user Miss. Scorpio

Fri Mar 21st 2008

A few weeks ago i went to Jade a night with boyfriend with great expectation. We've both been favor of traditional French and fashionable fusion cuisin but since we've tried basically every celebrated resturants along the bund and especially done with the the ever-lasting-never-improving manu of Jean Georges, we decided to give Jade a fresh try. Well staff was friendly there, atmosphere was all right, not as amazing as it appears from the picture it presented on the web but when it comes to food i have to say it was lame. By lame i mean under the shallow coat of 'Innovative Fushion Cuisin'its flavor of dishes represented merely combination of different stuff than a sense of core concept or understanding of the original material. Yes the presentation of some dishes were creative, but you just can't screw an supposedly refreshing and lemon-caressed oyster spoon in a fishy and faint smell and come tell me sorry madman ours is creative NEW food that not everyone can seem to enjoy. Either main dish or desert, which the chocolate was so patrioticly recommended by the waitor turned out to be just so so and i wonder why so many people'd given such high but hollow remarks about this place as below. I'm never a fan of writing reviews here but for this time i wish whoever read this view would have better choice elsewhere when you have a good mood and date in company and big bucks to pay.

user paq

Wed Jan 16th 2008

In the two and a half years we have been living in Shanghai we heard a lot of good things about Jade on 36. So we went there to celebrate a special event. When we entered the bar I was overwhelmed by the stunning view of the Bund. The same view you have from the restaurant, provided that you get a table at the window. The food however was disappointing. The main emphasis is put on the appearance of the dish and on the mixing of flavors instead of focusing on the quality of the ingredients. So we got extravagantly arranged dishes which were nice to look at but what you experienced in the mouth did not live up to the created expectations. The amuse bouche for example – an essence of green tomato and peaches – did not have any taste but was color- and flavorless with floury noodles. The jumbo shrimp citrus jar was nice to look at but only average in taste. The rib teriyaki was on the greasy and stingy side. Also the lychee dandelion on a stick – although fantastic to look at – was uninteresting. But not everything was bad. The fois gras combined with chocolate and a port wine and passion fruit jelly was delightful. The upset stomach of my partner during the night and following day as well as the astronomical bill were other unpleasant aspects of our visit to Jade on 36. It is obvious that outstanding dishes can only be created through the use of good and fresh ingredients of highest quality. Vive Paul Bocuse!

user Hotel Guy

Tue Jan 8th 2008

went there last night and it was spectacular. The Pizza salad was inventive, the Jumbo Shrimp was devine and the choc tart was superb! too expensive though.....2,500 for 2.

user SH*Foodie

Mon Sep 10th 2007

My husband and I visited last Saturday night to celebrate something special and Jade really made the celebration. This restaurant is special. We love that the menu is limited on the one hand to the number of options and the other by the chef who declares what items go best together. The food was fantastic, even if we only got 3 bites of each course, they were potent and memorable. The highlights were the froglegs, Hong Kong cod and the lemon tart. The low light was the shunned feeling we got from the waitstaff. We were almost ignored (as ignored as you can be while being served 6 courses) after putting in our order. I don't know if we were being discriminated by on age (spending-potential) or what, but there were some other tables near us really getting the special treatment. We didn't even know when the last course had been served (we lost count) and weren't offered after dinner drinks. Anyway, it was a great thing to experience the food, I recommend it, but probably won't be back soon. As we discussed during our meal, we are lucky to live in this city where such extravagence and progressive cooking is readily accessible. Jade on 36 is a perfect example of both.

user john stag9

Tue Aug 7th 2007

Yet another successful visit last weekend, without a doubt leading the pack in Shanghai for fine dining and more.

user hcwt

Fri Jun 15th 2007

Amazing, fantastic, spectacular ... cannot speak more highly of the place. I've tried a lot of great places in the states - but jade on 36 tops it all. Great view ... excellent service. And each course was cooked to perfection, and with the added 'flair' of innovative design and unique flavor combinations, each was a sight and a surprise. Would highly recommend.

user AdrianShanghai

Thu Jun 7th 2007

My Wife and I had heard many comments about Jade on 36 and decided to see whether the good reviews were worthy and the Bad Reviews perhaps harsh. So I booked a table, smoking section and off we drove to the Shangri-La last week. We encountered parking problems at the Hotel, but these have nothing to do with the restaurant & will not affect many people I guess - so on to the venue itself. Upon arrival on 36th floor, we were greeted and led through to the main restaurant - which was completely empty except for one table of two - it was 7pm. As we had reserved a 'smoking' table, we were told that no window views were allowed for 'smokers' and we had to sit in the centre - as far away from the windows and view as possible. This was our first annoyance because the table directly next to us and partitioned by nothing other than a small divider, was in the no-smoking section and so had anyone been present at that table, I'm sure they would have found our smoke offensive. It is annoying when a fine dining restaurant tries to separate the smokers from the non-smokers and yet there is no actual difference if they are in the same room. The wine selection was very wide and varied although our first selection we were told was 'out of stock', as was our second selection. Third time lucky with the wine and reasonably priced. The food menu arrived and my wife and I were surprised to see such a limited menu - ostensibly four selections in either small, medium or large. My wife chose what could be called the 'seafood' menu and I chose the 'meat' menu. The Foie Gras was spoiled by a combination of tastes and textures that completely masked what should be a good Foie Gras. Presented very prettily I hasten to add - but presentation/design is nothing if the taste does not live up to the expectation - and this pretty much summed up the majority of the courses. Over-presented, over-flavoured and over-the-top in terms of creativity - but as with many fine-dining restaurants, small on quantity. This was pretty much summed up by the one course that each of us found to be worthy of note, my wife's Shrimp and my own Lamb - both exceptional but two-bites-big. The desert that we both had was the lemon tart and I can also attest as a previous review mentioned, that this was very nice indeed and presented once again, in a unique manner. Service was attentive enough throughout the meal without being imposing; however once we paid (in excess of 3,200 RMB), we were surprised to have the credit card dumped on the table with the receipt and then all staff seemed to disappear - even though there remained wine to be poured. Finally, something that we both find distressing (especially having parted with a higher-than-average sum of money for what we actually ate) is that not a member of staff escorted us out of the restaurant nor were we thanked for our custom. Overall, I would definitely NOT visit Jade on 36 again. If I pay for fine dining, I expect value for money and to leave the restaurant feeling that I have been pampered and spoilt with the meal - I do not expect to leave feeling hungry, having witnessed too much complexity in the food and rather disappointed with the whole experience. In fairness, maybe it was just an off night but I doubt that because the menu is the same each evening and I am certain that they do not change the style/ingredients of each dish on a daily-basis.

