Ambrosia has been a fixture on the French Concession dining scene ever since Conde Nast Traveler named it "one of the best new restaurants in the world" in 2003. Since then, they've seen a lot of new neighbors move in, with nearby Dongping Lu and Hengshan Lu hosting an impressive variety of options.

Ambrosia, however, remains one of our favorite secrets, especially for lunch. It's a bit of a splurge, but with a setting and service this good, it's worth a visit with reasonable frequency.


All considered, the basic lunch set is one of the best deals in town. 128 RMB gets you a hearty 8-course meal cooked to order, and at your leisure. Two of the items -- another flavorless pumpkin soup (why is this so trendy?) and an only-average tempura -- could use a little work, but everything else is worthy of praise. Large portions of teppanyaki chicken and beef, sautéed vegetables, scallops and salad, with tropical fruit and coffee (note: kiwi and coffee do not mix) at the finish, and you're leaving satisfied, which usually isn't the case with lunch specials. If you do need more, there's a selection of more expensive lunch sets, up to the 220 RMB set including lobster fried rice and beef with foie gras.

If you're looking to go ala carte, 200 grams of Matsuzaka Tenderloin will set you back 1200 RMB, and pints of home-brewed Paulaner Dry Beer start at 70 RMB. Glasses of house wine are poured generously into large stem-ware, and run 45 RMB.

All of this is cooked in front of you on one the cleanest grills and finest backdrops we've seen for a teppanyaki place. There's a green garden at eye level behind your chef, with year-round shady trees, fountains and playful statuary. A setting like this is really a sight for sore eyes, in any season.

Inside, the decor is tasteful subtlety, with warm, earth tone minimalism, composed of bricks, wood, and brown leather chairs. With the big sunny windows, you don't experience the brown-out that would otherwise make it look like a steakhouse.

The service also deserves kudos. Your chef introduces himself and asks how you like each dish cooked, and explains which of the provided sauces and spices go best with each course. Waitresses never cut into conversation or rush to grab plates as you're eating.

While we fancy Ambrosia as a date place -- something about sitting side by side and viewing both a garden and the cooking action is magic -- we also like to bring down a book or magazine and enjoy a leisurely solo meal.

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