(City Weekend)
Updated: 2007-05-24 10:22

At Merrylin, the lunch shift bustles to full capacity with businessmen and office ladies alike, taking advantage of this crystalline-dripped eatery.

In typical Shanghainese-style, we began with several starters. The shredded turnip and jellyfish (RMB 28) was, disappointingly, a bit hard to chew through and oily, but the kaofu with mushrooms and black fungus (RMB 12), was delicious with a distinctive star anise aroma. We wanted something light, but our vegetarian rolls wrapped in bean curd (RMB 25) tasted oily instead, masking the flavors of the carrots and mushrooms inside. Something on the menu caught our eye—beef with chocolate sauce (RMB 38). The chops of beef were tender, drizzled in a sauce so surprising in flavor and peppery in taste that for a minute we thought we were dining at a Western restaurant.

However, the coconut-bottomed red bean layer cake (RMB 8) brought our tastebuds back to Chinese fare. Merrylin is a convenient lunch spot, but if you're looking for something more palatable, venture out for dinner. Perfect for a luchtime run.

Merrylin
Location: 1/F World Trade Tower, 500 Guangdong Lu
Tel: 021-63621176