[New Eats] Chef Josh Paris Plants His Culinary Vision at Aster

The Snapshot

A silver lining of the shuttering of beloved Shanghai institution – three Michelin-starred Ultraviolet – earlier this year, the venue's former head chef, Josh Paris, flipped said "end of an era" closure on its head by setting out to achieve a lifelong goal: opening a restaurant he can call his own. And Aster by Joshua Paris is the realization of that dream.

"Opening my own restaurant felt like the natural next step – combining years of experience, the lessons I'd learned, and the kind of food I've always wanted to share," adds Paris, sipping a Singapore Sling, a mainstay of the Forgotten Classic section of the in-house bar's menu (don't worry, more on that later. Read on…)

With the aster (a perennial purple flower) as the restaurant's symbol, the space boasts vaulted seven-meter-high, European cathedral-esque ceilings. The focal point, a hanging lavender-hued kinetic mobile structure, mimics the petals of a flower blowing in the wind, positioned directly above the 360-degree bar. The restaurant's ethos is strongly rooted in sustainability, with upcycled paper menus made from ground coffee beans and controlled wastage. That same sentiment translates to the creative food and drinks program, a globally-inspired menu built on a French backbone.

The 48-seater space in a new development along Yongyuan Rd in Jing'an aims to offer fine dining level hospitality, details, and ingredients, but in a laid-back, fun setting, amplified by a proper cocktail bar that extends into the witching hour of weekend mornings. Expect fine dining without the stuffiness.

The Menu

The exacting level of precision required of a three Michelin-starred head chef is not lost on Paris' new venue; this is easily one of the most thought-through and intentional openings of the year, with dishes hitting every balanced note – texture, flavor, mouthfeel, pairing, and plating – despite it being open just shy of two months.

Paris takes a seasonal approach to his culinary philosophy, one that emphasizes community contribution and collaboration with local producers, resulting in overall lighter dishes with clean yet assertive flavors. He aims to explore said flavors without borders, seasoned unapologetically, and cooked in a way that honors their inherent tastes. Traverse Thailand – with Thai coconut dressing dribbled over marinated yellowtail, the Middle East – with goat cheese labneh atop beetroot salad, Italy – with puffy pillow-like gnocchi in a pesto cream, and France – with decadent albufera sauce spooned over stuffed chicken, all tied together with Chinese undertones.

"We're not confined to one cuisine – we draw on global influences, particularly French, Chinese and Southeast Asian, when they enhance the dish and make sense with the ingredients."

Looking ahead, the menu will stay small but consistently changing. Paris has swapped four dishes out in just seven weeks.

Fingers crossed, however, that the Marinated Yellowtail (148 yuan) isn't rotated out anytime soon, as this standout starter had us mopping our plates clean with the baked-daily sourdough, pockmarked and steaming, so the salted French butter soaks into every crevice and cranny.

The silky fish is cured with lemongrass, lime leaves, salt and sugar, surrounded by halo studded with pomelo segments in a reduced pineapple dressing, avocado cubes, onion slivers and paper-thin radish slices. With a Peruvian ceviche tee up but a Thai follow-through, leche de tigre is reimagined through a Southeast Asian lens: basil, mint, ginger, galangal, and peanuts reduced in coconut milk.

Plump 600-gram Huzhou Pigeon (158 yuan) is soaked in Jura vin jaune (an acidic, aged yellow wine with sherry-like qualities from Eastern France) in place of Shaoxing huangjiu, thus removing any gaminess while riffing on drunken chicken. A nod to Paris' time working in the kitchens of the UK, a gelée of chicken consommé anchors the fowl to the plate, with added oomph owed to cubes of white wine-soaked foie gras.

Sitting at the cross-section of an appetizer and a main, the M8 Wagyu Oyster Blade (228 yuan) deserves its place on every table. A modest 110 grams of gorgeously marbled bovine is liberally slathered in a black garlic and teriyaki reduction before being charred over open flame, evoking an American backyard BBQ sentiment. The richness of the fatty pleats and sticky glaze is expertly juxtaposed by a side serving of homemade pickles, charred and fresh veggies. The idea is to pair each slice with a different accoutrement of your choosing, allowing the meat to evolve yet still maintain the spotlight as the true star that it is.

