In addition to the landmark nightspots of Xintiandi and Hengshan Road,
it is well worth considering Julu Road as an attractive venue for those in
search of decent dining places, as well as glamorous bars.
The narrow tree-lined street used to be home to many old low rise residences,
some of which have now been renovated into recreational venues combining
restaurants and bars. Mesa is of this kind.
Mesa's two-storey building has an Australian-cuisine restaurant on the ground
floor and a bar upstairs, with a total capacity for some 200 guests. Containing
a huge glass-walled kitchen, the dining room is not very large or luxuriously
decorated, but it provides a very comfortable environment which makes it popular
in the neighbourhood,especially among foreigners. During a recent visit to Mesa
on a weekend evening, I saw two expat parties held there at the same time,
making it a lively place.
The Mesa menu usually changes with the seasons, but a constant factor is the
broadly Australian culinary style. Steve Baker, an Australian, who is executive
chef and also co-owner of Mesa, created all the dishes available in the
restaurant, inspired by a number of recipe trials and tasting sessions, basing
the dishes on the modern Australian style that he describes as fresh and clean.
"Modern Australian cuisine takes on the influences of all the cultures that
have settled there. It is a constantly evolving cuisine,like Shanghai's, so
sometimes you will see more Western influence, sometimes less," he said.
Mesa's summer menu seems to reflect a relatively strong Western influence and
nearly all the dishes I tried there had a light, fresh flavour.
The pan seared scallops and cauliflower puree surrounded by spring peas
(118 yuan, US$15) was a beautifully-dressed starter dish, with a refreshing and
delectable taste. The scallops had been seared in a very hot pan until they were
a nice golden colour. Served with a dressing of honey vanilla and ginger, topped
with trout caviar, the scallops tasted tender, mild and delicate. The
cauliflower puree, placed under the scallops and served warm, was also very soft
with a natural fragrance.
Another starter I tried was a signature dish of Mesa which was created by
Baker nine years ago-carpaccio beef with roast garlic goat's cheese gratin and
grilled focaccia (92 yuan, US$12).
"I have worked on improving the dish but the backbone of flavours has never
changed," said Baker.
According to him, the beef was first marinaded in a fragrant spice paste and
then frozen to make it easy to slice. The beef was shaved quite thin and served
with a goats cheese gratin on the plate, which looked very appetizing. The goats
cheese gratin, soft, tender and warm, was served with a touch of extra virgin
olive oil,fresh basil pesto, grated reggiano parmesan cheese, cracked pepper and
sea salt. Due to a variety of sauces, the combination of beef, cheese and toasts
tasted really good, not that spicy but flavourful, with an aroma of the cheese.
The main course I ordered was the roast lamb rump with sauteed lemon spinach,
garlic creamed mash and fresh mint pesto (198 yuan, US$25). The lamb, which was
served in a big piece, was from Australia and tasted succulent, mildly spicy and
savoury.According to Baker, they first marinaded the lamb in natural Greek
yoghurt and Moroccan spices for 24 hours then pan seared the rump and finished
cooking it in the oven. It is best served medium done.
The soft creamy roast garlic mash and lemon buttered spinach-which Baker
garnished the lamb with-also had a fresh and mild flavour. The whole dish was
visually splendid and colourful and I liked it.
The average cost per person in Mesa is around 350-400 yuan (US$44-50),
including wine and drinks. Baker said he named his restaurant "Mesa" as it is a
word easy to remember and in Spanish it means table, which he thought related to
running a restaurant.
Mesa
Location: No.748
Jululu
Tel: 021-62899108
