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/
