SILEX
Nestled in a quiet and unassuming garden house complex on Hengshan Road, the 1,600-square-meter Monet Garden is a rare find in Shanghai. This hidden gem, which includes a coffee shop, restaurant, and clothing store, is now open to the public for the first time.
One of Shanghai’s most anticipated and secretive high-end restaurants, SILEX, is located within this complex.
The unique South France-style garden is perfect for a relaxing tea break or a leisurely stroll, and it has already become a popular check-in spot in the city, even before its official opening.
Restored over three years, four century-old Western houses and vintage buildings stand in timeless elegance.
The Monet Garden comprises four century-old garden houses and retro buildings, each with its own unique characteristics.
The oldest building dates back to 1920, and the entire complex underwent a nearly three-year renovation by the Zhihe Carfen Group, with a total investment of over 100 million yuan.
SILEX, which means “flint” in Latin, represents the purest state of gastronomy: natural and safe ingredients, personalized service, and simple cooking methods. The menu features fresh ingredients grown using high-standard organic and natural farming methods, with clear and transparent traceability from vegetables, grains, fruits, eggs, and dairy to poultry, meat, and cooking oils.
Located on the second floor of the No. 3 old garden house, in the quietest and most scenic part of the garden, the restaurant has 48 seats. It focuses on cooking methods that stay true to the original flavors while incorporating creative twists.
The menu has a distinct seasonal character, updating once per season in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Sometimes, the menu may become even more extensive due to the burgeoning variety of seasonal ingredients.
The restaurant offers fusion dishes mainly from French and Cantonese cuisines, exploring the natural way of cooking. Prices range from a few hundred to over a thousand yuan per person, allowing diners to taste the latest seasonal menu.
Grilled M9 Wagyu Ribeye
One of the highlights of a meal at SILEX is the Grilled M9 Wagyu Tenderloin. Using M9-grade Australian Hatsura Wagyu tenderloin, the whole piece is first placed in a fruit wood charcoal grill until it reaches a rare doneness, with high heat quickly searing the surface to lock in the moisture.
The tender meat is then placed on a hot stone plate at around 300°C, allowing diners to grill it to their desired doneness using Portuguese handmade Cutipol knives and forks.
Purebred Wagyu Beef
Another signature dish is the Fullblood Wagyu Steak, which impresses with its stunning marbling and rich fat aroma.
The Wagyu, sourced from Blackmore Farm in Australia, is as richly marbled as its Japanese counterpart. It is also first grilled in a Spanish Josper charcoal oven, needing only a little sea salt and pepper to enhance its natural flavor.
Lobster Bisque
The Lobster Soup is a relatively rich appetizer, made with half a Boston lobster that is lightly boiled to maintain its sweet and fresh texture.
The remaining shells and head are simmered for three hours, seasoned with port wine and butter to create a flavorful lobster soup that permeates with layers of umami.
Served with lobster claw meat, cheesy corn cakes, green sweet beans, and chervil, the soup offers an even richer taste.
Citrus Sake Lees Scallops
The Citrus Lees Scallop is a refreshing appetizer. The soft, sweet Australian scallops are perfectly combined with the rice wine lees butter sauce and citrus juice. Served with fresh figs and lemon vinegar-pickled daikon radish, topped with a thin layer of citrus foam, it is even more tangy and refreshing.
Many of the restaurant’s plates are specially handcrafted by Japanese pottery masters such as Munetsugu Tsurumi, Taizo Ono, and Ryuji Iwasaki. The blue-glazed ceramic plate used for this dish, personally made by Master Munetsugu Tsurumi, exudes warmth and texture through its purely handmade craftsmanship.
Black Cod with Morel Mushrooms
The Morel Cod dish features cod from near the Atlantic coast of France, lightly sautéed with morel mushrooms, butter, and cream, resulting in a fresh and tender taste. The sauce is prepared using traditional French methods, making it relatively rich.
Diners can enjoy the pure taste of the ingredients, which overall presents a full and fresh mouthfeel.
