" Overprice "

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

Really Nice and cosy place,
The service was nice, the food was ok but not fantastic, the menu doesn't offer so many choice and was not so clear indication about the meal.
If you go in this place for the food it's OK but much too expensive!

" Fantasic Meal "

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

We recently dined at the Jing'an. I have to say that the peaceful, dark elegance of this place is very conducive to a romantic dinner. We found the staff warm but discretely attentive, our glasses quietly refilled without interruption.

Dinner was wonderful. Each course was faultless - perfectly cooked and elegantly presented. From the conversation we could hear coming from a neighbouring table, their taste experience clearly mirrored ours.

We chose this restaurant because of the chef Dane Clouston. Since dining at Opia in Hong Kong, we have followed his career and knew we would not be disappointed. He is a remarkably modest but clever young man who we feel has a long career ahead of him.

" COLD FOOD, Amateur Service "

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

Jing 'An Restaurant, Puli Hotel

How was my 1,995.98RMB anniversary dinner (for two) last Saturday? The food was cold. Need I say more? Oh, but I will. The food was COLD! If it was really busy, I might be more forgiving, but the place was practically empty on a Saturday night. Yet my wife's dinner, my dinner, and the adjacent table's dinner (I overheard) was COLD. For some reason, the only other diners that I saw that night were seated at the table next to us, but there is a lot of space between tables.

I had high expectations from reading a few previous reviews, and the dinner started out nicely. The maitre d' was friendly and seemed competent. But it was down hill from there. The waitstaff pretty much vanished.

The worst part is, during our two plus hours there, no one came by and asked how the food was. The adjacent table was asked by the maitre 'd, and I over heard them saying that their food was tepid. At least they got to express themselves, and probably (rightfully) should have an item removed from the bill, or a complimentary dessert. But they did not ask me. I must live with the memory of Jing 'An Restaurant's expensive, COLD DINNER.

Service, you may have guessed by now, was not professional. Not bad for a casual jeans-t-shirt kind of place, but completely inexcusable for a 2000RMB meal! Again, the place was practically empty of guests, so there really is no excuse. Our servers did not even know how to serve from the left, remove from the right. The maitre d' made the same error. I asked one server where the white bowls are from (I really liked the little white bowls). She snorted and mumbled something. I said, "Sorry, what?", and she laughed again and said what sounded like 'I don't know'. Sorry, but when I'm paying 2 grand for dinner, I expect professional service. They also left our empty plates on the table for way too long. I also had to twist around several times when I wanted to order a bottle of water, for instance. For these prices in a 5 star hotel, I shouldn't have to work so hard, or be so disappointed.

Normally, I would wait until I was asked how the food was, and then I would politely mention that it was cold. But on my anniversary dinner, I just didn't want to get into it, as it seems the staff didn't seem to care either way. So I let it go.

Last negative comment, when I made reservations, I specifically said it was my anniversary. I don't expect anything special, but at every other serious fine dining restaurant, when I've mentioned a birthday or some kind of celebration, the dessert would come with a candle, or a complimentary glass of Champagne would be offered. I can't deduct points for failing to acknowledge this special day, but certainly Jing'An missed an opportunity for extra points. Especially considering the cold food and amateur service.

A far as the taste of the food, temperature notwithstanding, it was just so-so. Pretty on the eyes, obviously a lot of thought went into the prep and execution. The Foie gras with chocolate was interesting, light but rich. Salmon pastrami was... interesting. Cod fish fillet was so-so. Monk fish - rubbery, and reminded me why I rarely order Monk fish. Did I mention it was all cold? The only greens available as a side was sauteed broccoli (which was actually the only dish not cold).

Tasting plate of desserts was nice. One warm cider cocktail, two glasses of Taittinger Rose, Pellegrino, side of broccoli and french fries, complimentary dish of chocolates/sweets. Two grand. Cold food. Amateur service. No one there cared if we were enjoying ourselves or not. Oh, that 2000 includes a 15% service charge. I guess if I want hot food and better service, I need to pay extra?

As we made our way out, it was lonely. No one to bid us farewell, and thanks for coming. Maybe they were too embarrassed about serving cold food?

Which is all too bad, because the space is absolutely gorgeous. Modern yet warm, romantic, spacious. But decor hardly compensates. I guess my search for a really great fine dining restaurant in my 'hood will have to continue.

" I Can Only Say: Fantastic Meal "

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

We had an absolutely fantastic dinner in Jing'an in November. The restaurant is very nice, decor, colours. The tables are not very close to each other, so you can have an intimate conversation without being disturbed. The service was good, and the meal... The best I ever had in Shanghai, I mean western cousine. At last a restaurant of a high class even for european standards. I can only hope, that the people in Shanghai would really appreciate the efforts of the cook to represent something really special. So we can enjoy his cooking for a long time. I can really recommend this restaurant, for a special occasion, an evening with good friends or just to relax with your party.

" Great Food, Great Decor "

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

As the radar article mentions the food is fusion, and very well done. The decor is quite beatiful and creates a tranquil dining experience. Service still has some learning to do--they brought out complimentary chocolates between the starter and the main course. They later realized the mistake, took them away and brought them back at the end of dinner. My biggest issue is the wine list. Great selection but the markups on the bottles seem extremely high, even by Shanghai standards.