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Food court dinner a journey too far
By Aubrey Buckingham |
April 19, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE'S something eerily Japanese about the Shanghai World Financial Center. Dogged by accusations of Nippon-centric design throughout its development cycle, the so-called Mori Building finally opened with much fanfare and towering acclaim late last year.
The complex has every intention to alienate - from the security check at every entrance to the pristine, clean premises one is not quite used to in this city. The food and beverage outlets, save for the ubiquitous caffeine peddlers, seem to cater to a specific market, while even the Lawson store appears to be a transplant from another region.
I'm not xenophobic (how dare I be) but I suspect a nebulous plot is afoot.
The landmark has been mainly mentioned in the same breath as the snooty Park Hyatt, nestled in floors 79 to 93 of the bottle opener-esque skyscraper. Isn't it funny that for two equally imposing and exclusive (in the true sense of the word) management set-ups, the highest and foremost restaurant in the building, and the lowest, are both food courts?
Before 100 Century Avenue devotees gather at my doorstep with burning pitchforks, I've already spoken fondly of the vorsprung durch technik approach favored upstairs. All the fancy bells and whistles come together to provide Destination Dining 2009, and until someone builds the next Highest Restaurant in the World, this is going to be it.
More than 90 stories below is Y's Table, a massive 560-seater food court licensed by the same outfit behind the wonderful The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo on Riverside Avenue and the less spectacular Issimo in the boutique Jia Hotel.
The place, which offers the same "choose-what-you-want-and-how-you-want" as its more illustrious cousin upstairs, is traditional food court for lunch and a proper restaurant by night. The collection of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Italian cuisines has garnered some decent reviews since opening; after my visit last week, I suspect most of these have been based only on the midday serving.
Reviewing a food court for lunch is pointless. If you don't work in the building there's no reason to head out here for food; if you do, there's not much choice within walking distance anyway. To steal one of my old phrases, it's like going to a ball game and critiquing the hot dogs.
Dinner, on the other hand, is another matter altogether. Those fortunate to get out of the office before their coach turns into a pumpkin have greater say in where they want to eat, and, when you don't wish to rack your brains too hard, the choice is alluring.
The first thing diners will notice is how empty the place is. Save for the few office types (Does anyone still say yuppies these days?) supping after a long day's work, Y's Table is not the lively, bustling zone it purports to be.
Service is wooden, with that annoying Japanese habit of welcoming you at the top of their lungs with not a trace of sincerity present. I don't point out quality service enough in these reviews but I must make a stand when the immaculately-dressed managers were more concerned with looking slick rather than being good hosts.
This was never meant to be fine dining, but as a casual concept it was just too cold and not quite as polished. The cardinal sin was serving the sashimi platter (120 yuan/US$17.6 per person) right at the end of the meal. The head waiter was polite about the mix-up, claiming that the poor old chef was overwhelmed by the full counter in front of him; it mainly revealed a lack of knife competence.
The irony is the platter was the saving grace, with decent chunks of fresh fish flown in from the famed Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. What else should one expect from raw fish?
The prawn tempura (88 yuan) was too heavy on the batter, while the grilled beef (80 yuan) was served cold. In fact, none of the dishes were piping hot, suggesting they were heated up food court-style, which makes its claims to restaurant status mutton-dressed-as-lamb. The tell-tale sign was in the risotto (78 yuan), which while it performs a dainty dance of spring with seasonal mushrooms and pine nuts, showed signs of congealment in the sauce, despite the promise of dishes cooked a la minute in the menu.
Y's Table offers an East-meets-West menu, with a selection from each cuisine, for 288 yuan (minimum two people). If you are in the building, the restaurant is a comfy canteen at best, otherwise, there's no reason to make the journey.
Address: B2, 100 Century Avenue, Pudong
Tel: 6877-6865
The complex has every intention to alienate - from the security check at every entrance to the pristine, clean premises one is not quite used to in this city. The food and beverage outlets, save for the ubiquitous caffeine peddlers, seem to cater to a specific market, while even the Lawson store appears to be a transplant from another region.
I'm not xenophobic (how dare I be) but I suspect a nebulous plot is afoot.
The landmark has been mainly mentioned in the same breath as the snooty Park Hyatt, nestled in floors 79 to 93 of the bottle opener-esque skyscraper. Isn't it funny that for two equally imposing and exclusive (in the true sense of the word) management set-ups, the highest and foremost restaurant in the building, and the lowest, are both food courts?
Before 100 Century Avenue devotees gather at my doorstep with burning pitchforks, I've already spoken fondly of the vorsprung durch technik approach favored upstairs. All the fancy bells and whistles come together to provide Destination Dining 2009, and until someone builds the next Highest Restaurant in the World, this is going to be it.
More than 90 stories below is Y's Table, a massive 560-seater food court licensed by the same outfit behind the wonderful The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo on Riverside Avenue and the less spectacular Issimo in the boutique Jia Hotel.
The place, which offers the same "choose-what-you-want-and-how-you-want" as its more illustrious cousin upstairs, is traditional food court for lunch and a proper restaurant by night. The collection of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Italian cuisines has garnered some decent reviews since opening; after my visit last week, I suspect most of these have been based only on the midday serving.
Reviewing a food court for lunch is pointless. If you don't work in the building there's no reason to head out here for food; if you do, there's not much choice within walking distance anyway. To steal one of my old phrases, it's like going to a ball game and critiquing the hot dogs.
Dinner, on the other hand, is another matter altogether. Those fortunate to get out of the office before their coach turns into a pumpkin have greater say in where they want to eat, and, when you don't wish to rack your brains too hard, the choice is alluring.
The first thing diners will notice is how empty the place is. Save for the few office types (Does anyone still say yuppies these days?) supping after a long day's work, Y's Table is not the lively, bustling zone it purports to be.
Service is wooden, with that annoying Japanese habit of welcoming you at the top of their lungs with not a trace of sincerity present. I don't point out quality service enough in these reviews but I must make a stand when the immaculately-dressed managers were more concerned with looking slick rather than being good hosts.
This was never meant to be fine dining, but as a casual concept it was just too cold and not quite as polished. The cardinal sin was serving the sashimi platter (120 yuan/US$17.6 per person) right at the end of the meal. The head waiter was polite about the mix-up, claiming that the poor old chef was overwhelmed by the full counter in front of him; it mainly revealed a lack of knife competence.
The irony is the platter was the saving grace, with decent chunks of fresh fish flown in from the famed Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. What else should one expect from raw fish?
The prawn tempura (88 yuan) was too heavy on the batter, while the grilled beef (80 yuan) was served cold. In fact, none of the dishes were piping hot, suggesting they were heated up food court-style, which makes its claims to restaurant status mutton-dressed-as-lamb. The tell-tale sign was in the risotto (78 yuan), which while it performs a dainty dance of spring with seasonal mushrooms and pine nuts, showed signs of congealment in the sauce, despite the promise of dishes cooked a la minute in the menu.
Y's Table offers an East-meets-West menu, with a selection from each cuisine, for 288 yuan (minimum two people). If you are in the building, the restaurant is a comfy canteen at best, otherwise, there's no reason to make the journey.
Address: B2, 100 Century Avenue, Pudong
Tel: 6877-6865
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