vinegar glaze, jicama and mango (2 pcs, $12)—Lee has a traveling palate that wanders from China to Japan, Singapore and even India in dishes like chick pea sweet onion fritters with ginger and mango chutney, minted yogurt ($12) and fresh ground coconut curry with cauliflower, lentils, potato, and stewed fruits ($12), while Jamaican beats can be heard in a plate of boneless organic jerk chicken with scotch bonnet chili sauce, ginger and mango puree ($17).

For dessert, there’s a lemon tart, in the style of lemon meringue pie with a Puli tea Sauce and raspberry coulis ($12) and a warm banana chocolate cake with jackfruit and pineapple, Marsala sabayon, and rum butterscotch sauce.

Shang is now open at the Thompson LES Hotel, 187 Orchard Street, 212-260-7900.

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Posted: December 7, 2008 - 12:38 pm

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