Breaking Ground
The “Breaking Ground” salad is a vegetarian dish made entirely with organic ingredients.
The ingredients are artfully arranged on the plate to depict a scene of all things breaking through the ground and growing, echoing the South France garden outside the house. Drizzled with champagne vinegar dressing, it tastes fresh and seems to burst with vitality.
36-Month Iberian Ham with White Asparagus and Vinegar Dressing
The dish features 36-month Iberian ham paired with seasonal white asparagus from May and June. The middle section of the asparagus is shaved after being chilled, giving it a crisp texture reminiscent of a salad.
The remaining parts are cooked using a charcoal grill, resulting in a more tender and juicy texture. The asparagus is seasoned with a Chinese-style sauce made from Bazhen vinegar, which masks the slight bitterness of the white asparagus. This dish pairs particularly well with a bottle of Alsatian Riesling.
Red Prawn Pasta with Caviar
The pasta features succulent and sweet red prawns of the highest quality, complemented by nine-year-old organic caviar that enhances the sweetness of the prawn meat. The prawn heads and seafood are slowly cooked with the Italian pasta, allowing the noodles to fully absorb the umami flavors.
The 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, which costs more than three times the price of a one-year-aged variety and has a more intense flavor, is freshly grated tableside. When exposed to the hot pasta, the cheese releases an explosive aroma that strongly stimulates the sense of smell.
Desserts
White Hair Silver Needle Jasmine Tea Soup | Raspberry Chocolate | Inverted Bell Pepper Cheesecake
The desserts showcase the close connection between the restaurant’s culinary creations and nature.
Drink One Less Bottle of Rare Wine
The restaurant’s wine list primarily features French wines, with a majority from Bordeaux’s grand cru and Burgundy’s premier cru, as well as renowned appellations from the Rhône Valley and Loire Valley.
A small portion, less than 10%, of the wine list is composed of exceptional Chinese wines. Many of the limited allocation wines in the cellar can only be described as “one less bottle with each sale.”
These wines are perfect for opening on a memorable day, paired with delicious food, and enjoyed with the right company during a beautiful moment.
Lazy and Tranquil South France Garden
Spend an Afternoon in the Picturesque Garden with a Cup of Coffee
On the French-style white building on the outer side of the garden is the SILEX GOURMET café. From 8 a.m., it mainly serves bread, sandwiches, coffee, and juices for both dine-in and takeaway. After 5 p.m., the focus shifts to wine and tapas. Nestled among the trees, this garden house café in Shanghai has entered the next level.
1,600 Square Meters of Space Now Fully Open to the Public
The entire garden house was jointly designed by eight companies from Germany, France, the Netherlands, China, and other countries, all in the style of a South France garden.
To maintain the authenticity of the renovation, every step of the refurbishment and redecoration was full of challenges.
The most surprising aspect of the garden is undoubtedly the four buildings that were previously closed to the public.
Each building is worth exploring in detail. Currently, the entire space is fully open to the public, and anyone passing by can enter and visit for free to experience the beautiful clothing, food, utensils, and scenery.
A Fashion Store, a Restaurant, and a Café
In recent years, the Chinese high-end brand Zhihe, which has gained international fame and moved its headquarters from Shanghai, China, to Paris, France, not only offers its dining experiences here but also showcases its women’s and men’s clothing, as well as the CARVEN brand from France, which is also under the Zhihe umbrella.
Rather than calling it a fashion concept store, it is more accurate to describe it as a fashion exhibition where one can experience aesthetics. It is absolutely a place that citywalk enthusiasts cannot refuse.
· Zhihe Carfen Garden ·
Address: No. 2 Hengshan Road
Business Hours: 10:00-21:00
*Free entry
· SILEX Restaurant ·
Address: No. 12 Dongping Garden (Zhihe Carfen Garden Store)
Average Cost: 800-3,000 yuan per person
Reservation Phone: 021 60133677
· SILEX GOURMET Café ·
Address: No. 2 Hengshan Road, 2nd Floor (Zhihe Carfen Garden Store)
Average Cost: 54 yuan per person
