I dined at Jing an today for lunch, and found the food and decor to excellent, the service was lack luster and the overall experience not calibrated with their "destination pricing".

I had the pork pate starter and the leek and goat cheese omelet. Both were outstanding, but the kitchen really shined with the omelet. Omelets are one of those things that are found one just about every greasy spoon to haute cafe's menu between Boston and Baghdad, but rarely executed properly. This one was. Perfectly folded, with a light skin on the outside and runny on the inside. If you have had an Omelet before by a classically trained chef you know what I am talking about.

Where the experience really lacked was the service. Just completely underwhelming, and just doesn't fit the quality of the kitchens food, the restaurant's decor, or the prices they charge for the experience. When we ordered drinks the waiter walked away before we could order our lunch. Food arrived at our table without introduction with waiters hurrying off. Had to flag them down for the bill, and water was never offered.

Ice Teas *2
2 course lunch *2
Americano*2
Ice Tea* 2

With Service Charge the bill was CNY 936. If I was dining in New York or London these would be standard hotel prices with a service at a standard commensurate with the bill. There are restaurants in Shanghai without the hotel training budgets that do much better better, among them Isola, Franck, Mr & Mrs. Bund and even 1088 and Lei Garden. You could also dine at these restaurants at lunch for about CNY 500 per couple.

Giving Jing An's pricing one would expect much more.

After reading plenty of rave reviews over the past few months about the unique and alternative dishes at Jing'an, I finally decided to try it out. Maybe it was the build up that left me disappointed, and maybe the time I went just had a menu much less exciting then normal, but immediately after walking into a completely empty restaurant on a Friday night I regretted my decision to go there to splurge. The food was vey good, no doubt about that, but the dining experience as a whole, lacked the excitement that I had expected. I expected unique and exciting dishes, but received expensive yet standard fancy food. Call me picky, but I went there because I wanted to try something different, not what I can get in every other 5-star hotel.

So the food, yes it was definitely great quality. Both of the salami boards were incredibly flavourful and juicy, and with a little lemon and salt it was quite a treat. The pasta also had a surprisingly powerful smoky flavour paired with tender shrimps and the turbot dish was also cooked perfectly, yet I actually forget what went with it. Guess it wasn't that memorable... The dessert was definitely the most exciting item. A five spiced panna cotta with dates and oranges, a little difference went a long way.

I left this place actually wondering if it was the same restaurant I had read about. Has it just gone downhill or something?

Restaurant Week Shanghai has come and gone, but luckily I got to try a great place. Based on the suggestion of a friend, I got a reservation at the Jing’An at the Puli Hotel.

The Puli Hotel is luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Shanghai. With exquisite subdued contemporary architecture & decor combined with traditional Chinese detailing, the Puli Hotel creates an air of sublimed beauty. The simple lines of design accent the exterior & interior with bamboo and lighting. I’d say the Peninsula, the Four Season, and the Ritz Carlton and others have competition with Puli.

When I was making online reservations, shanghairestaurantweek.com, I saw some of the choice restaurant reservations getting quickly booked. Thank goodness, I got mine in for the Jing’An.

The interior of the Jing’An is a modest dark hued experience. With comfy seating and soft lighting, you are at ease for a quiet dining experience. The intimate setting offers great nighttime views of the Shanghai skyline. The service was impeccable as soon as you exit the elevator. I remember the staff waiting on every need, before it was requested. I’m not sure if there was anything more I could ask for in the dining experience.

The set menu at Jing’An features a starter (they call an entree – not sure why), a main, and dessert. We choose the Cauliflower soup with black ravioli and Salmon with spices, beets, and rye. The soup was good, not overly salty, with an interesting black ravioli. The salmon was different with the beets. I liked the beets.

For our mains, we had the Turbot with chickpeas & lemon and the Duck with maple and foie gras. I had never had a duck with a maple glaze, but it seemed right. The sweetness made sense. The foie gras, a nice large piece, was more than enough. But I am not too entirely fond of foie gras. The Turbot, a fish, was quite good. I like the crusted skin, as it contrasted with the subtle and fine texture of the flaky moist meat.

With the bread and my gin & tonic, I was just about full. We finished our meal with Coconut panna cotta with water melon and Lemon curd pie with yoghurt. Luckily I picked the panna cotta, since Miss W didn’t like her choice of the Lemon curd pie. I especially liked the lemony sourness over the panna cotta texture. The executive chef, Dane Clouston, does a fine job at Jing’An. Hailing from New Zealand, via Hong Kong, she is one of the top young up & coming chefs in Asia.

Check out my pictures at http://bit.ly/h5UUqV