Friday, March 23, 2012

Table No. 1, Shanghai

DSC_9754_530x800

DSC_9756_1208x800
Table No 1 is a restaurant by Jason Atherton, who is said to visit once a week.

DSC_9815_1280x848

I was at the KKFood Fest closing ceremony last week and an Italian chef asked if I've eaten at Mr & Mrs Bund, probably the most famous western restaurant in Shanghai. I hesistated to reply. How do I tell him that I passed up the chance to eat at Mr & Mrs Bund because I wasn't feeling very presentable (red nose, wrinkly skin, same grey top and jeans for one week). He spent the next 5 minutes telling me about the food at Mr & Mrs Bund, his eyes shining as he spoke and I could see in my mind the food he was describing. He is a top chef in a 5-star hotel restaurant in KK yet he sounded like a little boy in a candy store. I suddenly wished that I had eaten at Mr & Mrs Bund.

But I made it to Table No. 1 instead and I am not sorry because I wanted to eat there ever since my daughter posted on her meal there. It must be our Malaysian luck because it was Restaurant Week in SH, and Table No 1 was having lunch deals at RMB115/MYR58/USD19 per person for a 3-course meal! They only had tables for lunch, so Yi grabbed the table for the third day of our trip. I've found that it's best to make restaurant bookings in SH. It's a city of 27 million people, most of them well-heeled it seems.

The restaurant is out near The Bund or Waitan in Mandarin, wai meaning outside tan meaning coast, seaside, beach. Yi's office is just 10 minutes' walk away. It was our first lunch with her in SH. We had dropped in to visit her in SH without notice and she was so busy we only saw her at night, when she came back from work nearly midnight. She was busy into her next project, a portrait of another famous Chinese.

She ran into the restaurant, late as usual, strands of hair all over her face. We were early to the restaurant and the locals hadn't come in yet. Most who were there were tourists and expats, obvious from the languages spoken and the amount of photos taken around the building. Table No 1 is the restaurant in The Waterhouse, a chic, modern boutique hotel that I can't afford to stay in.

I've looked forward to the day when my girl would be making enough money to treat us to a pleasant restaurant so this was an extra special lunch because this was it, Yi was paying. Lucky for her, we passed on the wine and ordered the special promotion lunch. The regular menu can be pricey. There's a special steak for RMB988. Maybe 5 years from now.

P3090847_1280x721
Table No 1 is casual, just the way I like it but the waiters are always watching.

DSC_9766_1280x848
How pretty is that! Yi's starter of salmon tartare with cucumber, quail eggs, radish and the tiniest little white radishes (not seen in photo) I've ever seen. Very light and refreshing but too small a portion.

DSC_9763_530x800
Hub's starter, ham hock and foie gras terrine. Very nice and delicate but I have to admit that I prefer foie gras in its original state, not pated ot terrined. I want whole foie gras!

DSC_9764_530x800
My starter of wild mushrooms a la greque, whatever that is, was yummy too.

DSC_9771_530x800
Yi ordered a little crate of bread and rolls, RMB48/MYR24/USD8. The bread was served with butter, pesto (not as good as mine) and solid lard! Yi's friend Chris and his dad refused to try the lard when they ate there half a year back. I dug into it.

DSC_9783_1208x800
What do you know, there was pork floss inside!

DSC_9781_1280x848
Not ordinary pork floss, but superb, gorgeous pork that was so flavorful and yummy that I couldn't stop eating it. Wish I can make that spread.

DSC_9785_1208x800
Yi's slow cooked duck legs and hearts in mushroom-spiced sauce.

DSC_9795_1280x848
"What's this, ma?!"
 "A heart."
"Ew!"
"Give it to dad, he eats anything." (I was like "ew" too but didn't want them to know)
Dad ate the heart.

DSC_9793_1280x848
My roast young chicken was beautiful but a bit bland and dry. Came with a bowl of yummy fries.

I love how the photos turned out. I've learnt something: eat lunch if you want to take good food photos. And oh, sit next to the window, or the seat that gets the most light. The lighting in the restaurant was so perfect for photos that all the photos you see here are untouched, no contrasting or sharpening or whatever.

