Imagination Worth the Added Price at Midtown’s La Chine
貴且值：紐約一家高端精致中餐廳

In a nest of dried grass and feathery moss sat an eggshell, its top neatly lopped off. Caviar and a crinkle of gold leaf shone just inside the rim. Underneath were layers of custard and hairy crab, a seasonal freshwater treat from China whose taste is a lot more seductive than its name. The rich, smooth pleasure in each spoonful almost made my head pop.

一個(gè)蛋殼放在用干草和輕柔苔蘚做的窩里，頂部被整齊削掉。魚(yú)子醬和一卷金葉在邊緣閃耀，下面是一層層奶油凍和大閘蟹。大閘蟹是來(lái)自中國(guó)的季節(jié)性淡水美味，它的味道比名字要誘人得多。每一匙都濃郁柔滑，令我飄飄欲仙。

The egg was one of the first things I ate at La Chine, which opened in November inside the Waldorf Astoria, specializing in Chinese food made with finesse and an eye for beauty. This could get interesting, I thought. In fact, the rest of the meal and the two that followed did get interesting, in ways that those of us who love the cuisines of China wish would happen more often in New York.

這道菜是我在La Chine餐廳吃的前幾道菜之一。這家餐廳去年11月開(kāi)業(yè)，位于華道夫-阿斯多里亞飯店(Waldorf Astoria)內(nèi)部，專(zhuān)做精致而具有美感的中餐。我當(dāng)時(shí)想，后面的菜肯定更有意思。不出所料，這餐飯的其他菜以及后來(lái)吃的兩頓的確更加有趣，我們這些超愛(ài)中餐的人很希望紐約出現(xiàn)更多這樣的餐廳。

Sophisticated Chinese with an eye for creativity at the Waldorf Astoria.
La Chine這家餐廳去年11月開(kāi)業(yè)，位于華道夫-阿斯多里亞飯店(Waldorf Astoria)內(nèi)部，專(zhuān)做精致而具有美感的中餐。

Downtown Manhattan, Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn are rich in Chinese restaurants. Their cooking can range from filling to thrilling, but it rarely aspires to climb the slopes of creativity. Ingredients are generally good but not stellar, limited as they are by the prices these restaurants can charge. Unlike many cities in Asia, New York has not historically had a broad base of people willing to spend a lot on Chinese food.

曼哈頓市中心、皇后區(qū)法拉盛以及布魯克林日落公園(Sunset Park)有很多中餐廳。那些餐館的菜肴有的僅供填腹，有的令人興奮，但是幾乎都不渴望創(chuàng)新。食材通常夠好，但不夠出彩，從這些餐廳的價(jià)位來(lái)講，食材的種類(lèi)太有限。不像亞洲的很多城市，從歷史上講，紐約并沒(méi)有很多人愿意在中餐上花很多錢(qián)。

La Chine costs much more than most of them; lamb loin stir-fried with cumin is $38, about twice as much as the fervently admired Muslim lamb chop at Fu Run in Flushing. If you allow the man they call the “sake ninja” to talk you into a bottle, you could easily drop $100 or more. (This ninja wears a jacket and tie; he must be working undercover.) But at the risk of undermining my populist credentials, I’d suggest New York could use more Chinese restaurants that are as expensive as our most ambitious French and Italian places. Those restaurants could use more ingredients worth splurging on, and restaurateurs determined to lure talented chefs from China.

La Chine餐廳比紐約的大多數(shù)中餐館都貴得多：孜然羊肉38美元，價(jià)格大約是法拉盛賦潤(rùn)東北美食(Fu Run)備受贊揚(yáng)的清真羊排的兩倍。如果你允許這里所謂的“清酒忍者”勸你點(diǎn)一瓶酒，那么你很可能要再花上至少100美元（這位忍者穿著西裝，打著領(lǐng)帶，他應(yīng)該是秘密從事這項(xiàng)工作吧）。但是冒著損害我平民主義聲譽(yù)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，我希望紐約出現(xiàn)更多和最有雄心的法式和意式餐廳一樣昂貴的中餐廳。這些餐廳可以使用更多值得揮霍的食材，餐廳老板可以下定決心吸引來(lái)自中國(guó)的有才能的大廚。

We have Hakkasan, of course, part of a global chain whose crackerjack cooks excel at dim sum but tend to play it safe with other courses. At the two RedFarms, Joe Ng cooks with originality and verve, but the recurring sweetness in the dishes betrays a tailoring of his ideas for perceived American tastes. The cooking at La Chine is something different.

