M1NT
By Rob Rekrutiak, Mar 26th, 2009 | In Dining
Shanghai has already made up their mind up about M1NT, and generally we fall into two camps: on the one hand, the Bund club/ restaurant is a symbol of Shanghai's emergence as a "world-class city" -- a venue with the means, knowledge, and overt mandate to cater to the idiosyncratic whims and predilections of the global elite for which, as the saying goes, money is no object. These people are also known as "members".
Conversely, however, M1NT is also seen as the most high-profile embodiment of the worst kind of Shanghai-specialized artificiality: vulgar insincerity, commercial dubiousness, and stylized excess -- money is the only object.
These people? "Non-members."
Personally, I don't really care either way; I'm more interested in the food. Does that make me a "prospective member"?
Anyways, I recently set aside the socio-political significance of the venue itself and went and ate there.
Who wants to eat like a millionaire?
M1NT is on the 24th floor of an office tower a few blocks from the Bund. Perhaps a bit unusual in location, this space is remarkably... spacious. Very high ceilings, large view windows, an open kitchen, black wood and red lighting form the basis for a remarkably understated and tasteful interior. It doesn't feel like a restaurant attached to a nightclub, and we were surprised by how easy it was to have normal conversation despite the full, boisterous house.
The kitchen offers "Free Asian" cuisine that defines itself as "tearing down the conventions usually associated with ethnic cuisine and cooking from the heart."
But what if your heart is as cold and black as night?
In practice, however, this results in a menu that reads like a pan-Asian cookbook with dishes meant for sharing.
We started with cocktails -- a Manhattan and a Martini -- that came competently mixed from the bar on M1NT's club side, and ordered a spread of appetizers:
-Vanilla-Cured Salmon, Kaffir Lime Leaf, Pickled Celery (70rmb)
-M1NT Hot & Sour Soup, Fresh Herbs, Smoked Duck (75rmb)
-Wagyu Beef Tataki, Avocado & Herb Salad, Nahm Jim (90rmb)
-Millionaire Muhs¡ªWagyu Beef & Foie Gras 'Xiao Long Bao' (90rmb)
As one would expect, the ingredients were all very fresh, high quality and attractively plated. And so began our eating dilemma: while individually tasty and well prepared, the dishes competed with each other with their "tour de Asia" flavoring. The lemongrass of the Hot & Sour Soup would stay a bit too long into your bite of Beef Tataki and the tartness of Cured Salmon muscled into the delish-decedent flavor bomb that was a Millionaire Muh.
Needing additional drinks and main courses, we took a Lifeline and asked our waiter for recommendations. And here seems to lie a M1NT strength: well-trained, knowledgeable, and efficient staff.
Our Man came through with good recommendations for wine and was able to steer us through the food options settling on the Green Curry of Lobster (260rmb), Wagyu Ribeye Steak (300rmb) and side of Grilled Asparagus (40rmb). For wine we settled on a decent bottle of Australian Shiraz for about 500rmb. The wine list has a surprisingly wide range with a couple bottles in the 300-400 range, although the real interest is in the back of the book with special and rare vintages that go for... a lot more.
Our food arrived quickly and introduced us to another M1NT strength: unexpectedly large portions. Given experience at other similarly positioned restaurants, we had expected something more suited to tasting size but instead we faced the prospect of being overly well fed. Our main courses again took us on a circle tour of Asian flavors with mixed success. The curry had great flavor but not surprisingly overwhelmed the lobster. The steak was very well seasoned and properly cooked to medium rare. It was tasty but was served more like a skirt steak than what we'd expect for a rib-eye.
Somehow, we managed to try a dessert from their list of classic sweets with an Asian twist. We shared the Vanilla Bean Panacotta with Spiced Pears in Gula Melaka Syrup (60rmb). We were very pleased by the flavor and texture of this desert staple and to learn that Gula Melaka is Malay for palm sugar. I¡¯m saving that fact for my next quiz show appearance.
At this point we were filled with food, but had to answer one question before we took the check:
Who wants to eat like a millionaire?
A) Gourmands looking for a world-class dining experience
B) Nouveaux Riche looking for a den of excess and opulence
C) Amorous Couples looking to stoke their fires of passion
D) Party People looking to get fueled with food and drink
The restaurant ticks all the boxes you'd expect: exclusive surroundings and a high perch overlooking the Bund; expensive ingredients and an expansive drink list; private dining rooms and tasting menus; a well r¨¦sum¨¦'d team and attentive service.
Our Final Answer is D.
