Spectacular dining and views to match at this Shanghai gem

Lately I have been getting to Shanghai more often for work. M on the Bund is right around the corner from the Westin Bund Center where I usually stay. Convenience is certainly a plus, but what really keeps me coming back is the fantastic menu and Bund skyline views. So I was excited this time to be able to visit with Paul (instead of the usual business dinner), and share M on the Bund with him.

While the terrace was closed this time of year due to weather, we managed to score a window front table overlooking the Bund. M has a bird’s eye view on the Bund, from their 7^th floor perch of a historic building from the 1920’s. The view is stunning….and watching the sparkling lights of Pudong across the river and the boats cruise down the river is mesmerizing.

But even more mesmerizing than the view is the menu. In fact, Paul stared at the menu for a full 15 minutes and finally proclaimed, “I haven’t seen anything I don’t want.” Completely flummoxed by the conundrum of several attractive choices, Paul finally sought out the help of the gracious manager, Prue, to recommend some signature dishes.

Along with some signature dishes which have remained, the menu has evolved to a winter themed affair with lots of hearty dishes…satisfying and comforting in a way winter food should be. And that’s one of the nice things about M on the Bund. They have been around for over a decade (since 1999), but aren’t afraid to evolve and grow. And I also like that they keep it fresh with seasonal offerings. Prue recommended a few starters and some main courses (serendipitously one I was already eyeing …we were still hard pressed to choose, so we ordered several dishes. New Year’s resolutions be damned!

To start, Paul chose the Soup of Onion and Almonds Spiked with Sherry and flavored with Marjoram (78RMB / S$15.80 / $11.40 USD), while I chose to start with the Prawn and Crab Bisque with Prawn and Sesame Toast (78RMB / S$17.85 / $12.84 USD). Both soups were rich and satisfying. Paul’s in particular had a unique flavour profile, and I do think he chose it out of curiosity more than anything, and it worked splendidly. In fact, it was one of his favourite dishes of the evening.

For our next course, we chose 3 different dishes. The first was Audacious Aubergines (78RMB / S$19.48 / $14 USD), a trio of aubergines or eggplant. This may have been one of my preferred dishes of the evening. The first preparation was reminiscent of a Turkish dish I love (patlican salatasi)…a smoky, grilled eggplant mashed with olive oil in garlic. M’s interpretation of this dish featured tahini and mint and was divine. The other 2 preparations were also simple and rustic, diced with olives, almonds and parsley and then also rolled with red peppers.

The second dish was Pigeon Twice Cooked with Boudin Noir and Spicy Harissa (118RMB / S$24 / $17.22 USD). Paul usually doesn’t like pigeon and I must admit, I had never tried it before (despite it being a very common Asian dish, somehow thinking about eating it always brought dirty NYC pigeons to mind.). However, I think this dish transformed both of our pigeon prejudices. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, a result apparently ensured by the 2x cooking process. I particularly enjoyed the spicy and smoky harissa to further add depth to the flavour of the pigeon.

Our third appetizer was one of Paul’s favourites, Seared scallops on Cauliflower Puree with Cauliflower Florets, Pine Nuts and Sultanas (108RMB / S$24 / $17.22 USD). He described it as “scallops with a kick” and felt like the chef had succeeded in elevating what can be a very common dish these days.

And finally the mains… I ordered M’s Crispy Suckling Pig with roasted root vegetables, baked apples and “a good pig sauce” (258RMB / S$52.34 / $37.65 USD). I had my eye on this since I had checked the website the day prior. This is a destination dish – go to M and have this, I implore you. The skin was indeed a mouthful of crispy goodness….crunchy and crackly and full of flavour. While the pork was supremely succulent, its tender meat nearly melted in my mouth. The carmelized onions and beets should not be overlooked as a mere side dish, but rather are an integral part of the plate. While the small, sweet apples served their role to cut the fat and add a bit of brightness. Wow.

A dish so sexy it needs to be seen at various angles

Paul chose the Slow Baked Salt-Encased Leg of Lamb with fondant sweet potato, sautéed spinach and fennel and parsley salad (258RMB / S$52.34 / $37.65 USD). It was perfectly cooked mid-rare and Paul remarked it was almost like a brisket…. moist and fork tender.

