M on the Bund restaurant, Shanghai

Michelle Garnaut's  M on the Bund in Shanghai opened its doors in 1999. It's one of two sister restaurants of her legendary M at the Fringe in Hong Kong, which has unfortunately closed after 20 successful years.

The M on the Bund overlooks one of Shanghai's most spectacular views, The Bund - hence the name. If outside temperatures allow, one should always go for the terrace, with it's breathtaking views - especially at nigh.

 

It should be mentioned that the M on the Bund conveniently has one of Shanghai's most spectacular bars in the same venue, the M Glamour Bar. So you can get all it takes for a fantastic night out in one and the same place!

The M on the Bund serves modern international cuisine, deeply rooted in traditional European cooking techniques. Executive Chef Hamish Pollitt demonstrates great passion for experimenting with locally sourced, as well as imported ingredients.

If "experimenting" sounds like  molecular cuisine, or smears of deconstructed pea puree on variations of horseradish and apple gel, well then this is a misunderstanding. Hamish Pollitt's experiments are more focused on getting the best flavor and texture results out of the perfect ingredients, seasoning and highly skillful cooking techniques.

Two great examples of what these experiments result in, are his Head-To-Tail Terrine and the Crispy Suckling Pig (see pictures).

The title "Head-To-Tail Terrine" reminds me of Fergus Henderson's philosophy of Nose to Tail Cooking - a most suitable approach to the concept of terrine. The terrine itself has a great texture with chunky bits and pieces and a perfectly seasoned gelatinous body, hitting the right balance of flavor and acidity. This is terrine how it should be - served with pickled cucumbers and toasted sourdough bread. All in all a rare treat.

The Crispy Suckling Pig is absolutely delicious. If you don't have reservations against eating baby animals, this is pork at it's best. A classic European dish, served in the culinary environment that took crispy pork skin to perfection. The pork itself is moist and perfectly seasoned.

A very fond memory I have of the M on the Bund perfectly illustrates the quality of the service. I've been dining there with friends, and after the waiters realized it was one of my friends' birthday, they produced a lovely surprise birthday cake for desert. Something like this has never happened to me in a London restaurant. The team there is obviously passionate about their work and they'll do whatever they can to create a memorable dining experience - with the food as the core event but service and the scenery are not falling short. Highly recommendable! And don't forget to check out the bar...

M on the Bund
7/F, No.5 The Bund ( corner of Guangdong Lu )
Shanghai 200002 China
中国上海市外滩广东路20号7楼
邮编 200002
Tel (86 -21) 6350-9988
Fax (86-21) 6322-0099


M Glamour Bar
6/F, No.5 The Bund (corner of Guangdong Lu)
Shanghai 200002 China
中国上海市外滩广东路20号6楼
邮编 200002
Tel: (86-21) 6329 3751

100 years Clärchens Ballhaus Berlin

Just to be clear, Clärchens Ballhaus in Berlin is much more than a restaurant. It's an iconic venue, named after Clara Habermann, who established the "Ballhaus" in 1913, in East Berlin's Auguststraße 24–25, together with her husband Fritz Buehler. In 2013 Clärchens Ballhaus celebrates its 100th birthday and over the last couple of years it has clearly regained its original shine - if not more...

It's worth mentioning that the original name is indeed written without apostrophe - as it's German, so the Berliners spell it "Clärchens"! If you're after a posh fine dining place, this is definitely the wrong location for you!  Clärchens is a vibrant, glamorous & very 1920s "Ballhaus", so basically the mother of all dance halls - and one of very few left, if not even the last original one of its kind.

It's like a little miracle that the Clärchens has survived World War II and Communism! After the reunification of Germany it changed owners and was closed down for refurbishment. The main hall on the ground floor level has been tastefully refurbished, but the real gem is the mirror hall ("Spiegelsaal") on the first floor. The new owners have been well advised not to change anything here, so the mirror hall still has all of it's original features and is used for special events. Claerchens attracts a broad range of audiences. Julia Regehr's PastaOpera with its delicious set menu - naturally set in he mirror hall - is more for the culinary inspired opera lover, whereas the regular Gipsy Restaurant with live band has an atmosphere on its own, with the a la carte food not being the main event.

It's always worth checking the program to find out if there's any special event scheduled. The website also tells you what music will play on a particular evening. And there's always music and someone dancing at Clärchens.

Not much has been said about the food so far, which is not fair. Although this wonderful place is clearly not a temple of culinary heights, it provides honest comfort food a la carte and delicious set menus that match the occasion.  Clärchens cuisine can be described as German-Italian with a modern twist. Although it's in Berlin and not Vienna, the Wiener Schnitzel with warm potato salad is to die for and probably my favorite. The weekly menu can be downloaded here. Let's hope that Clärchens Ballhaus survives at least another 100 years - may the dance never end.



