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Villa du Lac Opens to the Public
World-renowned chef Justin Quek reveals a hidden Shanghai gem
Villa du Lac, a lakeside jewel formerly off-limits as a highly exclusive private club, is now open to the public for the first time – with world-renowned chef Justin Quek from Singapore at the helm. Truly one of Shanghai’s most beautiful Chinese restaurants, Villa du Lac serves Yangzhou palace cuisine and Cantonese, and is an unsurpassable venue for corporate functions and special events. Built by Vincent Lo, Chairman of Shui On Group which owns and operates the heritage-turned-hip lifestyle development of Xintiandi, Villa du Lac occupies prime position between Xintiandi and a peaceful, ornamental lake right in the heart of downtown Shanghai. It is also directly opposite Justin’s signature French restaurant, Le Platane. Since acquiring the private club, Justin has brought in a top Hong Kong chef, made some adjustments to the menu, and updated the presentation of the dishes with his distinctive European flair. He relaunched Villa du Lac in August 2007 as part of his growing gastronomic empire of unique dining destinations. The fine dining restaurant serves traditional and updated Yangzhou (Huaiyang) palace cuisine, as well as Cantonese and Shanghainese dishes. Highly refined Huaiyang cuisine is regarded as one of the four main Chinese culinary schools and its light, clean flavours and intricate cutting techniques were once reserved for royalty and court officials. Along with Cantonese specialities and the rich flavours of local Shanghainese fare, a meal at Villa du Lac represents the pinnacle of Chinese cuisine. Signature dishes include: Yangzhou hand-cut tofu; Cantonese superior shark’s fin soup; and Drunken chicken. The European influenced desserts include Egg tarts served with longjing tea and Snow-skin dumplings in champagne and peach flavours. There is no MSG used in the cooking. Fine wines are expertly paired with the Chinese dishes by a team of resident sommeliers. Villa du Lac’s three-storey heritage villa retains its exquisite, ‘private club’ feel. Interiors ooze French aristocratic class in the stained glass French doors, white wooden filigree, elaborate chandeliers and rich chanteuse drapes. Exotic Oriental touches come in the form of traditional Chinese artworks and splendid collection of antique furnishings from Yangzhou. Light streams in through windows and skylights creating a breezy, uplifting ambience by day, which turns ultra-romantic after dark. Villa du Lac is ideal for corporate and private functions with six private rooms catering to between 4 and 40 guests, complete with custom-made menus. Pre-dinner cocktails or post-prandial cigars can be taken in the cosy ground-floor lounge area around an open fireplace. The elegant second-floor space can be rearranged courtesy of screens and curtains as an intimate dining room or a reception hall. The entire 100m² Tudor-style attic space on the third floor can be rented for meetings or events. Quite different from the rest of the building, this private room is strung with Venetian chandeliers and rustic wooden beams and has a very ‘Knights of the Round Table’ feel to it. It leads out to one of the city’s most splendid rooftops – a large stone terrace that overlooks the lake, willows, and grey-shingled rooftops of Xintiandi, juxtaposed with the modern skyscrapers beyond. This is a magnificent area for intimate cocktail parties. Individually, Justin’s Villa du Lac and Le Platane present two very different, yet equally refined dining experiences beside the lake in Xintiandi. Together, they offer one of the most stunning and unique settings for corporate functions and special events in Shanghai. Villa du Lac is located at 383 Huangpi South Road, near Xingye Road, Shanghai. For reservations or enquiries, please contact (86 21 6387 6387) or check out more online at www.justinquek.com. (information provided by the pr company)
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