It’s been a while since I last wrote about food, mainly because I haven’t had a big meal out in ages…
Taking advantage of my birthday, I hit two famous restaurants in one day. Although I’ve been to both before, since I brought my camera and they were close by, I figured I’d write something up~~~
Morton’s Steakhouse
Morton’s doesn’t seem to be an overly high-end steakhouse abroad, but in China, it has transformed into one of Shanghai’s nearly top-tier steakhouses. The new location is at Changning Raffles City, spanning two floors and sharing a standalone building with the neighboring Xunwei Paris; the ambiance is quite nice.
On a weekday lunch, there weren’t many people. We even arrived a bit early when there were no other customers at all, so we could take photos properly. The space is huge, much larger than the IFC and iapm branches, and they still offer a lunch set menu on weekdays.
KD and I ordered a medium-rare filet mignon and a burger respectively.
The pre-meal bread was still delicious and generously portioned. We only ate half and took the rest to go for breakfast—it really was tasty. Unfortunately, the service was a bit slow, as the bread arrived slightly after the soup.
The vegetable salad came with blue cheese and tasted great. For a single-person set menu, the portion size isn’t small; after finishing the bread and salad, I was already feeling pretty full.
As for the burger, it wasn’t actually that big, but the ingredients and flavor were satisfying. The fries served with it were so good I couldn’t stop eating them—one after another!
The medium-rare filet mignon was a thick cut. Although the plating was a bit simple, the taste and texture were excellent. It was tender and juicy, and the creamy mashed potatoes on the side were also delicious—pure calories!
The beer KD ordered
Finally, here are a few photos of the interior. It spans two floors; the photos show the second floor, which features both open seating and private rooms with large long tables. The atmosphere is great, and the service is decent too, making it a good choice for catching up with friends or small gatherings.
Right outside the window are the cherry blossom trees at Changning Raffles City~~
Shi Shi Xiang
Shi Shi Xiang is a creative Hunan restaurant under the Watan brand, located on the 2nd floor of Reel Mall, right downstairs from Watan. As a creative take on Hunan cuisine, this place retains some classic dishes while reinventing many others. Sure, you could say it’s not entirely authentic anymore, but hey, as long as it tastes good, that’s what matters—especially since I can’t handle spice like true Hunanese folks… Most of the dishes we ordered this time were non-spicy or mildly spicy. Their ‘mild’ is practically not spicy at all, which was perfectly acceptable.
The lily bulb and pumpkin dish was a necessary palate cleanser in a restaurant known for spicy food. The pumpkin was sweet, soft, and glutinous—delicious.
The signature Immortal Cumin Pork Ribs came as four whole ribs, and you can order extra individually if you like. The meat was tender and tasty, though the cumin flavor was a bit strong.
Beef with Pine Nuts and Rice Cake is another signature dish. The beef was incredibly tender and well-marinated beforehand, making it very flavorful. The combination of rice cake, pine nuts, and beef created a magical texture.
Dong’an Chicken is a traditional famous dish from Dong’an County, Hunan. The sliced chicken thigh meat was extremely tender. Treated specially with plenty of shredded ginger, the spicy kick of the ginger was barely noticeable. The overall flavor profile was sour, spicy, and savory. I thought it might taste strange, but surprisingly, it grew on me quickly.
The signature Lychee Frozen Drink is a slushie, but not the super-fine kind; it’s filled with crushed ice, making it perfect to sip while eating spicy food.
The ambiance is quite business-like, and just like Watan, they use white paper as tablecloths.
Lastly, thanks to classmate Somalia for bringing over little cakes from Fascino, hahaha.
Photos in this post taken with SONY A5100 + 35mm f1.8, edited in Lightroom.
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