There is no lack of French restaurants on Shanghai’s Bund, from Le Robuchon to the long-running M on the Bund, but I find myself coming back again and again to Mr and Mrs Bund by Paul Pairet (the creator of Ultraviolet).
The restaurant is open for dinner, including an early bird turn with discounts between 5.00pm and 6.30pm, for brunch on Weekends, and on a late night turn after 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (also with discounts).
I tried all the timeslots (except the early bird for now) and I particularly like the vibe on the late night dinners. Of note, that they also have a nice bar and a small terrace, but if you are looking for a lounge and unconstrained views of the Bund, the ultra-popular Bar Rouge is just upstairs.
The restaurant is located in Bund 18, together with other fine-dining venues such as Hakkasan and L’Altelier de Robuchon, and sports beautiful views of the river and Pudong’s skyline.
The visit
In this review I will combine what I ate in a couple of visits in the first part of 2018. Some of the pictures are pretty horrible… unfortunately the dining room is quite dark by night and this is all I could do without a flash. I am adding also some pictures from a brunch.
The service begins with the bread basket and a delicate salmon pâté.
Even if it was late night, I could not resist from ordering the croque monsieur. This would be more appropriate for brunch, but I cannot find such a good snack anywhere else in Shanghai (I must admit that the croque from Le Bec is even better).
Then, it would not be a complete visit without a ration of meunière truffle bread. This is a slice of toasted bread soaked in meunière sauce, a very traditional French sauce made of brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon (usually used for the sole fish). Then the bread is covered with truffle flakes. The result is something unique: first your mouth is inundated by the flavor of the meunière sauce that is followed by the sweet flavor of the truffle. It is like the two run after each other. Ok, just to say that I like it.
I finished this late dinner with their signature chocolate mousse with rum and hazelnut. The dessert list is a bit underwhelming, this is my favorite item.
I also have pictures of another dinner with some more adventurous dishes. Pictured above a Truffle Petit Camembert to spread on bread with salad.
And a creamy lobster risotto.
In this case the dessert was a Coca-Cola sorbet with strawberries (I must say the only dish so far that I disliked… but the chef really likes to play with Coke).
In the featured image at the beginning of the post you can see the massive “long short rib” in teriyaki sauce. This huge chunk of beef can easily feed two people and it is one of the chef’s signature dishes (550 CNY, 80 USD).
Update: some brunch dishes
Mr & Ms Bund is quite famous for its brunch. They have a special menu featuring many brunch dishes in addition to their classics.
Their egg Benedict with ham is outstanding.
Another great egg dish is the scrambled eggs with foie gras and porcini mushrooms.
The beef carpaccio is another dish I recommend.
The check
I have retained the check for the first three dishes on a late night dinner: 517 CNY (around 75 USD), including a bottle of water. On the late night turn, if you only order from the list of the standard items you can have three courses for 330 CNY. Set menus for dinner start at 536 CNY (77 USD) per person; a three course dinner will most likely set you back by 100 USD excluding wine and spirits.
Is it worth? Unfortunately this is pretty much the standard price point for upmarket French restaurants in Shanghai and you are on the Bund.
I like the combination between tradition and innovation in the menu and I must say that I have never been disappointed. So I guess that quality and location justify the splurge time to time. And if you are an early or late bird, there are some good bargains.
Where in Shanghai:
6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,
Address in Chinese: 中山东一路18号6楼
Nearest metro station: Nanjing East Road.
Check the restaurant’s website for reservations and menus.