The highlight of the dinner is the filefish, which is fried with its scales for a contrast in texture - crispy scales and tender fish, on a bed of Chinese vegetables. Provided to China Daily

Shanghai

An overseas Chinese chef is taking local, artisanal products and using them with New American flair. Yang Yijun finds out what makes it work so well.

If you take a closer look at the ingredients on Madison's menu, you may just start asking questions. What you'll get are the stories behind the products - from artisanal gouda cheese from Shanxi province, peaches from Nanhui of Shanghai and beer from Inner Mongolia. None are common on Western menus.

While more and more restaurants boast about using imported ingredients, Madison believes local products are just as good, maybe better.

"Chinese cuisine has a history of thousands of years, so there must be some distinctive products. I just want to show people the possibilities," says Austin Hu, the chef-owner of Madison.

Having worked at the renowned Gerry Hayden and Claudia Fleming in New York, the American-born Chinese has brought his style to Shanghai. The restaurant features locally grown and seasonal products, prepared with traditional Western techniques. As Hu tells it, Madison offers "handmade products with a story".

Almost all ingredients, except olive oil, butter and chocolate, are sourced locally, and this commitment produces some familiar but exotic flavors.

The main menu changes quite often, as Hu only uses ingredients in season. If he cannot find the freshest foods, Hu would rather cancel the dish and wait.

His professional skills and passion shine through his food.

I start with the watermelon salad with Beijing blue cheese, frisee, Jinhua prosciutto and waxberry vinaigrette, a truly refreshing dish in summer.

The ingredients are truly unique and like the chef says, "You can't make this anywhere else."

The highlight of the dinner is the filefish with cilantro broth, haricots verts, Chinese celery and spring bamboo.

The fish is fried with its edible scales for a contrast in texture - crispy scales and tender fish. The flesh is kept moist by the thin layer of tasty fat under the skin, and enhanced by the Chinese vegetables, which lighten the dish with fresh flavors.

Some of the other recommended dishes include Wagyu-style beef from Dalian and porcini ravioli with clover, mascarpone and crispy thyme.

In the restaurant's wide collection of wines, there is a page from Chinese vineyards, including local wines such as Xu Yuan 2009 and Silver Heights Family Reserve 2008.

The beers are locally produced and come from Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Anhui and Shanghai. Even the bottled water comes from Laoshan of Shandong province.

A substantial meal at Madison is usually around 400 yuan ($62) each person.

You can contact the writer at

yangyijun@chinadaily.com.cn.