The menu looked very impressive I have to say. The pricing is done in 2, 3 and 4-course basis. Funny we checked out the dessert right away, then worked our way backwards. :-) We decided that we were going to go for the 3-course option - what the heck.
A piping hot and soft baguette arrived before the food - + 100 points for the nice bread!
We both picked the beef carpaccio with potato and cheese fondue, watercress and grilled focaccia to start. I was curious to see what the potato and cheese fondue would be like, but it was really like a creamy potato salad. It was nice with the beef, which was paper-thin yet juicy. The most surprising thing was the grilled focaccia. It seemed so simple but i bet it's super tricky to have it done to such perfection. It was crispy yet soft and moist at the same time. I was able to cut it with my knife and fork and it didn't crumble into the little pieces like I though it would. A good thing to have on the side. Yum!
U ordered the chargrilled tenderloin of beef, steak fried,bacon wrapped onion and bearnaise sauce. Judging by the speed she finished her meal it must have been really good! We were especially impressed with the bacon wrapped onion - we thought we could steal the idea and try it at home. 
I ordered the braised lamb shank with soft polenta, root vegetables and gremolata. I assumed gremolata is the chopped parsley + garlic pile on the lamb? It didn't really add too much taste to the lamb but it didn't have to. The lamb was rich in taste as it was and the meat was so tender it fell off the bone easily. The sauce/reduction looked suspiciously the same as the one on the beef dish: - 50 points. :-) The vegetable "balls" were zucchini, carrot and squash, they were crisp hence difficult to pick up. Oh well who needs vegetables anyway?
I ordered the braised lamb shank with soft polenta, root vegetables and gremolata. I assumed gremolata is the chopped parsley + garlic pile on the lamb? It didn't really add too much taste to the lamb but it didn't have to. The lamb was rich in taste as it was and the meat was so tender it fell off the bone easily. The sauce/reduction looked suspiciously the same as the one on the beef dish: - 50 points. :-) The vegetable "balls" were zucchini, carrot and squash, they were crisp hence difficult to pick up. Oh well who needs vegetables anyway? 
Dessert time: flourless valrhona chocolate cake with butterscotch cream and mixed berry compote. One word: impecable. The cake was moist and light, and...flourless! Egg white perhaps? It was very chocolaty and not at all stocky. Perfect for the 3rd course.
This is the chilled orange creme souffle pudding, cumquat marmalade, sesame biscotti, vanilla sauce and caramel fudge.The souffle had a very nice texture and taste - went very well with the vanilla sauce (the bits in the sauce were brown sugar). Liked the biscotti too. Didn't think much of the cumquat marmalade as it was plastic-ky, but then I never like marmalade to begin with. I hadn't realised it at the time but where was the caramel fudge??
The service was surprisingly good and we almost forgot we were in China. Mesa Manifesto will be seeing me again for sure. With our 2 glasses of wine the bill came to RMB450 and U insisted on buying - thank you so much once again!748 Julu Road, Shanghai. Tel: 6289-9108
1 comment:
The food you describe could be Australian but then it could also be English, Californian or modern European. Sure, this type of food is often passed off as typical of the Australian kitchen but would you travel to Sydney or Melbourne (or even Shanghai) to experience this menu? I wouldn't.
However, my commitment to Australian food over the last 25 years has been to create an identifiable, interesting and unique Australian food style. My approach has been to use indigenous ingredients including Wattleseed, Lemon myrtle sprinkle, Alpine pepper and over 30 other ingredients. The flavours of these foods add such a twist to even familiar dishes that they can be brought together as forming an Australian cuisine. They have that special something which differentiates them from other culture's food styles. And I would certainly cross the planet to experience unique tastes which define a culture.
I invite you to read more here on my website.
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