[Shanghai] Far-West

Far-West

Add: 202 Wu Kang Road, Shanghai 武康路202号
Tel: n/a
Hours: [soft opening] Fri-Sun 10:30am-10:00pm
Price: [galette] 30-95; [crêpe] 38-90;
Visited: April 2016
Will return: Yes

I heard about Franck Pécol’s new crêperie about a month ago, but I was disappointed on my first visit to discover that they were only open Friday to Sunday during soft opening. So I went back on a Saturday as soon as I had the chance, and it was everything I expected a crêperie by Franck Pécol to be.

Tucked away in a charming little courtyard just behind Grains and WIYF (two more Franck Pécol concepts), the small dining room is filled with tables of light blond wood that seat just over 20 guests. Two of the walls are covered by faded pale blue tiles, and the other two consist of pale wooden doors with large windows that flood the space with natural light. The decor, though minimalistic, is quite cozy – steering well clear of the cold, asexual Nordic style adopted by many restaurants of late – and somewhat reminiscent of the welcoming neatness at Restaurant Story in London.

The waiters were very friendly, happy to make recommendations or to explain the menu, which is in French and English only. But after the French-only menus at Franck Bistrot, one would hardly be surprised.

No crêperie is complete without some cider, and this Demi-Sec Cider from Normandy  (40/glass) was light and fizzy. Other varieties are available by the bottle.
Recommend: yes

Apart from cider, Far-West also serves fresh juice (one of the few spots in Shanghai where you can get fresh lemon juice!), beer, and aperitifs. If you want coffee, you need to stroll along to Grains and bring it back yourself.

ShanghaiGirlEats highly recommended the Suzette (95), and I always trust her judgment. Filled with crispy, fatty smoked pork lardons, earthy mushrooms, a runny egg, rich cream, and salty cheese, this was galette at its best.
Recommend: definitely

I didn’t notice this blackboard of specials until after I ordered, but damn do those sound amazing!

On to the sweet. I ordered the Caramel Beurre Salé (38) by mistake, when I meant to order the Tout Caramel (75), but it was slightly remedied by adding a scoop of salted caramel ice cream (30) from WIYF. I love WIYF’s salted caramel ice cream, but it was even better with the soft and delicate crêpe that offset the sweetness of the ice cream.
Recommend: yes

Far-West is still in soft opening, so they’re still working out some details. They are expected to open for real mid-April. Can’t come too soon!