Steak Point

by Raphael Seghin
on Friday, October 14, 2011 12:00 AM

Vienna Restaurant

Steak, seen as many as a more ‘accessible' option for the local market, has seen quite the resurgence lately. Steak houses, ranging wildly in quality, have appeared across Shanghai; many of them with dubious names identifying their main dishes, but not much else. Steak is still seen as many as a status symbol, and therefore many steak venues gear themselves accordingly. After all, it is the local market that will make or break the vast majority of restaurants here in Shanghai. While there are some obvious exceptions that have impressed since their openings, most venues seem to linger somewhere in an anonymous steakhouse purgatory between memorable and just plain bad.

Located on the 4th floor, across the street from Piro and Xibo is a comfy little place that goes by the name of Steak Point: Vienna Restaurant. A large table dominates the center of the room, stacked with boxes and bottles of various wines. The restaurant holds about a dozen tables, their brown and white table clothes matching the general aesthetic theme of the venue. An appealing wooden balcony, complete with couches and greenery must have been a hit over the summer. A small bar by the entrance completes the scene, with dim, low-hanging orange lights encircling the restaurant.

Steak Point is run by owners Mr. Xia and his wife Ruby. The couple already owns two other restaurants in Vienna bearing the same name. They readily admitted, however, that it was necessary for them to tinker with the menu when they realized that most of their clientele were locals. Hence, you are more likely to find Asian dishes on their RMB36-42 lunch menu (soup and sandwich or soup and main or beef brisket soup) than anything else, such as their decent Deep Fried Chicken Breast with Curry Rice and Vegetables. The dish wouldn't be out of place in a Thai restaurant. For the more ‘traditional' dishes, the meat options range from RMB88 for the Veal Chop to RMB298 for the House Special Beef Tenderloin with Potatoes and Vegetables. And a fat slab of Foie Gras, which, as usual, seems to do more harm than good. High Tea is served from 2-5pm.

The restaurant, as previously mentioned, has a certain clientele in mind, and have adapted their menu for the local market. While Steak Point seemed popular enough with its diners, you won't find anything there that you can't find at any other steak restaurant in Shanghai. The Viennese aspect, which could have added an interesting twist, seems to be present only in name.