DSC_9798_1280x848

DSC_9792_1280x848
Hub's seared sea bass with apricot soy. Nice, as nice as any good fish dish although it was a little overcooked.

DSC_9799_1280x848
"EW! More hearts under the musrooms!"
"Ok, just give your dish to me. You can have my chicken."

Now, I had to eat at least one heart just to show I'm not chicken (or duck) and that as a foodie, I can eat most things. The heart was nice and tender, really quite tasty. The duck, oh the duck, was just perfect. Very tender, falling off the bone, succulent, flavorful and tasty. Best main of the three.

DSC_9809_1280x848
This was my first Eton Mess and I felt a little bit let down. It was too neat and pretty. Come on, it should look messy! But you know what, this was seriously good. Yi and I were oohhing and ahhing over this. The meringue was super light, melt-in-the-mouth, not too sweet, and the raspberries and cream just made this one of the best desserts ever.

DSC_9808_1280x848
Hub's lemon something. It was very good, unbelievably lemony--the curd, the cake, the cream--but it was the size of a tablespoon.

DSC_9802_1280x848
My orange cake came with a very crisp piece of orange which I loved.

DSC_9811_1280x848
Syrup-soaked cakes aren't my fave but this was still pleasurable to eat.

DSC_9813_1280x848
It was such a wonderful surprise to come to the last page in a magazine (City Weekend, a magazine for expats in SH) and read an article about my own daughter. Surreal. She was sitting in front of me, licking her spoon and plate, strands of hair sticking out here and there. I told her she needed moisturizer and a facial. Hub took a real ugly photo of me. I shut up.

12 comments:

malaymui said...

Terri, nice food and Shanghai is really a happening place to visit again... it's been awhile... I have been enjoying your posts about Shanghai^^

tina said...

I love hearts, gizzards, etc! And you take such beautiful shots!

waisekmui said...

great photos, the food looks awesome. I agree, eton's mess looks more like eton's room being cleaned up. I'm sorry if I sound rude, but why are you picking on your daughter, Yi so much? I know moms are critical but I feel you went a lil too far. Messy hair is not a big issue.

missyblurkit said...

very simple decor...almost plain but the food is colourful. gorgeous pictures too!

Michelle Chin said...

eton mess should look messy but then not everyone likes it messy. :D

Sharon said...

I had bad experience visiting Shanghai few years back but reading your article made me wishing to revisit the place again. I enjoyed the article very much.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this post the most! The photos are beautiful and the post is well written. Checking this blog daily!

yi (aka Red) said...

waisekmui: haha it's okay, she's saying that in an endearing tone (i think!). and i really looked like a mess that day...had a shock when i went into the washroom and looked into the mirror. haha

yi (aka Red) said...

btw i've heard mixed reviews abt mr n mrs bund - one of my colleagues said it's def over-hyped.

we'll go there next time u come here. oh, and we must go to Goga too

terri@adailyobsession said...

Malaymui: Yi's renewing her contract so u must visit her. So much cheaper to dine well in SH.

Tina: haha poor Pat must be horrified. I like gizzards but hearts....i can eat stomachs but not intestines anymore...

Waisekmui: like yi said, it's my ebdearing way of fussing over her. She's cool about it:)

Missy: table no 1's simple plating is not esy to do. Like elegance, u either hv it or u don't. They'v nailed it better than many more acclaimed restaurants. I love thier clean, spare elegance. Reminds me of Calvin Klein's evening gowns.

Michelle: tt's what i though but not after eating this Eton Mess.

Sharon: i've learn tt a city or place can be different on diff visits n even attitude. Tt's what makes visiting places so fun n interesting.

Anon: tq:))

Red: goga's too expensive--pls negotiate fo a big pay rise!

Blur Ting said...

LOL, your post is funny and so entertaining :-)

We always do a good job taking photos of our men but they just excel at taking awful photos of us.

terri@adailyobsession said...

blurting: tt's exactly what yi n i always laugh about! my hub never takes the right photos of us. we think it's a men's thing.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...