(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2007-11-19 13:58

In Shanghai, the category "Western Restaurant" provokes a conflicting range of feelings for me. While many places have come (and many more gone) there are few that meet the standards by which many of us remain loyal. Indeed, in my informal poll of friends, the consensus is that we have an overabundance of places that fail to deliver the quality of food, service and ambiance to match their often premium prices. With this in mind, I was skeptically anticipating my trip to the newly opened Hamilton House to experience the claimed great food, tight service and cool venue. The team behind the restaurant -- QianQian Wu, Shanghai socialite; Richard Xavia, ex-3 on the Bund GM; Philippe Leban, Michelin trained chef -- seemed to have the skills needed to deliver, but good on paper hasn't always translated into good in presence.

On the night of my visit, I was playing tour guide for a (very critical) friend visiting from London, and our visit to Hamilton House was meant to serve as an introduction to The Bund - or, rather, to the area just behind it. Our taxi stopped at one of the most dramatic intersections in Old Shanghai - Fuzhou Lu and Jiangxi Lu. Four 1930's-era Art Deco towers rise from the corners of the wide, circular street crossing, looking rather unlike contemporary Shanghai in both style and lack of people or traffic. Then over on the southeast corner, we saw the subdued light coming out of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor of the Hamilton House.

Upon entering, we found a French brasserie cast in the form of minimal, modern art deco with epically high and detailed ceilings. Lots of white on the walls and mosaic tiled floors with low lighting characterized the space throughout, and whimsical details like an eclectic arrangement of decorative objects overtop the bar added distinction. We were warmly greeted and seated by both the Hostess and the owner, Qian Qian. I quickly headed upstairs to the washroom and found a fun detail in a semi-one way mirror above the wash basin that let the bar staff see how long I spent fixing my hair.

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