Perhaps the principal complaint I hear from people who work in the Huaihai Dong Lu area, south of People's Square, is the lack in variety of food choices. Long dominated by lackluster local hole-in-the-wall cuisine, Japanese and Western fast food, and the over-priced Xintiandi, David Laris' Slice initially struck me as a much-appreciated addition for anyone who simply wants a good sandwich for lunch.
Located directly across from the entrance of Huaihai Lu's Times Square, Slice is a welcome respite to the monotonous grey-scale world of upscale fashion that dominates the shopping mall and surrounding area. Whereas the neighboring stores feature stark minimalism, Slice's d¨¦cor mixes pastels with the cozy feel of a neighborhood coffee shop.
As a David Laris "concept," Slice markets itself as much more than an ordinary gourmet caf¨¦. All ingredients featured on the menu are available to purchase through their in-house delicatessen, including imported meats, cheeses, and olive oils. Unfortunately due to space limitation, the Huaihai branch has much less on offer compared to its sister outlets in Pudong and Qingpu. Moreover, City Shop's close proximity, a short escalator ride away, probably had some influence in the decision to curtail their range of offerings.
I opted for the rather awkwardly named "Salmon of Knowledge" (smoked salmon on a bagel, dill cream cheese, capers, cucumbers) while my eating partner choose the 58rmb lunch set: a small salad, homemade soup, and a "Sixties Tuna Melt." Service was exceptionally fast; my bagel was thrust into my hand shortly after my 65rmb had left it.
Slice loves to bang on about the freshness of their ingredients and I will give them that. The bagel's texture told me it had come out of the oven only hours before, the salmon was just right, the cucumbers perfectly ripe. And I really wanted to be able to tell you that the final product was delicious, but for a lack of a better word it was a bit blah -- too much attention was paid to "freshness" and somewhere along the way taste was lost.
My eating buddy had a similar experience. The salad and soup did little for his taste buds while he demurred he could make a better tuna melt himself. For the price paid we expected more. With such tenuous value, I will be hard pressed to return to Slice with any frequency, especially because the City Shop deli's is right around the corner, and they've got tuna, turkey, and salami sandwiches too, bigger in size, comparable in freshness, and a fraction of the price.
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