Despite T8 is not a new kid on the block, it has been one of my favourite places in Shanghai, be it for a nice dinner or a relaxing drink..

had some lovely surprise when I finally got a chance returning there after some crazy busy travel schedule for a couple of months..

the new chef from Spain, Jordi, appples molecular gastronomy, in a good balance.. I am not a fan for 'high-tech cooking', but, he has a good touch blending those to create lovely surprises.. love the olive he made.. and can only imagine how much time it took him to prepare those little yummy re-made olives.. remember to try that if you go to t8 next time!

T8 knows how to look good: the interior is well designed, the description of the dishes very elaborate and the presentation of the food is carefully thought out.

The only problem is its lack of substance. An example: my starter was the "Salmon Tsunami: sake cured salmon, raspberry, wasabi infused meringue, olive, salmon egg". Visually, the dish was very pleasing, bright colors, playful textures... From the description, I was expecting different layers of flavors, literally a "tsunami" of flavors. Instead, I got raw salmon and salmon egg, no sake marinade, no wasabi infusion.

From there, it all went downhill: pumpkin soup was blend and uninspired, burger's meat was dry and overcooked and the burger's cheese tasted like plastic. The steak dish, supposedly Australian wagyu (what's that even supposed to mean?), was far from tender and the garnish (wild mushroom puree, truffle polenta chips) although nicely presented was tasteless.

I have mixed feelings about the service too. While our waitress was friendly and attentive during the meal, she asked for our napkins right after we paid which I find a bit weird (did she think we would run away with our napkins?).

It wasn't a horrific experience overall but not worth RMB258 (2-course lunch, including one glass of champagne).

More pictures on http://shanghaicollected.typepad.com/

Located within a small lane in XinTianDi area, you cannot go wrong with this restaurant no matter who you go with. Not my first time there and not going to be the last. I recently went with a date where I booked the "kitchen" bar. This is a great place to sit if on a date as you have something to watch when there is a lull in the conversation.

Cheap, this place is NOT. What you go here for is the tasting menu which is incredible. You can either have with our without wine (888/1300). My date had with wine and he said the wine complimented the food perfectly and was well thought out. Also, they are able to make changes to the tasting menu. For example, I do not eat meat and they were able to replace the meat courses with fish.

The only downside to this wonderful restaurant, is their service. It is lacking if the expat manager is not in attendance. Some staff do not have good English skills and really know what you are asking. Without being watched on a constant basis by a trained manager, they fall apart pretty quickly. For example, my souffle came out before my dates and when we asked 5 minutes later (I was waiting to start), they magically found his in the back which led me to believe it was just sitting there. For such a fine restaurant, this is unacceptable.

Our meal came out to around 2500rmb which consisted of 2 tasting menus (1 with wine) and a couple of pre-drinks.