By Jamie Feldmar (City Weekend)
Updated: 2007-04-27 10:25

A cavernous complex hidden behind a brick gate, Castle Oktober puts style before substance and misses the mark on both.

The decor of this restaurant /brewhouse is high ceilings and mahogany tables, but the globe-trotting menu manages to be universally bland. Diners are left to choose from the bad—the Bavarian Meat Platter (RMB 68), an artfully arranged display of cold cuts; the boring—pork schnitzel with mashed potatoes and over-salted vegetables (RMB 128); to the simply inexplicable—a Scandinavian fish sampling? The beers, meanwhile, proved to be delicious, if a bit pricey. A .5 liter glass of dark Dunklesbier, brewed onsite, cost RMB 68. Try to come during happy hour(every night until 7:30pm), when prices are sliced in half.

Service was extremely attentive, but the blaring samba music made it hard to hear. Perhaps with some minor tweaks, Castle Oktober will transform into the grand Bavarian brewhouse it could be. Perfect for: beer aficionados with deep pockets.

Castle Oktober
Location: 39 Taojiang Lu
Tel: 021-64312668