[Shanghai] Mayita (Brunch)

Mayita | Dianping
Address: 寿宁路98号6楼辉盛庭国际公寓(近西藏南路) – 6F, Fraser Residence, 98 Shouning Lu (黄浦区 Huangpu District)
Date visited: 2014.06 for brunch
Total bill: RMB¥163 for two people
Will return: Yes
What to get:
– Churros
– Chicken & chorizo quesadilla
– Braised beef empanadas

Mayita is Maya’s new sister restaurant located in Fraser Residence where The Fat Olive used to be (never been, never will). Mayita’s brunch menu is mostly similar to Maya’s brunch with a few different dishes but the classics are all there.

For the record, I had this brunch at 3pm so this kind of looks like it could be dinner, too.

Mayita has a terrace, which opens when warm weather is in session. Given the choice, we chose to sit inside in the air conditioning (and were the only ones as you can see).

Mayita’s food is generally good but service is horribly understaffed and lacking. Due to the layout of the restaurant where half of the inside is essentially in a blind spot behind the wall where the kitchen is built out, it is impossible to signal for servers who don’t even walk by very often. Still, having half the restaurant in a blind spot is not an excuse for non-existent service as servers should be patrolling all areas of the restaurant routinely anyway.

There was one guy whose only job was apparently to set the plates, which he did at a glacial pace. When we asked to order, he went to fetch someone else, at a glacial pace. We finally had to physically get up and go around to the kitchen area, where we found multiple staff  just standing around, to order. When another table asked for the bill, same guy went to go find someone else again, still at a glacial pace. This guy probably does not have authority to take orders and bills but this would not be a problem if the servers who are authorized paid more attention. Efficiency is clearly not within the scope of the staff here. There are one or two enthusiastic and helpful servers whom I have seen from the times I have been here but I cannot say the same for the majority of the team. Friends have had similar (actually worse) experiences dealing with the sub-par service here so I really hope this improves in the future.

Coffee & doughnuts Maya style (RMB¥50) with Sumerian coffee and churros
Recommend: yes
Sumerian, where Mayita sources this coffee, is a coffee institution in Shanghai. It is served with milk on the side but we didn’t use it because this was literally the first time I drank black coffee and liked it. I usually have to drown my coffee in milk so I guess I have been having bad coffee all my life. Now a whole new world has been discovered.

As for the churros, we set them aside to eat later for dessert.

Also available is a full size serving of churros with whipped cream, chocolate, and strawberry sauce for RMB¥50.

Chicken & chorizo quesadilla (RMB¥48)
Recommend: yes
Not a trace of chorizo but there was spicy chorizo oil on the melted cheese and chicken. Delicious nonetheless so we will let it slide.

Braised beef empanadas (RMB¥65) with Australian beef, pineapple & Guajillo bell pepper salsa
Recommend: yes
The pineapple sauce was a nice sweet contrast to the spicy shredded beef enveloped in the deep fried pockets of nomaliciousness (it is a word in my dictionary).

And we are back to the churros for a sweet finish. Soft inside covered by a thin crispy layer outside. Still good after sitting through the entire meal.

Despite the ineffective service, Mayita does have good food going for them so we will be back when we are feeling patient.

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