Moms who love to cook, and those who need the day off, have choices in Pudong

The upcoming occasion of Mother's Day persuaded me to take an excursion to that far-off land which many mothers and families call home, Pudong. I started with brunch at the natural-light-filled syzygy (Fusion). Only in Pudong do you find scale like this—acres of blue cloth booths, and a grassy terrace outside. A busy children's playroom (pointy-hatted kids were giggling through a birthday party on my visit) made plain that many moms have already discovered this delicious opportunity to get built-in babysitting while they tuck in, undisturbed. Top buffet items are the Thai-inspired–no surprise, given that Executive Chef Kip Oxman, from the U.S., spent over seven years in Thailand. Other standouts are the sweet potato gratin (creamy, tender and infused with fresh basil) and the smoky chocolate crËme brulee. syzygy is cooking up a new dinner menu says Oxman, "We're a family restaurant so I want to focus on the sharing of food, I want to have larger pots on the table, like a paella for two to four, or a big steak with several sauces on the side." Two of Oxman's favorite dinner entrees are mushroom-dusted snapper and grilled pork chops stuffed with chorizo.

Moving along to House of Flour (Cafes), I joined friendly owner/chef Brian Tan who organizes a unique series of South American dinners inviting to cook their native cuisine in the restaurant for one-night fiestas. The results are homemade-epitomized, as though the friend who is the best cook you know opened her kitchen to dozens of people.

One Saturday in April, Joy Doorman from Chile (available for other events at joydoorman@hotmail.com) looking unbelievably radiant and energetic for a new mom of a 5-month-old son, was heading up the kitchen. Although surrounded by a whirlwind of action her first words to me are "What would you like to drink?"—the sign of a true chef at heart (a chef is first and foremost a devoted, sometimes obsessive, host). "For me there's no way to eat Chilean food without Chilean wines," she explains, smiling. Her Chilean masterpieces include divine broiled clams with butter, white wine, and melted Swiss cheese, and fish ceviche with crunchy onion that is sharply sour and refreshing, the perfect foil for a warm spring night.

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