/ Reviews / French
Freaky Food and Wicked Wine
by Tom Lee
on Friday, October 29, 2010 12:00 AM
It's almost inconceivable that the building Cheers Wine Cellars inhabits is a relatively new building, but it is. Thanks largely to the machinations of co-owner Jane Chen, the site has been made to look like a traditional house from the 1930s, at least on the inside.
It's a huge place with four floors of space, encompassing wine cellars, many seating nooks, seven private areas and two banquet rooms. Originally, it occupied just the third and fourth floors of the former warehouse, before the tenants on the first two levels jumped ship, leaving owners Michael and Jane Chen to take over the rental for the whole thing.
As the name suggests, the specialty at Cheers is wine, much of it imported from France's famed wine-producing regions. Michael Chen and his team have even created a massive textbook on viticulture (the cultivation of grape vines) and oenology (the study of wines), which includes information on varietals and backgrounds to some of the best-known vineyards. This, in conjunction with PowerPoint presentations, forms the basis of their wine classes, spanning five weekends and incorporating 20 hours of teaching for the price of RMB2000.
Of course, not all of us are eager to dive into the world of wine head first; some of us would prefer just to sit down and sip a glass of white or red. Prices, naturally, vary hugely but there are reasonably priced, good-quality bottles to be had. These can be paired with set menus, prepared ahead of time by the house chef, who also supplies light snacks for after-dinner drinkers.
With All Hallows Eve impending, Cheers Wine Cellar has developed a Halloween set menu, full of bloody tomato sauce, spaghetti intestines, monster shapes engineered from Angus beef fillet topped with goose live, and pumpkin soup packing a pair of eyeballs made from quail eggs and black olives. The grape-trained staff can recommend a selection of wines to complement this festive menu, the contents of which lean more towards the fun than the gourmet.
There's no denying that the venue is a trek for anybody not based in the HongQiao area - and even then, finding it isn't a walk in the park. However, for those seeking a quiet, largely undiscovered spot to drink good wines, this tastefully decorated establishment is just the trick.
The Bottom Line: Food is really just secondary to the wine and décor on offer at this four-floor mansion maze.
