Cuivre: A Favorite For French Food in Shanghai
Cuivre is a 10-year-strong restaurant in Shanghai that serves unadulterated, delicious French food.
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About Cuivre
When Cuivre opened in 2011, it quickly climbed the ranks of Shanghai’s premier French restaurants, in large part because Chef Michael Wendling frequently revitalizes the menu, serving up rustic yet refined dishes with splendid flavors.
Michael Wendling is one of Shanghai’s old guard chefs, and has been cooking in Shanghai for over 15 years. The food he serves is homey and comforting, and the sauces are unapologetically rich with butter. I've been a fan for years.
Cuivre is located at the storefront of Ambassy Court on Huaihai Zhong Lu. It's spacious and suitable for date nights or groups. There’s also a terrace for casual al fresco dining, and it's also dog-friendly.
Tomahawk Steaks & Seafood Platters
For something to share, there's the Tomahawk Steak (¥1,280). It’s a whopping 1.2kg of Australian beef on the bone, served with house garlic herb butter and a luxuriously heady foie gras and truffle sauce.
The steak is charred on the grill and finished in the broiler to a perfect medium rare. (I prefer medium rare, but it can be done to medium, too.) It requires 40 minutes to cook, so best enjoy some appetizers first. Pre-ordering can help with the wait time.
It’s a thick bone-in rib-eye that has large swaths fat, which when cooked renders all that glorious flavor into the meat. It's a beast—you’d need to bring at least two other steak lovers to polish this off.
Then, there’s the Seafood Platter (¥600), a seasonal special for the summer.
On the Seafood Platter is a half Boston lobster, three Fine de Claire No. 4 oysters (may change according to availability), whelks (100g), and three king prawns, served with cocktail sauce and mignonette sauce. It’s a great dish to share, and at this price, great value.
New Dishes
Chef Michael Wendling also has some new seasonal dishes, plus a couple twists on old favorites.
Tartare de Boeuf (¥158) – Hand-cut Australian Angus beef tartare seasoned with customary condiments and Dijon mustard. It’s chunky, rustic, and a classic.
Cabillaud (¥268) – Seared black cod fillet with white wine clam juice, lemongrass oil, French beans, peas, and fresh mint. A delicate dish that’s great for the summer.
Agneau (¥198) – Two thick Australian lamb chops perfectly seared and served with baked eggplant, mint sauce, basil, olives, and pesto. It’s heavenly.
The lamb is perfectly seasoned and unbelievably tender. It’s so good I dare say I’d trade the steak for this dish. It’ll be on the menu from August 1, so save the date.
Cuivre Classics
And of course, you can always get the classic Cuivre dishes to go with your steak dinner:
Salade de Chèvre Frais (¥108) – Arugula and spinach salad with homemade bacon and stick of honey-crisped goat cheese on soft bread. Great as a starter.
Terrine de Foie Gras (¥158) – A house signature. Foie gras marinated with port wine, served with bacon jam.
Penne Pasta (¥218) with tons of black truffle and shaved Parmesan cheese.
iTarte (¥68) - The house tarte tatin, apple tart.
As for drinks, wines by the glass start from ¥65, bottles from ¥380. They also do some classic cocktails.
Cuivre is by no means light eating. You’d better prepare your body and mind for some damn good food.
About Rachel Gouk
Founder & Editor, Nomfluence
Rachel Gouk is a seasoned dining journalist based in Shanghai with over a decade of experience covering food culture, restaurant developments, and the Asian culinary landscape.
