Good Looks, Bad Taste

At a glance, this pan-Asian restaurant is a sight for sore palates. The décor is a layering of lounge meets contemporary art museum--dim private booths on the first floor and a three-level spiral staircase leads to semi-private rooms with large tables surrounded by giant, white beds on the third. The menu offered a daunting scope of cuisine so we thought it best to commit to the full set meal for two (YY300) which offers choices from each section including dessert and tea. A parade of colorful, thoughtfully arranged dishes ensued. Notable of the ten were the baked chicken with bean sauce--succulent chicken in a simple, savory bean puree--and the curry chicken rolls, Thai style, four mini mounds of seared chicken and vegetables with a light cream sauce. Sadly, the following eight dishes, while pretty to look at, were tasteless, sometimes painful. We were also victims of a common Shanghai dining scene culprit--a full drink menu without the bartending skills to deliver a decent one. First try, a Mojito (YY68), looked good but had a tongue-burning sweetness without a trace of rum. The attentive manager responded to our quiet grimaces with a friendly visit and offered to give it another attempt. No go, still the same. Next! We ordered a dirty vodka martini straight up with two olives (YY68). It arrived sporting a cherry, no olives, way too much vermouth, and tasted like soap. Our consensus: a good place to bring take-out. -Renee Reynolds