(That's Shanghai)
Updated: 2006-07-10 16:15

Mimosa offers an innovative tasting menu based on multiple iterations of the same core ingredients, all served in a mod lair.

Our meal started out on a promising note with an array of interesting amuse-bouches that wore their ingenuity lightly, managing to be both creative and classic. The same can be said for a quartet of cream soups served in a row of demitasses. Our entrees arrived late, but the veal was remarkably good in all three variations-poached, pan-fried and slow-cooked. By contrast, riffs on salmon were individually satisfying, but with little development from one taste to the next.

Misplaced dollops of salsa threatened the integrity of some dishes, while several specialities were served on a curious bed of foam, perhaps in homage to the restaurant's bubbly namesake? Our cheese plate finale tasted like everything but cheese, each bite smothered in a succession of fussy accompaniments. Innovation can be a wonderful thing, but some classics are better left alone.

Mimosa 
Location: Pier One, No. 82 Yichang Lu, Suzhou Creek
Opening time: Daily 7pm-late. All cards.
Cost for two (excluding drinks): RMB 710
Tel: 021-51558310