We really shouldn’t have, and I mean we really shouldn’t have…but we moved on to dessert. Somehow no matter how full I am there seems to be a special place in my stomach for dessert. Again lots of tough choices, so we decided not to choose at all and went with the M’s Truly Grand Dessert Platter (128RMB / S$26 / $18.68 USD). The dessert sampler is an assortment of M’s desserts including a strawberry soufflé, the famous chocolate cake covered in gold leaf, panacotta e crostoli, poppyseed galette, a mini apple tart, M’s famous Pavlova and 2 ice creams. M suggests a minimum of 2 people, and we did put a significant dent in it, but it is wildly extravagant and maybe more appropriate for 3-4 people. Paul’s favourite was the chocolate cake covered in gold leaf, super rich and fudgy, it is hard to resist. While for me, I preferred the Pavlova, its light texture and crispy meringue topped in fruit was somehow rich and yet light…heavenly and yet sinful.

As we wrapped up the meal, we agreed while the view is no doubt stunning, it is the food that will keep us coming back. And this is really refreshing, because in my opinion there are too many “restaurants with a view” that coast on their locale and serve mediocre food – but not Mon the Bund. And we are not alone in this opinion. M  on the Bund has countless awards, was recently named in Miele Guide’s Top 20 restaurants of Asia yet again in 2010 (they were also on the 2008 and 2009 list)., “Most Popular Restaurant” by Shanghai Zagat readers, and many, many more.

Tips:

To make a night of it, try Glamour Bar for glam cocktails before or after dining at M on the Bund. This is M’s oh so chic cousin on the 6^th floor of the same building.

Also, if you are new to Shanghai, ask for M on the Bund’s complementary mini guide – a hihglights list of great shopping, gallery, nightlife and dining recommendations.

M on the Bund
Locations also in Beijing and Hong Kong
7/F, No.5 The Bund ( corner of Guangdong Lu )
Shanghai 200002 China
Telephone: +86 (21) 6350 9988

Visiting the celebrity chef’s signature restaurant in Hanoi

Bobby Chinn is one of the most celebrated chef’s in Asia. If you watch the Travel & Living channel, there is no doubt you have seen his show Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia. Beyond that, he is regularly featured in newspaper and magazine articles and even recent Sony handycam commercials. We wondered if after all the media exposure, if his restaurant could really live up to all the hype.

When we were in Hanoi recently, we decided to give it a go. Paul made a booking for us and 2 other friends on a Saturday night. Interestingly enough, when arrived to their new location (they have recently moved), we noticed the restaurant was startlingly empty… and actually remained this way when we left some 3 hours later. Never a good sign for a restaurant…

But in the spirit of keeping an open mind, we sat down and perused the menu. Much like Bobby on his TV show, the menu is packed full of personality. Lots of witty aphorisms and quips entertain the diner. And even found on the menu is a most usual item. For $5.78 USD, you can order a side dish of the staff complimenting you – “we tell you, you are beautiful all night long…includes a signed copy of the menu.” OK, so he’s funny, but how’s the food?

I ordered the Vietnamese 6 course tasting menu (800,000 VND / $44 USD) which included:

• An amuse bouche of chicken satay
• Black bean soup
• Duck Confit (Pho Cuon)
• Beef La Lot (chargrilled beef wrapped in La Lot leaves)
• Smoked Pork Belly in caramel sauce, braised cabbage and lotus rice
• Ice cream

The real standouts in my tasting menu were the grilled beef wrapped in La Lot Leaves and the Smoked Pork Belly. The beef was tender and juicy, seasoned perfectly with local spices. I would definitely order this again. The pork belly in caramel sauce was rich (of course), served in a bubbling casserole dish straight from the oven. I will admit I have had pork belly I have enjoyed more (like that at the St Regis Singapore dim sum brunch). And the rice was rather sticky and somehow not so fresh. Everything else on my tasting menu was competent, but not the wow I was expecting from a chef held in such high regard.

Paul got the Western Tasting Menu of 6 courses (800,000 VND / $44 USD) which included:

• An amuse bouche…also chicken satay
• Pumpkin soup
• Mushroom risotto
• Seared day boat scallops with braised edamame and truffle pea jus
• Five spices rack of lamb with apple risotto and red wine, lamb jus reduction
• Dessert sampler

Paul thought the mushroom risotto was really well done, creamy and earthy, overall a perfectly cooked risotto. However the rest of his dishes were also just so-so. Nothing was bad, but also nothing terribly standout. And in general he felt, and I agree, it was a rather unimaginative tasting menu. (And why the 2 risottos? One as a course and one as a side dish?) Usually this is where chefs have the opportunity to strut their stuff and this was a predictable list of dishes that didn’t highlight the culinary aptitude of the kitchen.

