Douglas Williams/Shanghai Daily

The French would argue vociferously and vehemently that their cuisine is the very finest in the world. A smattering of foolhardy and ill-informed individuals might wish to take up this argument but few would get very far.
So there may be faults: to some, French cuisine can be a little oily, perhaps a little heavy and sometimes it can be quite red meat centric. To others, these are positives as opposed to minuses. Let's not forget from whence haute cuisine came and which style of cooking any chef worth their "sel" must, at the very least, be au fait with, usually intimately acquainted.
Saleya is a little French bistro tucked away behind Huaihai Road M. and not far from the Xiangyang Road Fashion and Gift Market. Saleya is, in fact, perfectly poised to provide welcome respite, the perfect antidote even, from the torment the market so freely and liberally dishes out.
Saleya is at Changle Road, two blocks North of Huaihai Road, well sign posted but set back of the road in an old house.
The bistro certainly qualifies as compact and bijou with seating inside for a couple of dozen maximum. Sunnier climes see the garden out front packed but that's sadly not an option currently.
Stepping inside is another of those slightly bewildering and disorientating experiences where, by simply walking through a door, the madness of Shanghai is exchanged for something completely different.
With Saleya an eaterie in one of the quieter arondissments of Paris is vividly and authentically conjured. Traditional French accordion music plays, a smartly dressed bar fellow polishes glasses and a blackboard proffers three courses of bistro food with a very simple lunch time pricing structure. For one plate, it's 58 yuan (US$7.16), two plates are 68 yuan while three cost 78 yuan. The French don't do anything so vulgar as putting a price on each and every dish.
Ok so bistro is a country mile from haute cuisine - the button down shirt and slacks to the dickie bow and tuxedo. Bistro food is casual, easily eaten food and the surroundings are restaurant but just a small step up from cafe.
This is the case with Saleya - framed adverts for Ricard and other staple French brands adorn the walls, a thick maroon curtain shields the door adding to the sense of elsewhere.
My potage poireaux et pomme de terre (leak and potato soup) was thick and smooth not unlike baby food although the baby fed on soup this fine would be supremely lucky. Lightly seasoned and drizzled with good olive oil one did feel pampered eating it. The confit de canard (duck) succumbed somewhat to the overly dry danger that this dish is prone too but fortunately the bird's thighs yielded plenty of meat. The potato lyonaise accompaniment understated although wholly adequate. My fillet beouf with bordelaise sauce, dauphinoise potatoes. The steak was a lean cut, the sauce rich with wine, dauphinoise simply the best thing possible to do with a potato. The thin creme brullee for desert  was smooth, luxuriant and utterly essential.
Address: 570 Changle Road
Tel: 5403 6957