Shanghai Me

Time Out

a day ago

If you want to get a sense of the sort of person you'll see at Shanghai Me, the new Chinese-Japanese fusion restaurant on the top floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane, then consider this: there was a 12-year-old boy behind me wearing a Maison Margiela t-shirt.
It will come as no surprise that this high rise Mayfair restaurant is chock-a-block with Loro Piana-clad, facially reconstructed wealthy elite whose means is of questionable provenance. If they get bored with Sexy Fish or Novikov or the ironically charred embers of Chiltern Firehouse, they can come here. In fact, they have come here, because the 28th floor is full on a Wednesday night a mere week after opening.
There was a desire to be cynical about Shanghai Me. But it's actually fun
Shanghai Me has two other outposts in Doha and Dubai, with another set to open in Monaco. I'm not sure how I feel about our beautiful capital being lumped in with these gaudy Gomorrahs but perhaps that's just where we are. The interiors are surprisingly tasteful, art deco everything and 1990s Wall Street expressionist paintings on the wall.
The menu at Shanghai Me is extensive and unsurprising. All the stars are here; wagyu dim sum, cod and miso, black truffle yellowtail. At their suggestion we order a couple of dim sum, a couple of starters, a smattering of mains. First out is the tuna tataki, lightly dressed in ponzu with mini shiso leaves, and it's as good as anything you'll get in a high end omakase. Chicken xiao long bao is soft and oozing with salty, peppery broth, and wagyu beef and shiitake mushroom fried dumplings taste, slightly incongruously, like the best steak and ale pie you've ever had, with a touch of sticky red Chinese ribs.
Less good was the shrimp tempura, which was drenched in an admittedly good and elevated, sweet chilli sauce, thus saturating what should be crunchy, softly fried prawns. When you order tempura you want tempura, you know?
An ensemble of mains included braised beef which, while a little dry, was accompanied by a viscous and tangy sukiyaki sauce. The cod with miso seemed a no-brainer in a place like this, and while it was immaculately cooked, the miso dip took on a sweetness that overbore the fish. Just the lemon it was served with would have been more than fine. But the broccoli in oyster sauce? The prawn fried rice? Sensational. Familiar dishes that have been seasoned so deftly, and prepared so delicately and with such care that you forget about the teething issues.
And that's what they feel like here: teething issues. Our dessert of a strangely deconstructed matcha tiramisu, which resembled almost nothing of an actual tiramisu, but still hits with the sugary force of a spring-loaded boxing glove, came with an erroneous 'Happy Birthday' on-plate chocolate calligraphy. It was sweet in both senses of the word.
There was a desire to be cynical about Shanghai Me. But it's actually fun. The dishes are enjoyable, the people watching is second to none, the view is stunning, the mainly Italian serving staff were jovial and had character. If you're going for a silly, opulent date night to rub shoulders with London's anonymous elite, you could do a hell of a lot worse than this.
The vibe Plush Asian fusion in an actual Ivory Tower.
The food All-of-the-above Chinese food, elevated and carefully done.
The drink They have a good selection of both baiju and sake, as well as cocktails tailored to your zodiac sign. And, shockingly for Mayfair, you can get a bottle of wine here for £40.