/ Reviews / Fusion
Shaking Up the Bund
by Ruth Waldron
on Friday, May 13, 2011 12:00 AM
After much ado and an inventive refit, the long-awaited renovation of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel on NanJing Road has come to its dramatic finale. Unveiled is a graceful and worthy addition to the stately elegance of the Bund architecture.
However, the Swatch Art Peace Hotel is not content to be simply a smart old lady. The powers that be have aspirations to present a whole new concept in hospitality, and at the heart of this plan is Shook.
Shook is the second of its kind, with the original restaurant first making a name in Kuala Lumpur. It offers the diner the opportunity to watch Chef Kevin Cape at work in an amazing open kitchen complete with some pretty impressive hardware. Centering on four different cuisines, the menu boasts modern Western, Japanese, South-East Asian and Chinese, with an extensive wine list to boot. The idea is not to fuse the different culinary traditions but to offer them all separately. It's an ambitious, almost hubristic decision, attempting to reflect the mix of foods for which modern Shanghai is famous.
The restaurant itself has a stunning view of the HuangPu River, which is further complimented by the Chinese-inspired interior. Intimate and private, the space is broken up by chinoiserie partitions that can be folded away as desired. All around the room, reminders of the Swatch element pervade the décor, with their timepieces masquerading as decorative art, culminating in the Time Bar motif where diners can enjoy a pre-meal tipple.
Prices, as you would expect for a high-end establishment in this swanky part of town, are quite steep - expect to pay at least RMB80 for a starter, running up to RMB1050 for the premium-grade Australian rib-eye; most mains hover between RMB150 and RMB255. There is, however, a great value lunch menu for those seeking a sampler: two courses with tea or coffee is a mere RMB88 - that's less than almost everything on the menu (aside from the sides).
The quality of the chef and the ingredients is beyond question, but Shook does find itself getting carried away on occasion with its own quirkiness.
History and style fused with modern, creative cuisine.
