I'd never even heard of the place before last weekend, but I do love Spanish food so was happy to go check it out.

Firstly we arrived an hour late (confusion with the reservation time + cabs in the rain) but I'm happy to report they kept our reservation for us and didn't let it show that it probably pissed them off royally. We were very sheepish at how late we were but the staff acted like it was nothing. Great!

The menu is quite short but there's plenty to choose from/argue over including a small selection of tapas. I feel it is a little over priced and the portion sizes lean more towards nouvelle cuisine but for a treat I think it's ok.

The Spanish owner was happy to chat with us and tell us his recommendations including stopping us when we ordered too much. The other staff were very pleasant but we were in a side room and kept getting forgotten about when it came to getting more wine. Maybe they weren't prepared for a group of foreigners to down it that quick but we kept having to walk out to the main area to flag someone down.

We also ordered a few bottles and only when we tracked down a waiter to chase it up were we told they'd run out, but then with the next bottle we ordered the waiter also came back to say they don't have and when asked to point out the ones he did have...he couldn't. This resulted in a lot of too-ing and fro-ing just to see if they had anything we ordered in stock.

The food was ok - the paella and risotto were a little bit of a disappointment, each dish a good size to share between two with a few tapas but it was just 'meh', nothing to write home about.

Some of the tapas/appetizers were of a similar feeling - just ok. The tuna and a salady thing were just plain but they saved the day with their goats cheese. Mouth size balls of cheesey goodness with caramelised onions. We kept ordering more...and more....and more they were that good!

The goats cheese was that good it saved the night from being meh/forgettable to OMG I HAVE TO GO BACK AND EAT THEM.

As lovely as the ambience and most of the service was, I found the food 'nice', but I will go back because of one or two dishes.

Last week we went to Mistral on Sunday as other two restaurants we wanted to go were closed. It's small, but kind of cozy restaurant. The food is good prepared, we had few dishes to shere: 1.Ibericom ham is really ecellent, 2. The prawns with garlic really tasty, 3. Croquete - no taste, 4.Goat cheese would be really nice if instead of sugar they use honey for the sweet bite, 5. Tortilla was avarage. The worst expirance was the wine list. They didn't had even the half of the wines from the menu, they run out of stock they said...Than we choose some Spanish wine but it was probably storaged wrong, bad in taste so we send it back and we could choose another wine and the lady really wanted to know more about how you recognise the quality of the wine so that was a nice touch. The rest of the service was less, they are not paying to much atention to the clients and listening half half. For us it was a one go experiance. Sorry but you have to improve if you have to pay more than 300 rmb per persoon.

I hated Mistral, the first time I went there, a little less than a year ago I found the food too boring and the staff too loud, I only liked the decor. The whole experience was like eating at the center of bullfighting spectacle , no printed menus, people running around while serving food and a screaming, been there, done that, did not plan to visit again.

BUT!! I reluctantly revisited a week ago due to a farewell party invitation... WOW!! It was like eating in a different restaurant, I was very pleasantly surprised, it is a whole new experience: new cute Spanish Chef with no English but great culinary skills, new menu, much more attentive service, much more interesting and better tasting food... 427RMB per head with (maybe too much) wine, not cheap but worth it.

BRAVO for the new Mistral!

While looking for a good outdoor spot to celebrate monogamy a little while back, we were pointed in the direction of Mistral. The location checked out, it was next to Bike and Friends which is loved the French Concession over for their bullshit-free environment complete with 25 RMB beers and the ability to keep your prized road warrior within eyesight. We figured that because the fact that the two shared a kitchen and an airspace would hopefully lead to a good experience. Meh's the word.

We were seated outdoors at a very wobbly table where my girlfriend, obviously Macgyver offspring, folded up a piece of bread to the amazement of the waiters and corrected the restaurant's first folly. When we asked for menus, we were directed inside to a giant chalkboard with the entire menu written in small script, over some other couple's table in dim lighting. <<begin: Larry David rant>> I know that this is "so European" and "shows that the menu is creative and ever-changing." I don't give a crap. Making me stand over another couple's table, with a poorly lit chalkboard written in illegible script, all the while having a waiter awkwardly standing next to me as we piece together our (not exactly inexpensive) dinner was the opposite of relaxing or even inspiring. It was a hassle. Have you been to any of the Montmartre's? They have an ingenious concept...multiple AND mobile chalkboards. Same desired effect, without ANY of the hassle. <<end: Larry David rant>>

After the initial ordering follies, we sat down on a nice night to a rather pleasant ambiance, save the bellowing guest trying to practice Chinese with his obviously unimpressed date. The food started to arrive along with some overpriced wine (a reoccurring theme in any of my reviews...), and we were enthralled with some of our choices and wanting more from others. The goat cheese was spectacular, as was a mussel dish (I asked for two helpings of bread to soak up the glorious broth). The tomato and mozzarella was interesting and a let down at the same time...they hid all the mozzarella inside a hollowed out tomato so that you think you mis-ordered. But you sort of wish that you as then you open up the tomato to see that there is a load of cheese bland and "grocery store" moz hidden inside. I liken that dish to your parents pretending they forgot your birthday, then surprising you with 4 presents of socks and underwear. Let-down city. We then had the monkfish which tasted like the type of fish you get after the stewardess shakes you awake to ask you "chicken or fish." Apparently United Airlines and Mistral share a monkfish-monger.

In all, though there were a few misses, the place isn't bad. They need to correct a few things here and there and perhaps we'll come back. But their prices were a bit discouraging...if we're going to drop 650 RMB on a dinner for two, we want to be impressed. Call it the "Goga discount rate." We're always impressed there for about the same price, and for a restaurant to succeed in this town it has to hit on all cylinders like they do. I think Mistral showed flashes of brilliance, but also left a lot to be desired.

This place has the ambience, it has the food, but the service needs some help. I walked in to meet a friend and basically no one greeted me at the door and i was left to go find my friends.

So if you are going to go here - be on the ball... feel at home and take it in your stride.

The Tapas were very generous in size, tasty combinations.
The terrace is lovely, quieter upstairs than downstairs on the patio.