Secret Garden
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 12:12 — editor
Location
No. 333 Changle Road, Shanghai// 藏乐坊, 上海徐汇区长乐路333号(近襄阳北路) Tel：021-54050789
Shanghai, 31China
The Secret Garden does plenty to raise expectations. It promises fine dining in a converted villa with classic oriental décor. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.
We were led in through a series of darkened ante-rooms, candles flickering, creating an atmosphere of Old Shanghai. Our table was in a chamber decorated with wood panels and screen doors, lavish satin pillows adorning the seats. The attention to detail was incredible. The staff were pleasantly attentive without being ubiquitous, as is often the case in high-end restaurants.
As for the food, we asked the waitress to recommend some dishes. She suggested that we start with the special salad. This arrived in a big square bowl, juicy cubes of melon and curls of lettuce glistening with soy dressing. Tomato and dried grapefruit adorned the pile, making for a unique mouthful when combined.
Next came salmon sashimi. Four miniature volcanoes of fish were delivered, surrounding a little tower of cucumber topped with orange roe. The fish lay atop white radish shavings and nettle leaves, perfect for cleaning the palate between bites. The wasabi had just the right punch. The fish was perfectly cut and lived up to the old cliché of melting in the mouth.
Fish became something of a theme as the next course was braised Australian scallops. These came with soy bean sauce and tiny squares of diced pumpkin. An unusual combination, but extremely tasty. The scallops were meaty and dense (just as scallops should be) and the sauce added perfect oriental flavour.
The vegetable course consisted of juicy baby bai cai and shiitake mushrooms in a light broth and chili garnish. The fresh, silky texture of the steamed cabbage was a perfect match for the warm garlic flavouring. The shiitake mushrooms were slightly less tasty than I’d expected, but this was the only flaw in an otherwise excellent meal.
by Susie Gordon
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Service quality:
very good
Food quality:
excellent
Price per head (RMB):
200-300
Environment:
very good
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