[Shanghai Girl Eats] Fifty 8º Grill @ Mandarin Oriental Pudong
Fifty 8º Grill @ Mandarin Oriental Pudong | Dianping
Address: 1/F, Mandarin Oriental Pudong, 111 Pudong Nan Lu / 浦东南路111号文华东方酒店行政公寓大堂1层
Date visited: 2015.10 for lunch
Price: RMB200-300 for lunch, dinner RMB500+
Will return: Yes
Please note this was an invited tasting
Fifty 8º Grill has ushered in new chef Phillip Taylor (from Aria at Shangri-La’s China World Hotel in Beijing) following Jason Oakley’s departure. Chef Jason is now at Coquille and Scarpetta. While the menu is still under the direction of consulting chef Richard Ekkebus, Phillip now takes the reins.
Fifty 8º Grill falls on the fancier side of things but is also low key because it is a bit removed from civilization (read: in Pudong). My meals here have always been pleasant but eating at Mandarin Orientals around the world is never cheap so prepare your wallet.
At the start of lunch and dinner, a server will come around with a selection of bread and tuna spread (complimentary) — I always go for the sourdough.
We started with an oyster tasting platter (RMB248), which included Kumamoto No. 4, David Hervé No. 1, and Belon flat oysters No. 2.
Next, a lobster avocado & tomato salad (RMB368 for full portion / half portion shown) with poached pieces of lobster, avocado mousse, and both baby and regular tomatoes. I could have done without the regular tomatoes.
My favorite of this meal was the sweet corn & Atlantic king crab velouté (RMB118). This may actually be my favorite western soup in Shanghai. The server brings the corn and crab in a bowl and then pours in the soup at the table. Then the popcorn goes in last and acts as croutons. Pretty neat and tasty.
Seared foie gras with blackberry & black pudding (RMB148) on a sauce-soaked brioche. Having the sauce in the brioche to layer with the foie gras was actually a very nice way to get the sauce as opposed to drizzling the sauce directly on the foie gras.
After everything, I still managed to shove the David Blackmore 9+ Wagyu short rib (RMB368/180g) into my belly. Fatty meat inside a crisp crust.
Roasted wild mushrooms (RMB58) with a mix of European portobello, button, porcini, and a local hen-of-the-woods. The mushrooms sit on top of a brioche that soaks up all the mushroom essence.
For dessert, a light and airy Grand Marnier soufflé with blood orange sorbet (RMB118) to counterbalance my lunch odyssey — or has the damage been done already? I also recommend the chocolate soufflé here.
As always, freshly baked madeleines (complimentary) to end of every meal at Fifty 8º Grill, which are among the best in this city. Excellent with some coffee or tea.
Found this meal very, very underwhelming when compared to other options like Roosevelt, 1515, but especially Ruth Chris (which was relatively affordable versus the other options).
58 degrees felt like what you would expect from dining in a hotel restaurant in all the bad ways. service was underwelming, and the food was just average at best.
i know this was an invited tasting and you marked it as such, but you seemed to hold your comments and criticism because of that fact. would be good still if you could give it a yay or nay still.