Hassle free ticket purchasing and delivery for Shanghai's cultural and concert events:
Treamer, Mar 27th, 2009
Glad you enjoyed the experience Rob. We have now introduced our new Spring menu, so we would love you to back and check it out.Many thanks,
Marcus
popupkitty, Mar 29th, 2009
"Shanghai has already made up their mind up about M1NT, and generally we fall into two camps" -- I can't take a review seriously when it begins with such perversions of grammar. Shanghai is singular and third person POV (you are not a city). Therefore, "it" has a mind and "it" is divided between two camps (though a mind can't really have camps). If SmSH can pay for wagyu beef, maybe there's money in the budget for copy editing??mittens116, Mar 30th, 2009
It is not wise for Mint to put up the "member" system to camp people into whatever categories. But it is just Mint. It is not fair to generalize restaurants on the Bund. Restaurants on the Bund, including Mint, do have the means, the knowledge to provide world class food and service, which do contribute to making Shanghai a world class city, which then provided opportunities for foreigners like you to make a living here, and for you to then slash restaurants on the bund. Shanghai like a lot of other cities in the world, is a city all about the money. People come here to make the money, or to spend the money. And there is really nothing wrong with it. You think these restaurants not on the Bund set up by some self-claimed restauranteur sincerely wants to offer you value for money? Now they don't have the means, or the knowledge to do that. Please just try and be fair to restaurants on the Bund.omgthisnamesuks, Mar 31st, 2009
The problem with M1NT Shanghai (I don't know about the other ones) - is that it's like a "poser" Member club. As stated already, it's basically the Lounge 18 and Attica crowd - and 90% of them are NOT members.When you have a member club where knowing the bouncer, or knowing the girl at the front desk, or saying "oh I know this member" will get you and your 5 friends in regardless if you are a member - it's fail.
An interview stated that M1NT was opened for the purpose of allowing people who wanted to go to a regular comfortable place and be surrounded by like minded individuals and not a bunch of mindless transient party drones (i'm paraphrasing, but whatever) - in which case, again... it's failed.
rob.r, Mar 31st, 2009
@mittens116 - normally I wouldn't step into a discussion about any review, let alone my own but did you actually read and/or comprehend a single word of it?In what way did I generalize restaurants on The Bund - I didn't mention a single one other than M1NT? How am I being "unfair" to Bund restaurants? Where does the phrase "value for money" appear in my review? And please, PLEASE tell me how these restaurants - all of which opened long AFTER I moved to Shanghai - have provided me with additional economic benefit?
I focused my review on the food/service/environment at M1NT and completely ignored the fact that they may/may not have a "members only" aspect to it - opening paragraph of the review states this! If you take the time to read, you will see that I found aspects of my experience to be fantastic and I found aspects of it to not be as fantastic. These are very clearly and fairly laid out in the review. In reviewing a restaurant that positions itself as having world class food, beverage and service I have every right - nay, responsibility - to detail exactly how well it performs.
francois123, Apr 1st, 2009
Went there last Saturday, when there was a fashion show. Good club.joemomma, Apr 8th, 2009
great space but i can do without the elitist attitude.johnotoole, May 18th, 2009
Is what it is, like D-i or Drop, the "member" thing is basically just so they can refuse people if they want to. It's not really fair, but that's what makes it "exclusive" and thus, "cool" I have no idea if it's for better or worse, but I agree with the reviewer on a few counts. The decor is indeed delightfully understated; it's attractive and spacious with just enough room to move even when full (this is true in the club as well, which is a pretty massive accomplishment). The food is excellently prepared, but may try a bit too hard to "wow" the guest. I have been extremely impressed by the cocktails. Attention to detail, convention, and overall quality have always been outstanding, and though I had to teach the bartenders the recipe for a Sidecar, they pulled it off perfectly (the Caipirinha is particularly good, just the right sized chunks of ice). In other words, for what it is, it's a pretty great place, on either side of the shark tank. Don't expect it to be anything else and you will definitely enjoy yourself.action.against.m1nt, Jun 4th, 2009
I like many other people I know spent 5000RMB on a membership at M1NT on the pretense that it was an exclusive club and that the acceptance criteria for membership would ensure a better class of guest than the other clubs in this city. The reality is that anyone can get in to M1NT, which is a very large nightclub so they seem even less picky whom they let in compared with non-membership nightclubs like Lounge18, Bar Rouge, Sin, Etc. M1NT crowds so many people in that it is very uncomfortable and impossible to get service. I have complained about this on several occasions to the company and they offered to refund my membership fee, but they were unapologetic. Don't waste your money at M1NT. If you want a real exclusive membership club there is KEE Club on Huai Hai Lu.Please sign in or register to comment