Berrylicious

On a weekday night, Berry Garden was all quiet elegance--maybe because we were the only customers there—but its smart bistro feel with candles and jazz and Asian accents of bamboo and Han statues left us a little confused. The arrival of the menu solved that issue. It was short but sweet--standard Western fare. Starters were a little on the pricey side (the cheapest a soup at YY40), so we skipped them and opted for the pear, walnut and gorgonzola salad (YY52) with the bacon served on the side to suit the vegetarian. A decent bread basket arrived with olive tapenade and we had a choice of seven different wines by the glass, with a decent sized pour at around YY45 per glass. Our salad was good, but perhaps could have used more blue cheese and less salt; however, our mains were the star of the evening. Generous portions of roasted chicken and shrimp with homemade pasta and eggplant (YY95) and a salmon, asparagus and parsley risotto (YY75) were beautifully presented. The chicken was succulent and crisp on the outside and moist and tender on the inside while the risotto was crammed with peas, asparagus, tomatoes and mushrooms with more asparagus and a salmon fillet on top. We were too full for dessert although the hot chocolate pudding looked tempting. Smiling and efficient staff and large windows for watching the action on Dongping Lu completed an enjoyable evening. --Elyse Singleton