Clärchen's Ballhaus
Auguststraße 24–25
10117 Berlin

http://www.ballhaus.de/

Dada Bistro, Buenos Aires

The Dada Bistro in Buenos Aires is one of these places that you come across in the most unexpected moment and post hoc you realize that the germ has never been really hidden. In fact it's one of Buenos Aires most frequently recommended places for locals and foreigners.

I accidentally ended up in the Dada when killing time in Buenos Aires on a Saturday evening... Sounds strange, but sometimes you can't take any more tango shows, have done too many museums and even more shopping. All you're looking for is a nice place for a decent dinner and maybe a little cocktail afterwards. This is usually the moment to give TimeOut, TripAdvisor or in more ambitious moments the Michelin guide a read - hoping to find something nearby. Something in walking distance from the hotel would be great...   - you're getting my point.

The Dada comes highly recommended. TimeOut Buenos Aires lists it as "Critics' choice", which is probably a serious thumbs up. Trip Advisor has it in the top percent of all restaurants in Buenos Aires. When last checked, the Dada ranked #57 of 1,624 restaurants in Argentina's capitol.

This place achieves a wonderful mixture of almost über casual  atmosphere, with highly qualified bartenders and very attentive yet  definitely not formally trained service and simply amazing, mouth watering food.

Argentina is famous for beef, so it doesn't come as a surprise that the Dada serves amazing variations of lomo (beef loin). The quality of the food served here clearly exceeds the expectations set by the easy going interior design, dominated by the bar, with only a handful of bistro tables and the cool waiters. This is bistro cooking to a very high gastronomic standard. The lomo I had was simply divine, cooked exactly to the point and came with mashed potatoes and a rich unfashionably creamy sauce - perfect comfort food. And a good foundation for the cocktails that are served here.

The bartender keeps producing just a little bit too much of every cocktail ordered, so he has enough left for samples that go to all the lucky guest sitting at the bar! It should be mentioned that the bar is the place to be anyways. It's perfectly fine to eat at the bar and you will not end up as the only one. The later the evening, the hotter the tiny little kitchen and the more packed the room.

So just in case you hang around in Buenos Aires and fancy a cool evening out with delicious local food and a couple of highly qualified cocktails - the Dada is the place to be. And BTW,
this place is suitable for Ramones fans, the waitress likes them too!

San Martín 941, 

Retiro, Buenos Aires, 

Argentina

Transport Subte C, San Martín/bus 93, 152

Phone 011 4314 4787

Chef Emily Watkins

Why on earth did Emily Watkins not make it to the next round in the BBC's Great British Menu? Was it the green egg yolk? Well it wasn't really egg to begin with, but colour and food are not to be messed around with. So did the brief - the imperative "What's the fun element in this dish" - get her to take too much of a risk? Anyway, it was very inspiring to watch her dishes improving from episode to episode.

Emily's biography reads like the dream of all those who spend their life in a dull office job but find real passion and excitement whenever entering a kitchen. Prior to her gastronomic career, Emily worked in an office, but she was brave enough to quit and move on. Her education as a chef started in Italy at Ristorante Beccofino in Florence, apparently with an unpaid job. After three years she came back to the UK as a Junior Sous Chef, fluent in Italian.

Her next career move might have been key: She became Chef the Partie at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck. Today she has her own business. Together with husband Miles Lampson she's running the Kingham Plough.     

The Kingham Plough is definitely a restaurant to have on the radar. Well, no, that's actually wrong. It's not really a restaurant. Like Chef Tom Kerridge (The Hand and Flowers), Emily is running a pub. Even better then, so no need to dress up dramatically... We will definitely hear more about Emily Watkins - she's doing all the right things. Her focus is on local seasonal food - and if we ignore the green egg yolk - it's fair to say that she achieves an impressive consistency in her compositions.     

According to the BBC's Great British Menu, she describes her cooking as "unfussy, simple, seasonal and earthy". She works with admirable technical perfection and finesse. Yet at the end, she's simply cooking wonderful food, with a clear focus on flavour and authenticity! Bravo Emily,... We're glad you've left the TV studio behind (for now) and are back to work. Can we book a table please!

Some additional reads on Emily Watkins can be found here: The Independent on the post Fat Duck Emily, her profile on Slow Food UK, a very nice interview with her in the Good Food Guide

The Kingham Ploughmore info The Green, Kingham, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 6YD 01608 658327 thekinghamplough.co.uk

Welcome to All About Eatery

I'll keep the intro short and sweet like a good pudding. This is about food, about chefs I came across, about restaurants I've been to, about recipes, ingredients, you name it. Whatever hits my taste buds and is worth sharing will be posted. The two main categories are "curious", that's restaurants, markets, shops and food festivals I have on the radar but not tested yet. Hint: feel free to share your own experience if you read about something you have tested. The second one is "eatery". You've probably guessed by now,... This one is about the tried and tested - good and bad.

Have fun reading, cooking and eating and don't hold back with your comments!