M On The Bund, described its offerings as "Modern European food: a collection of classics, nostalgic favourites and dishes from the Middle East and North Africa, too." I wanted to try this place ranked 14th on Miele's Guide 09/10, the folks there justified their ranking with the following;
"Since it opened its doors 10 years ago, it has been one of the best-loved restaurants in Shanghai — and that’s no mean feat in Asia’s fastest developing city."
With such a description, I risked the solitude of dining alone in a foreign country, a first for me...ever and forgoing precious shopping time! Personally, dining alone bites, like a bug..somehow. Maybe a book with me would have completed the whole emo picture.
Anyway, I made reservations online and when I reached, the place was actually undergoing huge renovations and there was a private wedding party held simultaneously. They actually handwrite their reservation list...in the signature M curlsive script...not too sure if that is entirely coincidental. Then, the lady notes the bags you are carrying so very uncomfortably, and she kindly offloads them for you and hands you a keychain. For a start, that was nice. I was shown a seat near the window, indoor, which I greatly appreciated because the sun was out in full force despite the cooling temperature of 20 degrees at best.
The table had the usual cutlery and menu on it, next to them was a wad of reading materials...
M's Guide to their range of restaurants around the region...there's a newly opened Capital M in Beijing, Glamour Bar in Shanghai and finally M on the Fringe in Hongkong. The naming conventions and story that connects all the restaurants was fairytale-like...with the paintings resembling that of water colours.
My seat, near the window...felt country like.
I could not resist venturing outside for a good look at the best view of Shanghai.
This is it. Panaromic view of the Bund, 7 storeys up...it was almost as if, time stood still...I was told the night view is way better!
And here's their brunch menu.
Classical tunes were broadcasted...and this is a note to inform regulars of the upcoming musical treat. Having live classical music would have just been perfect!
Slightly tarnished cutlery with the signature M.
Bread basket with 3 types of bread and a tub of butter. The croissant was melt in your mouth good whilst the other breads were just good. No attempt on the part of the waitress to refill the basket at all. I wished the butter was herb at least. Baffles me that they gave such a huge tub!
Pepper and salt to taste.
My baggage tag with my Champagne Cocktail.
See how it fizzles with the cube of coloured sugar. I mistook it for a fruit pastille. There was a choice of Champagne, Mimosa, Orange juice and Bloody Mary.
In all fizzy goodness, I guzzled it down with such aplomp..it surprised me. Champagne on a weekend, in a foreign country...bliss.
Puff Pastry topped with Sauteed Goose Liver, Caramelised Onions and Dressed Cress
煎鹅肝配酥皮挞,焦糖洋葱及水芹菜
I was fussing over my choice of appetizer. The initial plan was to go with Blueberry Pancakes but the heart skipped two beats when I saw "Goose Liver", further affirmed by 鹅肝..which I thought sealed the deal for foie gras. Anyhow, this was served warm and absolutely fragrant. The caramelised onions had a thick consistency with a slight hint of BBQ sauce. Dressed cress was delicious to boot with the crunchy macadamia nuts! Puff Pastry was slightly oily but executed really well in terms of lightness and flakiness.
Three pieces of Goose Liver. Two of them had this tough consistency.
The only saving
M's Weekend Fry Up ~ Minute Steak, Lamb Chop, Grilled Sausage, Crispy Bacon, Grilled Tomato, Sauteed Onions, and Mashed Potatoes and a Fried Egg of course
烤肉拼盘 ~ 牛排,羊排,香肠和脆培根配烤番茄,炒洋葱,土豆泥和煎蛋
The next popular main course after Eggs Benny. This came in such a huge portion, I was stunned. For once, descriptions failed.
Lamb was divine, to put it simply. The overflowing juices was heaven for me. Paired with buttery mashed potatoes...I felt full just tucking into the lamb and potato.
Minute steak came in a serving that rivalled the ladies cut. Juicy and tender, cooked to the most precise doneness..kudos to the kitchen. I found fault with the sauteed onions which heavily reminded me of the caramelised onions from the appetizers...and it tasted just like a continuation. It got too much at some point.
The grilled tomato was slightly mushy. I gave the grilled sausages a pass as they reminded me too much of SQ's morning breakfast. Fried Egg was thankfully not runny. For the first time, I could not finish my mains.
M's very famous Pavlova
米氏名点 ~ 奶油蛋白饼
I was hesitating between this and the Baklova which is puff pastry. The waitress strongly recommended their signature and I understand why. I have not tasted one before so no prejudgements here.
There has to be something "very famous" about this right? It was served seated daintily in the middle of mango juice. The fruits were not sweet, surprisingly. There was a layer of cream which tasted bland on its own.
Now, for the pavlova! The cottony soft layer tasted so much like cotton candy without the insane amount sugar! Meringue was crumbly and dissolved so readily. Lovely textures in this dessert. Two thumbs up for this! I enjoyed it very much and the awesome control of sugar level is worth all the praise. I was certainly expecting this to be mind-blowingly sweet with meringue used but well, it proved me wrong.
Though the brunch came with complimentary coffee and tea, I was not offered any throughout the meal. I felt the service was not top notch good but thankfully not intrusive. A mention of their standard of English amongst the waitresses and waiters, it has to be good given the crowd they draw and yes, they speak good Queen's English complete with a slight slang. The place was a third filled with mostly expats and girly gatherings which upped the noise level quite a bit. A rarity for restaurants so atas. At least I was made to think it is atas, given the likes of Jaan and Iggy's being on the same list.
I stepped out 1.5 hours later, slightly tipsy and too full. I applaud them for the huge portions served. Taste wise, I was only impressed with the lamb, minute steak and pavlova. Mermerized I am, more for the view and ambience.
3 courses, 258 RMB nett, no service charge
http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com/
M on the Bund
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