Brown Butter Poached Turbot (348 yuan) from Shandong is brined to order, ensuring firm yet supple flesh that flakes away with the mere nudge of a fork. A seemingly simple filet of fish flanked by salad reveals itself as so much more: buttered leeks with turbot skirt, Napa cabbage softened in a crème fraiche beurre blanc, zucchini skin pesto, homemade sauerkraut, toasted hazelnuts, baby courgette, dill, and nasturtium, finished with an verdant dill and vermouth sauce, laced with clam stock for salinity and white asparagus for earthy robustness.

A Trio of New Zealand Lamb (358 yuan) sees a charcoaled lamb rack, a lamb shoulder croquette, and a finger-licking worthy lacquered lamb belly plated astride artichokes barigoule (cooked in Provençal lamb jus), inviting guests in for another bite.

Paris' New Zealand upbringing comes through in his seasonal Pavlova (98 yuan), which currently covers all the tastes of summer: passion fruit curd, passion fruit and mango jam, mango and pineapple salad, passion fruit sorbet, coconut cream and a coconut tuille topper layered inside a hollowed meringue.

Glossy and gooey, the Valhorna Chocolate Entremet (118 yuan) is indulgence to the nth degree. A hazelnut chocolate sponge cake base is smeared with hazelnut orange ganache, stacked with a dollop of egg yolk chocolate mousse and a glossy cocoa glaze, crowned with a quenelle of Grand Marnier cream and a cocoa hazelnut disc. One for the choco-holics.

The wine program offers over 100 SKUs, of which half hails from France, and the rest spans both Old and New World. Wines by the glass range from 68-478 yuan, with 18 options to choose from.

But the bar is really where Aster shines, with a menu divided between forgotten classics – like Vieux Carre (118 yuan), Mint Julep (98 yuan), and Hany Panky (88 yuan) – and a showcase of Shanghai's unsung cocktails. Each cocktail takes a favorite from a different bar around town, and affords it another opportunity to stand out. There's Split the Bean (98 yuan) from Starbuck's Bar Mixato, an espresso martini with Guinness syrup, banana liqueur, and Planteray rum; North Wall (98 yuan) from Julu Road's Bar Blanc with Linie Akuavit, Strega liqueur, fino sherry, bell pepper and saffron oil; and the refreshing Bi Jin (98 yuan) from neighborhood hangout Lark, with gin, cucumber, basil, pineapple, and sauvignon blanc, among others.

Eventually, the menu will go on to highlight other bars around China and Asia, but will always include at least 50 percent Shanghai bars to promote what's happening in our own backyard while supporting the local F&B community. There are also late-night bar bites after 10pm that upcycle menu extras in clever ways. Think lamb belly trimmings from the Lamb Trio flame-broiled and wrapped into a lamb shawarma, delectably utilizing extras while minimizing wastage.

The Atmosphere

The Roomoo-designed space feels airy and open thanks to high ceilings, girthy tables and designer chairs that boast quality over quantity. The whole venue spans 28 seats in the main dining room, plus an additional eight at the bar and another eight at the counter. There's also a terrace with room for 20, and a private dining room upstairs (with a wholly separate vibe and color scheme) that fits an additional eight VIP guests.

The floor-to-ceiling windows look out over a private park, where patrons can enjoy soon-to-launch picnic basket sets that Paris already has in the works, in addition to a weekend brunch menu and eventually lunch offerings.

The Aster team is currently navigating between the worlds of casual and fine dining, forging a path between the two that fits the experience they aim to create. Dish execution and technique hints at Paris' UV experience, but a playful playlist – ranging from nostalgic 60s and 70s bangers like Ram Jam's Black Betty to guilty sing-along pleasures from Kendrick Lamar – breaks the white tablecloth norm, challenging the notion of what fine dining can be while still delivering value on every front.

If you go

Opening hours: 6pm-midnight (Monday-Thursday, Sunday); 5:30pm-midnight (Friday-Saturday); (The bar opens to 12am on weekdays and 1-2am on weekends, the last order for a la carte food daily is 10pm)

Tel: 156-1882-8656

Address: Rm 208, 150 Yongyuan Rd, by Wulumuqi Rd M.

永源路150号,近乌鲁木齐中路