Not sure what restaurant these guys are eating at, but it doesn't sound like the M on the Bund I've been going to for 9 years!
The food is consistently good - it's not fussy, it's not foamy, but it is delicious, the wine list is maybe the most intelligent in town, and the service is spectacular. Their new spring menu is amazing - I had the spring chicken - tender, flavorful, and with the surprise of harissa - and a lovely plum pie. Best of all, they always make you feel special.
Noticed that M was just voted (by diners, mind you) Shanghai's Most Popular restaurant by Zagat - so clearly, I'm not the only one for whom it's a favorite.
.... I can only agree: go there for the nice view outside for a glass of wine - the rest is overpriced and food is just experimental (always served please the eyes, but .....).
A gourmet would just turn round and ....
an objective summary of M on the Bund:
This particular restaurant is on the very top tier for price. Unfortunately this doesn't mean the food is anything special. For the price one would shell out at M for dinner, one would expect an eye catching menu filled with a plethora of mouth watering dishes. However, at M, the menu is closer to a metaphoric dying woodland animal that slowly limps drags itself up onto your table and dies a long painful, excruciatingly loud death as though I just hit it with my black x5 doing 75. Although I stress metaphoric, what comes out of the kitchen isn't much more than roadkill. It's certainly not worth the price tag, you can find the equivalent at KFC (one in china not the US, the ones in china are marginally better...hey I call 'em how I see 'em!)
completely completely completely overrated ... for a 'fine dining' venue, it was disappointing. dessert platter is not well served nor special - tastes not delicate nor unique. comparable to your average diner desserts ...
THE WORST PLACE EVER
Dear Bruno,
As you do pretend not to be able to speak DUTCH anymore, I hope your English is good enough to read this!
I had lunch today at what others call the best terrace in town: Well either you pay these people to tell this or they are completely deprived of anything that can be called good taste:
I was with a party of three, we ordered the following items:
Broucettas with chicken liver, Mongolian Lamb and the Artichoke with Tomatoes and something you call cheese.
First of all; Normal Brouchettas should be made of left over home made bread that is either roasted or pan seared. Your Brouchettas are simply made of slices of factory baked bread your chef bought at the nearest Carrefour. The chicken livers were over cooked and looked mauve/grey and were of a texture that resembled shoe soles of sneakers you would buy at a very very cheap store. Drowning this concoction in some olive oil with balsamic vinaigrette was the worst. The olive oil was stale and the balsamic vinegar was something your chef found in a dark corner of his kitchen. We have only started the first course.
Meanwhile the waiter was vigorously trying to up sell the wine: with out even asking he kept on pouring wine. You as a “professional” should know that you only pour wine if and when the guest wants it. Simply training your staff to push the wine down your guest’s throats is not going to give you more revenue! Guests like me are not impressed by this behaviour.
The next course was the Artichokes and tomatoes tart, although we were promised a pomegranate dressing, there the stale olive and balsamic concoction was again. The pastry of the tart was not well cooked and we actually could find ONE piece if artichoke we had to share over TWO plates. If the food cost of artichokes is to high, please do not put it in your menu.
The Mongolian lamb just waked all the way to Shanghai before it arrived on our plates. And again there was the olive oil and balsamic slime. I guess both ingredients were on sale at METRO…..
The accompanying vegetables were dull to say the least.
After lunch, we had to send back your staff 2 times before the could bring two espresso and one cappuccino.
DEAR READERS, please take your hard earned Yuan to the many other GOOD places that enrich Shanghai, M on the Bund is Passé! Quality of food is less than McDonald and there are so many better place to eat in Shanghai that you better think TWICE before frequenting this restaurant.
M on the Bund can still deliver. The service was excellent; specific requests were handled with aplomb. The MacAllen was served with the one cube of ice as specified, and the vodka shot was sufficiently chilled for consumption with the fresh and generously portioned caviar. I hesitated before ordering rack of lamb, knowing that anything less than perfect would be a major disappointment. It was in fact perhaps one of the best I have ever had, tender moist and savory in ways that had me regretting the necessity of sharing a meager sample with my eight months preagnant wife. I finished off the meal with an armagnac and a great deal of pleasant satisfaction that I'd selected the right restaurant for the evening. My only regret - pacing was a bit quick for my standard - something I'm certain could have been remedied by some discrete guidance to the waiter which I will deliver next time.
It seems very fashionable lately to run down one of Shanghai's iconic restaurants, M on the Bund, but this criticism is almost completely unwarranted. Though the menu is limited, there are always specials on offer - which means fresh, seasonal ingredients. The wine list is fantastic, and also changes seasonally. I have eaten at M on the Bund many times, and the service has always been first-rate - one of the best things about the place! The desserts are definitely the best thing, though - always fresh and seasonal, and all made on the premises. So what is the problem with all these whining reviews?? I suspect they are written by low-budget travelers or students who find M expensive. It certainly isn't cheap, but the lunch special is only RMB 118, and it's available every day. So stop your whining.
The view from the M on the Bund was absolute spectacular! Unfortunately, the food and the service cannot be said for the same...It was just utterly terrible.
M on the Bund is pricey with an uninspiring menu. Save your money and go elsewhere. You will save lots of money and have a much better dining experience.
I don't know why people rave about this place?? I've only ever heard that it is over-priced, with so-so food, and lousy service. And of course that it has a great view!! I mean there must be a million spots these days along the river with a good view.........