Sir Elly’s is the French restaurant of the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai. Located on the 13th floor, it sport nice views of the Bund. I visited it as part of my Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble.
The visit
I chose to visit the restaurant for brunch, because the brunch dishes seemed to be a fair representation of the high cuisine of the restaurant and not just afterthoughts as often happens with brunches.
Upon my arrival the staff welcomed me using my name. Was I the only foreigner dining there on that day? It turned out that for most of the meal I was the only guest! I had the beautiful dining room all for myself, only toward the end of my meal a Chinese couple joined the brunch. It was a slow weekend in Shanghai.
Similarly to what happens with their Chinese restaurant Yi Long Court on the second floor, the dining room tries to recreate the luxury and intimacy of a patrician house. It is a very classy venue.
The bread basket was impressive enough: French baguette, hazelnut bread, seaweed bread, a croissant, a hazelnut tart, and even a chocolate muffin.
And I was provided normal and salted butter, for good measure.
The brunch included four dishes: one appetizer, one egg or pancake, one main, and one dessert. For each category several options were available.
My appetizer was a hamachi carpaccio with asparagus, passion fruit, lotus. What was impressive was that it came in a bread container that reminded of a crab shell. The dots on the plate were mango and soy jellies. It was a delicious and well-designed dish.
The second list of dishes included brunch classics such as poached eggs, waffles and crepes. I chose the buckwheat crepes filled with bechamel and smoked salmon. The bechamel was spectacularly creamy and light.
The cod was a slow-cooked fillet, coming with an artichoke and clam-butter sauce that was added at my table. Really a delicious piece of cod.
I was not in the mood for a sweet, so I chose the comte cheese platter. This was a bit underwhelming. A cheese combination would have been better. But it was what it was advertised on the menu. The cakes should be a better choice.
The check
The brunch cost 428 RMB before tax and service charge. With a bottle of water, the minimum you would spend for brunch is 586.50 RMB (82 USD). It is a pricey brunch, but in line with the quality of the dishes. If you prefer quality vs. the quantity of a buffet, this brunch is actually a nice option. They also have a more affordable lunch menu, while dinner may be an expensive affair. Their tasting menu was around 2000 RMB at the time of my visit.
The service was impeccable and part of the positive experience, with all staff that could communicate in English well.
Where in Shanghai:
13F, The Peninsula Shanghai, 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu.
In Chinese: 上海市黄浦区中山东一路32号上海半岛酒店13楼.
Go to their website for menus and online reservation.