當(dāng)然，我們有Hakkasan餐廳，它是一個(gè)全球連鎖餐廳，那里杰出的廚師擅長(zhǎng)做餃子，但是做其他菜比較保守。在兩家RedFarms餐廳里，喬·吳(Joe Ng)在烹飪中注入創(chuàng)意和熱情，但是菜肴中經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)的甜味透露出他為適應(yīng)美國(guó)人的口味而做的調(diào)整。La Chine餐廳的烹飪方法則與眾不同。

The menu was devised by the executive chef, Kong Khai Meng. A native of Singapore, he became a protégé of the acclaimed chef Jereme Leung before setting up restaurants in hotels around Asia. With Mr. Leung, he worked out his ideas for La Chine, which he executes in the kitchen with David Garcelon, the hotel’s culinary director.

菜單是執(zhí)行大廚孟江凱（音譯）設(shè)計(jì)的。他是新加坡人，他在亞洲各地的酒店設(shè)立餐廳之前曾從師于備受贊譽(yù)的大廚梁子庚。他和梁子庚一起為L(zhǎng)a Chine餐廳出謀劃策，在廚房里和酒店餐飲主管大衛(wèi)·加爾瑟隆(David Garcelon)一起執(zhí)行。

The restaurant replaces Oscar’s American Brasserie, a glorified coffee shop whose loss did not leave a deep wound in the city’s psyche. The bones of the space have been exposed, the massive pillars and ceiling coffers showing off the hotel’s Art Deco monumentality, though not its Art Deco flourishes. Some tables are set in secluded alcoves at the east end, framed by spidery latticework that evokes carved Chinese screens. A central chandelier, like a huge upside-down wedding cake, shines on vases of orchids whose pinks howl in this room of muted creams and golds.

這家餐廳的前身是Oscar’s American Brasserie，自我標(biāo)榜為咖啡店，失去它并不會(huì)讓紐約人傷心。這個(gè)空間的架構(gòu)被暴露出來(lái)，巨大的柱子和天花板花格鑲板展現(xiàn)出這家酒店的藝術(shù)裝飾風(fēng)格，雖然它的輝煌之處不在于藝術(shù)裝飾。東端有些桌子設(shè)在隱蔽的凹室里，用蜘蛛網(wǎng)般的格子隔開(kāi)，讓人想起中式雕刻屏風(fēng)。中央的枝形吊燈像一個(gè)巨大的倒置的婚禮蛋糕，照亮盛放蘭花的花瓶，蘭花的粉紅花朵在這間柔和的奶油色和金色房間里很是顯眼。

The effect would be more stunning if the lighting weren’t so murky; it hovers in the eternal twilight of surgery recovery rooms where patients slip in and out of consciousness. Each time I was about to go under, though, something from the kitchen would bring me back.

如果光線(xiàn)不是這么暗的話(huà)，它會(huì)更令人驚艷。餐廳永遠(yuǎn)籠罩在暮色般的燈光里，就像病人意識(shí)時(shí)有時(shí)無(wú)的手術(shù)康復(fù)室。不過(guò)，每當(dāng)我要喪失意識(shí)時(shí)，廚房總會(huì)送來(lái)什么食物讓我清醒。

Raw seafood always did it. Sliced yellowtail was fanned out in a pinwheel over Sichuan chile oil. Translucent bands of fluke were darkened by black rice vinegar, China’s answer to balsamic, then touched with hot peony oil, which sizzled and whitened the lean fish as it landed. A long rectangle of bigeye tuna tartare seasoned with soy vinegar was strewn with flowers, herbs, pickled shallots and a stripe of caviar. All three dishes took a modern, Japanese approach to Chinese flavors. All three were very good.

生海鮮永遠(yuǎn)能讓我清醒。切成薄片的鯡魚(yú)成扇形散開(kāi)，像風(fēng)車(chē)一樣擺放在四川辣椒油上。透明的比目魚(yú)加入黑米醋（相當(dāng)于意大利香脂醋），顏色變黑，然后澆上一點(diǎn)熱牡丹籽油，嘶嘶作響，少脂的魚(yú)肉立刻變白。一個(gè)長(zhǎng)方形盤(pán)子里放著大眼金槍魚(yú)，用醬油醋調(diào)味，撒滿(mǎn)鮮花、草本、腌圓蔥和一條魚(yú)子醬。這三道菜在中餐風(fēng)味中融入現(xiàn)代的日本料理的做法，都很美味。

So was the stack of lightly battered Spanish mackerel delivered under a smoke-filled cloche, like the sturgeon at Eleven Madison Park; the smokiness of the fish was underscored by a smoked soy sauce, appealingly sweet and sticky.

西班牙鯖魚(yú)肉泥也是如此。它盛放在一個(gè)煙霧繚繞的玻璃罩中上桌，跟Eleven Madison Park餐廳鱘魚(yú)的做法很像；魚(yú)的煙熏味因加入熏制醬油而顯得更加濃郁，同時(shí)具有迷人的甜味和黏性。

Broad-bean-fried prawns were juicy and tender-firm inside a crisp, golden coating that flaked into spicy crumbs I couldn’t help eating off the plate.

