Crispbread with seafood sauce, Saltvand at Henkes, Shanghai

Saltvand pop-up at Henkes, Shanghai, dinner

ByQin Xie 01/11/201418/03/2016

Menu from Saltvand, a Nordic seafood pop-up by Aleksei Klassen and Mi Pommer Kasch, at Henkes in Shanghai, China, with freshly squeeze juices to match:

Salmon tartare, barley, tarragon, rye bread, herbs

Avocado, apple, pink grapefruit

Celeriac, clams, clam sauce, parsley

Carrot, celery, apple, lime

Baked snapper, salad, kale, almonds

Kale, orange, beetroot

Yoghurt sorbet, malt, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, mint

Salmon tartare, barley, tarragon, rye bread, herbs, Saltvand at Henkes, Shanghai

Celeriac, clams, clam sauce, parsley, Saltvand at Henkes, Shanghai

Baked snapper, salad, kale, almonds, Saltvand at Henkes, Shanghai

Yoghurt sorbet, malt, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, mint, Saltvand at Henkes, Shanghai

Of all the western menus I tried in Shanghai, Saltvand was the best.

It was the most well executed in terms of presentation and its flavours were spot-on with the Nordic flavours that it’s trying to emulate. It’s important because although there are plenty of very nice restaurants in Shanghai, offering delicious food, not all are authentic to their roots.

At the time of my visit, it was just a pop-up but the chefs were looking for a permanent venue. I hope they manage to find somewhere because it would definitely be worth a visit.

Qin Xie

Qin Xie is a London based food, wine and travel journalist and trained chef.

When not infiltrating Michelin restaurants as a kitchen tourist, she writes about food, drink and travel. Her work has appeared on Yahoo, FT, The Times and CNN.

Her first cookbook, co-authored with YS Peng at Hunan Restaurant, is out March 2014.

According to friends, her watch is always set to UTC -- ready for the next big adventure. In reality, she is happiest at the dinner table or by the sea.