Frogs legs...in Shanghai?
Yup, I had frogs legs for the very first time a few days ago. Eating this dish was one of the "things to do" that I hadn't been able to complete when I was in Europe about 5 years back (my Dad and I were in France during the wrong season. See what the ridiculous modern food economy has done to my expectations?)...so when my cousin's little children exclaimed that they wanted to go to a French restaurant, and I saw it on the special menu, choosing my meal was a no brainer.
The place we went to was run by a French man - at least, you could clearly see that he was European, and restaurant was decorated in prints of avant garde along with b&w photos. The staff were also far more polite than I'd been expecting (this is China, after all), though there may be a few other factors involved. The range of food on the menu was quite decent - veal, deer, escargots besides the usual beef and pork, along with a cheese-heavy kids menu - and my oldest niece really looked forward to her dessert of nutella crepe.
But what about the dish itself then?
This wasn't the exact dish - I forgot to take a photo - but it was the closest I could find online. (image courtesy of trip advisor). Apparently, only the upper joint of the hind leg is served in France, so this style is probably influenced cuisine here in China, where it is also a delicacy.
As for taste: well, as people say, they taste a bit like chicken, though the texture was a bit more rubbery. The light seasoning was excellent though.
p.s. This may well be the very last time I have frogs legs, for the growing consumption of these dishes across the world is putting many frog species in danger of extinction.
The place we went to was run by a French man - at least, you could clearly see that he was European, and restaurant was decorated in prints of avant garde along with b&w photos. The staff were also far more polite than I'd been expecting (this is China, after all), though there may be a few other factors involved. The range of food on the menu was quite decent - veal, deer, escargots besides the usual beef and pork, along with a cheese-heavy kids menu - and my oldest niece really looked forward to her dessert of nutella crepe.
But what about the dish itself then?
This wasn't the exact dish - I forgot to take a photo - but it was the closest I could find online. (image courtesy of trip advisor). Apparently, only the upper joint of the hind leg is served in France, so this style is probably influenced cuisine here in China, where it is also a delicacy.
As for taste: well, as people say, they taste a bit like chicken, though the texture was a bit more rubbery. The light seasoning was excellent though.
p.s. This may well be the very last time I have frogs legs, for the growing consumption of these dishes across the world is putting many frog species in danger of extinction.