user jamessta

Fri Nov 3rd 2006

Saturday night, wedding anniversay, looking for somthing a little special - I settled on Jade on 36. The entry from the lift had the usual through the looking glass devices, which really don't work for me in the sense of setting a stage, but I'm old and cynical - however, I was reminded that earlier in the day I had noticed an advert for staff in the bar. Not just noticed - I scoffed - I was really quite rude with regard to the pretentious aspiration of a bar or restaurant that advertises for CAST MEMBERS. But by the time I arrived on the 36th floor I had forgotten that it was Jade that had placed the ad. Now it all came flooding back - and I met the cast. Fresh from Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love video, the greaters where hard to miss, long and slender as their Pearl Necklaces. We were sat in the window that as other reviewers have noted has a staggeringly good view of Puxi. You need to be in the mood for something off the wall - which we both were - the food entertained in a way a full hollywood film would struggle to match - I really don't feel the restaurant took itself too seriously, and consequently got away with some very bizarre combinations of food, texture and presentation. But it did work - we were charmed, delighted and full despite chosing the more modest small menus.

user Walgreiss

Sat Sep 30th 2006

restaurant of the year Laris,Jean georges ,239!!!! are we dreaming? unfortunatly not! Jade on 36 restaurant is the restaurant of the year in shanghai! from far! When I see 239 quoted among the restaurant of the year By That's Shanghai that is for me the Joke of the year! That shows the poor level of the F&B scene in shanghai, including the reviewer who most of the time have no food culture,no clue of what they talk about. Its not everyone who is going to like the style in jade 36 but lets be honnest this guy is a genius!where else in shanghai can you have the same level of experience? The service is outstanding,finally a restaurant where the staff know what they do and what they talk about! it is possible to have a gret service in Shanghai Jade 36 made it. one advice before you go to jade ask for yves godard the operation manager,he will organize everything for you,follow his recommendations and you will experience something unique. (by the way girls you gonna love him....... so sexy la)

user Charles3

Mon Jul 3rd 2006

I had diner in jade on 36 four days ago, and sorry for Karin but this is the most amazing place I have ever experienced in my entire life. I am use to dine in michelin stars restaurant very often,and this restaurant is to me one of the best!!!!!!!! we are lucky to have it in shanghai! The creativity of the Chef is nowhere seen before,the quality of service is up to top international fine dining venue. Go for the Jade of jade menu with wine pairing option! The jade bar is the very next place to be in shanghai i can see it coming,now that they open late during week ends no need to go to bar rouge any more.

user Karin

Mon Apr 17th 2006

This definitely is he most overrated place I have been to. My husband took me to Jade for my birthday and when he made the reservation (14 days in advance) he made sure that we would get a nice table at the window. When we arrived no one seemed to remember this wish an we were told quite unfriendly that other people who have made their reservation as early as 3 days in advance have got a window table. When my husband explained that his reservation was made already 14 days ago they got sort of nervous and very unprofessionally left us waiting for 10 minutes to sort their chaos out. Food admittedly is presented very imaginatively but the taste is sometimes quite bland and not very exciting. If you are not into seafood or foie gras there is not much choice either. As those two are obviously commonly regarded as exclusive fare each of the set menus contains those two choices and you are left with not much variety. Some of the sets are not even composed very well. I was eating foams and sorbets most of the time. Some of them tasting like medicine and after a while I started feeling like a geriatric toothless old woman waiting for the next dose rate of my expensive medicine. The lemon-lime tart really is delight though and the wine selection is ok too. The staff is very attentive, speaks English very well and the view (if you finally got hold of the window table you reserved) is really stunning. I don抰 think I will come back. For a restaurant in this price range they have to offer more than sardine mousse in the tin.

user KittyKat

Thu Feb 9th 2006

Without doubt the best food i've eaten in Shanghai (sorry Jean Georges). Was lucky to be taken here for my birthday and was just blown away. Described as 'European, American & Australian' cuisine, it really is a melting pot of flavours, but for me, it worked beautifully. The meal was a perfectly executed succession of inventive, but well propotioned dishes interspersed with unexpected, fabulous and witty amuse bouches (and I opted for one of the 'small' menus - take an appetite if you try the large). The staff were fanstastic- attentive, knowledgable and professional in a way you rarely see outside of France, but were also genuinely friendly. This made for an unpretentious atmosphere and yet there's no mistaking that this is a grown-up restaurant. Music was great too. The cocktails in the bar are some of the best we've had in Shanghai - not just yer usual run-of-the-mill options and made with fresh juices and of course, the decor is pretty funky - though i did think the carpet in the restaurant reminded me of the kind of dodgy swirl pattern you get in, well dodgy local restaurants, but tis a minor observation. Take the other half there for a special dinner, or seriously impress your business contacts. And of course you get to look across at the smart side of the Bund for a change.