" A Shanghai Institution That Has Lost Its Ambition "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I first visited M on the Bund back in 2002 after backpacking around China, so it was a welcome return to civilization. I loved the decor, I loved the food, I loved the view. M on the Bund was my salvation.

Since returning to Shanghai to work in 2006 I've dined at M on the Bund perhaps once every 4 months and have noticed that this place is slowly slowy going downhill.

Not to say that it's bad, it not at the half way point yet, it's just that with it's hype and reputation and loyal following the establishment has gotten very comfortable with itself and you can defintely tell that they've stopped trying to stand out and trully impress.

When it comes to the food and the service you can tell that they're just doing the same old thing over and over again (serioulsy how long has the suckling pig been on that menu?), and with new restaurants now popping up and raising the fine dining bar in Shanghai, M on the Bund is slipping further and further behind.

It's a shame really, cause I feel this place should be fighting tooth and nail for it's position in Shanghai's restaurant circuit, which with the appropriate amount of effort they can win, and consistantly wowing patrons with service and culinary delights....instead of being content with them leaving with "gee that was nice".

What this place needs is to shake things up and be more adventurous with the menu, get their staff more pepped up and leave their smug "we are the best so we don't have to try" attitude in the past.

M on the Bund i want to love you, so wake up!

" Beautiful Experience! "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I have been to M on the Bund a few times now, with friends and family alike, and i have always enjoyed my experience their. I find the food delicious, and not fussy, and when your traveling as much as me, there is nothing as great as a good meal (other than a clean hotel!) The staff are friendly and attentive, and that seems to be a hard thing to find in this town!
Its such a fantastic location i would recommend the restaurant to locals and out-of-towners alike!

" At Least The Desserts Were Shining Like The Pearl Tower "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Promptly seated with a choice of indoor or outdoor, no complaints- chose indoor due to A/C. Unfortunately table was very wobbly, not at the base but at on the table top and for this caliber of restaurant, they should check these things. Table water was served without any fuss and sans a whole bunch of up-selling for wildly overpriced bottled waters, which I appreciate. Bread basket was served right behind drinks and aside from the overly powerful cumin bread, it was tasty with good texture and the butter was at a good temperature for spreading.

Starters were first and 3 in the party had the house salad. Nice and light with a good quality goat cheese and a few candided nuts in the mix as well. A little bland but above all, generic for a 98 RMB salad, but such is unfortunately often the norm.

Next were the entrees which underwhelmed most of the party save the chicken which got good reviews, but I didn't try it. Tasted the duck and the salmon and ordered the bouillabaisse. Duck was slightly overcooked and the haricot vert had the opposite problem- no such thing as al dente veg in my opinion.

The smoked salmon was way over-smoked- overpowering any remaining salmon flavor, but the poached egg was done very nicely on top. Salmon was borderline inedible though due to over-smoking.

For me, Bouillabaisse is all about the broth it comes with and the process of dipping warm, crusty French bread in that herbed, saffron infused seafood broth is as important as the seafood itself. The sauce was seasoned well, but lacked freshness and I got no saffron flavor- and the warm French bread was substituted by stale melba toast. The seafood was nice- mussels, little clams, 2 prawns, and a small fish filet. For the price, a bit stingy but good quality.

Deserts were fantastic though. The pastry chef has got some good things going on. The crowd pleasing Chocolate Bomb slipped down a treat and the Backlava with poached peach was out of this world.

I would totally come back for desserts and coffee, but the food will be unfortunately be forgotten.