Two Glory Hours at Morton's Steakhouse

My friend J is always great at sniffing good deals around town and I believe he was the one to recommend us Morton's happy hours for he had himself been initiated to the joy of not so tiny tinies at Morton's Singapore.

The guys and I should thank the discoverer and owe him respect. We did indeed spent one of the most delightful guys evening out at the second floor of Shanghai Pudong's IFC mall infamous steakhouse.

So let me tell you what glory hours we had there. The offer only convinced us to cross the Huangpu river, and it had to be good: 38RMB martinis from 5 to 7pm (4,20Euros) with an all-you-can-eat beef sirloin sandwiches, and the rest should be as below...

Morton's The Steakhouse (Shanghai, PRC):
4/F, IFC Pudong,
8 Shiji Da Dao,
near Lujiazui Huan Lu
世纪大道8号，
国金中心IFC商场4楼
近陆家嘴环路
Phone: +8621 6075 8888
http://www.mortons.com/

From Chicago to Shanghai, be sure they kept it high

Choosing our weapons

Round 1, Chocolate Martini

Round 2, Morton's Mojito Martini

Mouth watering beef sandwich, in numbers

Third, Dry Martini meets Hoyos de Monterrey

The Epicureans

Round 4, Espresso Tini

Final round! Blue Cheese Olives Martini

Review - ROOSEVELT PRIME STEAKHOUSE

I was gracefully invited by my very good friends Ping and Fred yesterday to have dinner at ROOSEVELT PRIME STEAKHOUSE. We headed to the beautiful villa located in the heart of Shanghai French Concession, hungry for meat.

Very classic decor, velvet curtains, dark wood paneling, over-used leather chairs, and portrait of the Roosevelt family everywhere.

We were told RPS was serving the best Caesar Salad in town so we had to try it, and at 128RMB we had high expectation. I have to say there are very few Caesar Salads that I haven't tried in Shanghai and this one didn't stun me. Sauce was blend, watery, very light on the parmesan, topped with one tiny anchovy... I was definitely not bad but not that great either. Forgettable.

I was still chewing my last leaves when we got our plates taken away and were served the mains: 1 filet mignon, 1 New York Strip, 1 Salmon. Plates were cold and although we ate very fast our food and sides went cold in no time. Mustard was very boringly presented with only 2 kinds (French and English mustard and the waiter seemed bother when we asked him to bring them both). No choice of salts and peppers, unlike other famous steakhouses in Asia that offers a whole collection of spices and butter.

However...

The filet mignon (275RMB) was incredibly tasty, with an amazing crisp on top. The New York Prime was also very good (300RMB). Mashed potato garlic and mac & cheese as sides, both very nice. Meat was just awesome, the filet mignon got me and I understand why RPS was voted best steakhouse for 3 years. The Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon was also very nice (450RMB).

We then moved to the cigar room, a true den for cigar lovers. Huge leather armchairs, good selection of cigars, and affordable. Cognac were pricy though so we went for a South American rum that perfectly matched our Upman and Montechristo. For desert we had the very generic chocolate fondants with vanilla ice cream, but were not impressed as it was overcooked outside, made from too much egg and flour that made the consistence chewy and tasteless.

Service was average, executed with no passion making the whole experience quite unremarkable. The steak was excellent and I highly recommend the filet mignon that was the most affordable yet the tastiest cut.

Overall was kind of disappointing as our evening seriously lack the element of fun and we didn't leave the place too enthusiastic. For nearly 900RMB per head I guess we were expecting more than just very good mains and a distant service.

Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse (Shanghai, PRC):
160 Taiyuan Lu near Yongjia Lu
太原路160号, 近永嘉路
Phone: +8621 6433 8240
http://www.rooseveltsteakhouse.com/

Tips - KOMMUNEST YOUTH

Few years ago I would spend so many hours at KOMMUNE Cafe, one of the nicest place you can imagine in Shanghai for: early breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee, afternoon tea al fresco, dinner, a traditional Ozzie BBQ, and early evening drinks... yeah only that...

I opened my first creative agency (Shanghai Art Studio) right next to KOMMUNE and I would probably spend more time there than in my office. No matter how cool this one was I would just not resist the call for a coffee, a lasagna, a huge piece of lemon tart or a giant hot chocolate. It was some years ago and I've never imagined I would eventually be married with children... and that one day my daughter would enjoy the very same hot chocolate.

Now we enjoy going to KOMMUNE together and it seems that she's inherited her old man's tastes.

Kommune Cafe (Shanghai, PRC):
Taikang Area
Lane 210 Taikang Lu, near Sinan Lu
田子坊泰康路210弄近思南路

Taming the Noodles, a Dough Story

When you were a kiddo how many times did you wander where were pastas from? Usually they go together in the same group of highly appreciated kid dishes together with potatoes and rice. So potatoes grow in the ground, rice under water, and pastas? Well... I didn't have a very clear idea about it till I visited some of the world most amazing pasta houses in Italy 10 years ago. Pastas don't grow on trees. Surprise! They're "just" dough... D'Oh!

Dough? You mean like bread, pizza, and... dumplings? Oh, I see... So Pastas never come on Earth as a food gift from God, you don't seed them? Good I haven't tried to hard growing penne in my backyard.

So Pastas come from dough, and it is funny to think about how many people eat Pastas (billions) and how few knows the secret of their making.

The same way I visited factories and traditional handmade manufactures in Italy last Century, and with the same curiosity, I was granted access to one of the best Chinese restaurant in Shanghai, "SOAHC", in Xin Tian Di, for a private lesson of noodle making. And yes, it all started with dough.

I should thank my dear friend and owner of several restaurants in Shanghai, Ping Ping CHAO-NUGERON thanks to whom I discovered the behind-the-scene and met some of her amazing Chefs. I had really no idea what it takes to sculpt these noodles, a perfect dough, the perfect hands, the perfect move, the throwing in the air, result of years of practice. Well, after all, there is something divine about Pastas.

Soahc
South Block Xintiandi
House 3, Ln. 123 Xingye Lu (Madang Lu)
Shanghai, China 200021
6385-7777