user perronec

Fri May 16th 2008

went there with momma for a belated mothers day meal, and once again it was a great experience. we got the mini burgers. specifically: the veggie one with the goat cheese, and there was another beef burger with a spicy pepper on top that was amazing. others were fine if a little sloppily put together. seriously guys, if you are going to call it something to the nature of the 'extra cheese burger' i was expecting a little more than what you gave me. the chicken in the chicken with bacon burger was slightly dry, but the bacon was juicy and made up for it. could have used some sort of sauce. i like ranch dressing and a little cheese, any takers? maybe just me. I would definitely go back.

user gourmetcafe

Tue Apr 15th 2008

Hi Paul, Thanks for the detailed feedback. I admit we messed up this time! Would you give us a chance to put it right? Drop in to the cafe soon or catch me at wbray at gourmetcafe dot com Hope to hear from you, Sincerely, Will

user Paul1975

Mon Apr 7th 2008

WARNING: Onion Ring Lovers BEWARE! What is so difficult about timing an order of onion rings to arrive AT THE SAME TIME as a burger??? Apparently, a lot... as Gourmet Cafe has generously taught me a thing or two about the ludicrousness of such an inconceivable request. Twice I have ordered onion rings from this otherwise fine establishment, and twice they have ARRIVED after my dining partner and I both FINISHED our burgers. Both times my meal went something like this: (1) drinks (2) burgers (3) enjoy card (4) mai dan (5) fa piao (6) onion rings. I mean, are these guys digging up fresh onion bulbs and washing off wet clods of earth in their plot of land out back??? They must be... Otherwise, how could it possibly take 45 minutes to prepare such a complicated side dish that requires the advanced culinary skill of dropping a few battered onion slices into a vat of hot oil? Cordon Bleu graduates, take note. This is China, so we all know that you've gotta cut the place a bit of slack the first time this happens, but screw me twice, shame on ME, right? So the second time around I go into this place with my "china-standards-of-service" guard on high alert, pulling out all stops to ensure that something as banal as onion rings will not be ruined by the Chinese. I make a point to confirm the order with the wait staff in Mandarin, Shanghainese, English, French, Zulu, pictorially etc. re-confirm with this nice young lady that Gourmet Cafe does not classify onion rings as a "dessert"served after the main dish, but that they are in fact treated as the conventional side dish that we all know and love, served alongside the burger...etc. etc. I even confirm the order with the Southeast Asian, English-speaking shift manager - that last bastion of hope and reason when you're otherwise greeted with nervous Chinese smiles and the "bu hao yi si" floodgates open up. Despite all this and the threat of a negative smartshanghai review, they somehow still managed to completely and unequivocally "flub" up the most simple of requests: onion rings WITH the burger. The burgers are good, but I'll take adequate quality food and dependable service over this kind of nonsense any day. This last bit is to Will, the owner: To think, your shift manager could have saved this otherwise loyal customer by throwing in those post-mai dan 15 RMB onion rings mian fei. True that good help is tough to find in Shanghai, but I know of at least one guy who is definitely overpaid...

user perronec

Fri Mar 7th 2008

my girlfriend and I decided to try this place after reading the reviews. Overall, it was a very good experience. My girlfriend had the 'fowl play' while I opted for the tapas menu of 4 mini burgers. We also had the French fries and the chuck berry smoothie. The French fries came out promptly and were perfectly done. The smoothie was ok but in my mind needed a little zip added to it as it was slightly bland. However it did taste and look like it was made from real fruits. My gf liked it so maybe it was just me. My mini burgers came out about 2 minutes before her fowl play did so no real issues there. The burgers themselves were fine smaller than I expected but definitely gourmet. Both dishes came with a salad that in my opinion could have used a little more dressing, but if I had asked I am sure it would not have been a problem. Her sandwich was the highlight of the meal. It had cheese baked inside the chicken and was just as tasty as it looked. The decor was great and so was the vibe. The service was polite and prompt. The wait staff was very attractive. The whole meal came to a reasonable 200ish yuan bill which I feel was a steal. I highly recomend this cafe.

user fiba

Mon Jan 29th 2007

Glad to see this place still doing what it says it does - fantastic burgers, friendly service and a great atmosphere. Just hope they open one nearer my home....!

user pookit

Thu Nov 30th 2006

Well i'm from Leeds, UK and have eaten fish & chips enough to know great ones when i get 'em. I went to teh gourmet cafe had the cod and chips - it was almost as good as back home. My girlfriend had the Don hamburger which she really enjoyed. Aside from the place being quite busy, its a great place with great food.

user Mart

Fri Nov 17th 2006

I went to this Cafe on a lazy Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago to sample their talked about burgers and fish and chips with my girl friend. I'm from Brighton, UK and know good fish and chips when I see it. The taste was good however if you are used to a large portion of cod and chips I would go elsewhere. To fill up I had to eat half my girl friends uncooked burger which wasn't the best, and a green salad which was actually very tasty. The peppermint ice tea was refreshing however not good enough to bring me back. My tip, make the portions bigger and cook the burger to the customers request.

user stellar

Fri Nov 17th 2006

I had a very disappointing experience in Gourmet Cafe - slow service (my friend was served and had eaten his meal before I received mine) with no apology. Small portions considering price. You have to pay extra for fries. Unpleasant manager who obviously thought it was too much trouble to be polite to his customers. Thumbs down.

user Smasher

Thu Oct 26th 2006

I've been to Gourmet Cafe a few times now and i love it. Aside from the burgers being without doubt the best in Shanghai - how can you go wrong with hand ground sirloin and foie gras???! - the place has a great vibe, an awesome selection of music, great decor. Service is friendly and location pefect. Will definitely be a regular hangout.