Monica and Lyan, our dining companions, ordered a la carte. They chose a crab trio ($15 USD) of crab salad, truffle crab espresso and glazed crab cake. This was another standout dish. We all sampled the various crab dishes and agreed this showed creativity and culinary finesse. Whereas the blackened barramundi on braised banana blossoms ($16 USD), much like our tasting menu was just good, but not great.

It’s kind of a shame really, we all wanted to love Bobby Chinn’s in Hanoi, but somehow we just couldn’t fully embrace it. The décor is stunning and dramatic…the service was good…but the food simply wasn’t at the caliber one would expect from a chef who is so lauded. Beyond that, it also felt a bit commercialized…as an example, we were offered his book to buy for $25 USD no fewer than 3 times. And this did annoy me a bit…although as I skimmed the book I did find amusement in noting that the Vietnamese government had censored out all references to the Vietnam War. (And I should mention that Paul found the book the very next week in Singapore for a fraction of the price – $9 SGD or $6 USD).

Overall, we would say Bobby Chinn’s in Hanoi is not a must do for dining. However, we would recommend a street Bahn My sandwich any day. But the dramatic and romantic environment does lend itself for a nice night of cocktails and shisha, but skip the food (if you’re on a shorter visit… probably something great for local expats to have on reserve)… or at least order the crab trio or beef la lot to be safe.

Bobby Chinn
77 Xuan Dieu Street
Tau Ho District
Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 4 3719 2460

Stunning presentation, impeccable service and inventive, modern French cuisine

It was Paul’s birthday, so it had to be special…something out of the ordinary and truly impressive. After much consideration I selected Gunther’s, #7 on the Miele Guide’s list for top restaurants in Asia. I think what got me, besides its reputation as one of the best restaurants in Singapore, was the idea of a menu-less, 8-course tasting dinner designed on the spot by the chef (who trained in a 3-starred Michelin restaurant in Paris). The idea of every course being a surprise sounded exhilarating and like just the kind of unique experience I was looking to share with Paul on his special day.

And in fact, everything about our experience was absolutely flawless. When we entered  the restaurant we were treated like VIPs (and I didn’t even mention to them it was a birthday). They took my bag and carried it for me…lest I be perturbed with even the smallest nuisance of shouldering my laptop…and ushered us to our table. We were immediately greeted and the waiter did something I have never seen before….he brought the raw ingredients of today’s specials on a platter to our table for us to see them first hand. There was an impressive array of kuroge wagyu beef, lobster (still moving!), crab legs, a leg of Spanish ham on a carving tray, and a magnificent truffle covered by a domed plate. If there was any question about having the tasting menu, this completely removed it.

As we ordered the tasting menu, they asked if we had any special dislikes or dietary issues. I personally don’t like carpaccios (raw sliced meats / fish), and since I had seen these on the menu I decided to mention that. No judgment, no snooty derision…just a respectful reply of “of course madame.” We were asked if we would like the paired wine tasting as well….I said “yes”, Paul opted for “no” since he was getting over a cold. And with that the fun began…

1^st course
Japanese tomatoes with balsamic reduction and Spanish Ham

Why does everything Japanese taste better?….small, sweet and perfectly ripe tomatoes were an absolute delight with the Spanish ham. The balsamic vinegar served to cut the heaviness of the ham and the sweetness of the tomato and the result was perfect harmony.

2^nd course
Scallop carpaccio with tomato (for Paul) and grilled scallop with tomato (for me)

A stunning, simple presentation…..perfectly grilled in my case, and delicately seasoned and garnished in Paul’s case.

3^rd course
Capellini with caviar and white truffle

The domed truffle was no doubt used for this simple yet intensely flavourful dish. The earthly aroma wafted up from our dishes and I am pretty sure we didn’t speak as we silently savoured this dish. And in fact, it reminded Paul of a famous Eric Ripert dish from Le Bernardin in NYC.

4^th course
Cepe mushroom with scamorza cheese

Again, simple but harmonious combination of ingredients resulting in a delicate, yet satisfying mouthful.