蠶豆炸大蝦汁液豐富，又嫩又緊實(shí)，金黃松脆的外殼紛紛落入辣辣的面包屑中，我簡(jiǎn)直想把盤(pán)子都吃掉。

Cauliflower was stir-fried with thick bacon slices in a very hot wok that caramelized the bumpy surface to a delicious mottled brown. The snow pea shoots with garlic were as simple, classic and good as any I’ve tasted.

花椰菜和厚厚的培根肉片在非常熱的鍋里翻炒，花椰菜凸凹不平的表面被炒成斑駁的褐色，非常美味。蒜蓉豌豆苗和我以前品嘗過(guò)的一樣簡(jiǎn)單、經(jīng)典、美味。

Everything is served family style except the soups, which ought to be. In individual bowls, they are hard to work into a shared meal, and people may be tempted to skip them. This would be a loss, because they are beautifully made; there’s a clarity to the chicken cloud consommé, vividly seasoned with ginger, and a shellfish-drenched power to the “eight hour golden broth,” thick with lobster, crab and scallops.

除了湯，其他菜都是以共享的方式上桌，其實(shí)湯也應(yīng)該共享。由于湯是盛放在單獨(dú)的碗里，所以很難融入共享的正餐，搞得食客有點(diǎn)想跳過(guò)它。但是跳過(guò)的話(huà)就太可惜了，因?yàn)闇龅煤苊溃呵鍩蹼u湯非常清澈，用姜提鮮；還有充滿(mǎn)龍蝦、蟹肉和扇貝的“8小時(shí)黃金濃湯”。

Before opening, restaurants now routinely put out photographs of one striking dish, like a band releasing a single to build excitement for an album. For La Chine, this was the barbecued duck. And it is an exciting bird, suffused with five-spice powder and ready to be tucked into griddle-blackened crepes with skinny sticks of cucumber, leek and, surprise, cantaloupe.

如今，餐館在開(kāi)業(yè)之前都會(huì)發(fā)布一道驚艷菜肴的照片，就像樂(lè)隊(duì)先發(fā)布一支單曲，激發(fā)人們對(duì)專(zhuān)輯的熱情。La Chine餐廳發(fā)布的是烤鴨。這道菜著實(shí)令人興奮，彌漫著五香粉的味道，和黃瓜絲、蔥絲和哈密瓜絲（沒(méi)想到吧？）一起裹入帶有黑煎點(diǎn)的薄餅里。

But if anybody had asked, I would have suggested leading with the black-iron tabletop grill that holds a wonderful barbecued collar of Berkshire pork, the meat’s pink edges crackling with a candied honey glaze. (The menu reveals that the honey was secreted by bees who live on the roof, if that appeals to you.) Chicken with cashews may not make a great advertisement for a high-end restaurant, but it’s a great dish, in a kung-pao-style sauce that is keenly balanced between sweet and sour.

但是如果讓我選，我會(huì)選用黑鐵桌面烤架烤的絕妙的巴克夏豬頸肉，肉的粉色邊緣閃爍著蜂蜜的光亮（菜單上說(shuō)，所用的蜂蜜是生活在屋頂上的蜜蜂分泌的，不知道這會(huì)不會(huì)吸引你）。腰果雞肉也許不適合用作一家高檔餐館的廣告，但它很棒，用的是酸甜度達(dá)到完美平衡的宮保醬汁。

In fact, most of the main courses show off La Chine’s sophistication apart from some subdued seafood dishes. Sous-vide cod with black bean sauce was flabby and, like the scallops in a long canoe-shaped dish with peppers and onions, not a showpiece of sparkling freshness.

實(shí)際上，大部分主菜都展現(xiàn)出La Chine餐廳的精致，除了一些清淡的海鮮。豆豉鱈魚(yú)的魚(yú)肉不夠緊實(shí)，和盛放在獨(dú)木舟形長(zhǎng)餐盤(pán)上的辣椒洋蔥扇貝一樣，沒(méi)有展現(xiàn)出迷人的新鮮滋味。

The restaurant’s French name is puzzling until the desserts show up; they are very much in a Western mode. The warm chocolate cake, with sesame ganache melting away inside, has a seductive undertow of spice. The most elaborate and prettiest is the vacherin of passion-fruit cream sandwiched by white spirals of meringue; there’s a white chocolate sphere painted with a metallic swirl like a pink pearl, and a marvelous scoop of sorbet made with fresh lychees. La Chine is far from the realm of fortune cookies, and better off for it.

這家餐廳的法語(yǔ)名字一直讓我迷惑不解，直到甜品上桌：甜品具有強(qiáng)烈的西式風(fēng)格。溫暖的巧克力蛋糕里融化著芝麻奶油巧克力醬，回味無(wú)窮。最精致、最好看的是百香果奶油夾心蛋糕，里面加入一圈圈白色螺旋狀蛋白汁。還有涂著粉珍珠般閃亮螺紋的白巧克力球以及用新鮮荔枝做的異常美味的果汁冰糕。La Chine餐廳絕不是福餅的殿堂——幸好不是。