5^th course
Alaskan king crab with chili oil in a pasta shell

Beautifully presented and judiciously seasoned, a lovely a light mouthful before the heavier courses.

6^th course
Kuroge wagyu beef grilled with corn and potato croquettes

Meat and potatoes if you get right down to it….but this is no average meat, the pinnacle of beef from an ancient stock of Japanese black-haired cattle. So tender and juicy it melts in your mouth. And the simplest item on the dish, the corn, was remarkably fresh and amazingly sweet.

7^th course
Pan-fried scamorza cheese, white truffle and Spanish ham

It’s hard to say what was my favourite course – it was a toss up between this one and the kuroge beef. There is no more classic combination than ham and cheese and when elevated with the best quality ingredients plus white truffles…well, something classic becomes something divine.

8^th course
Apple tart with rum raisin ice cream + compliments of the chef mini macaroons, valhrona chocolate, cannelles and cookies

A creative take on a classic was the perfect finish to a truly perfect meal. I am also a sucker for macaroons, so I was delighted to have the added and unexpected bonus of these and other wonderful cookies and chocolates.

It’s not often we write a review without a hint of constructive criticism….but Gunther’s was in fact as flawless a meal and dining experience as we have had in years. Every detail was considered and perfectly executed in every part of the service….from the inventive presentations to the masterful, yet simple flavour combinations to the highly attentive but somehow unobtrusive wait staff. OK, our experience was expensive…it cost us around $800 SGD for the chef’s tasting menu for 2 with 1 person doing the wine pairing (with service and GST), but I do believe it was totally worth it. But don’t be scared off by our bill…if you order a la carte off the menu, entrees can be had for $38 – 75 SGD, so not every meal has to be as extravagant as ours was.

Honestly, the bar has been set so high now by Gunther’s in Singapore that I struggle to imagine a better meal at any restaurant in any country. Our immediate circle of friends may well be tired of hearing about our culinary masterpiece of a meal, but we never seem to tire of talking about it. If you haven’t been there yourself, revisit your calendar and make it happen – a culinary story of your own awaits.

Gunther’s
36 Purvis Street, #01-03
Singapore
Telephone: +65 6338 8955

We really don’t do these mega-brunches all the time…really. But when high rolling friends come to town and want to dine in style, who are we to say no? A group of five of us Joanna, Lara, Markus, Ralph and myself decided to try out an old Singapore staple for champagne Sunday brunch – The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore (from now on just the Ritz). Was it worth the hype?

How to answer this question? I’ll go with Diplomatically – The Sunday Brunch at the Ritz is a great brunch if you’re a lover of seafood There’s tons of it and it’s good and fresh… with people freshly shucking oysters at the counter, boiling lobsters, pan-frying scallops, etc.

The problem is that’s about it. There are other things on offer for sure. I loved one of the Foie Gras dishes on offer, maybe a bit too much since I proabably ate 3 or 4 of the little plates. But there aren’t any real breakfast/brunch items out or around.

The other problem we had, and maybe we’re spoiled over doing so many of these, is that it wasn’t as fancy as the price would lead you to believe. There were kids and patrons running around in shorts and flip flops, older (but not cool vintage older) tables and fixtures, and it felt like a hotel brunch. Nothing stood out as awful or bad, but nothing was so unique as to warrant special attention either.

Despite stories we’ve heard to the contrary service was prompt and we were regularly treated to Moet refills – though maybe not as ninja-like as the servers at the St Regis. This might also have been our strategic seating choice of right next to the bottles

And to be fair there was more of everything at the Ritz compared to the St Regis. More seafood for sure. The cheese station was crazy big at the Ritz and covered many styles and regions, so if you’re a cheese lover there’s another reason to choose the Ritz.

Our Sunday Brunch at the Ritz was another indulgent affair. As a sort of joke I put my weight pre-brunch up on Twitter (85.1 KG) and after (89.9 KG) so I definitely enjoyed all they had on offer. I don’t think I’ll personally rush to return and I feel a bit pretentious saying that. I’m just a Texan from a poor family that grew up on Taco Bell… and here I am saying that the Ritz isn’t good enough for me

At the end of the day, to our particular group, the Ritz simply didn’t have the same value as some of the other options. Had we been huge seafood or cheese people this could have been our go-to Sunday spot.

The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

7 Raffles Avenue,
Singapore 039799
Singapore
Phone:  (65) 6337 8888