I have two more days left here in Shanghai.
I have heard much about a restaurant on the river called Table Nb 1. I decide to check it out. After the beautiful stay at the classic and timeless Peninsula hotel, I need to fit into something different, something mainstream, a place where apparently from secure sources the who is who in the press, fashion and design worlds hang out for dinner and drinks.
At the end of the Huangpu River river, in an interesting set up of early 20’s buildings, in a neighborhood filled with disappearing Non Tangs the boutique hotel Waterhouse lays in front of a famous Karaoke lounge reserved only for the government guests ; the minute street, filled with Bentleys. Lamborhgini’s and Jaguars, is among hype Shanghai residents as the most trendy in town. Table Nb 1 by Jason Atherton is the hotel’s restaurant, called by a few the ” Gastro Bar”.
Consultant chef Jason Atherton is the Michelin-starred name behind Maze, a London restaurant that is part of the Gordon Ramsay Group. The phenomenal success of the Maze brand led to more restaurants in Prague, New York, Cape Town, Melbourne and Dubai.
Jason’s personal accolades include London’ s Outstanding Chef from The Evening Standard in 2008 and ” Best Chef of the Middle East ” from TimeOut Magazine, Dubai. He has also hosted the hugely popular BBC2 series, Great British Menu’and is a regular on shows like ‘Saturday’s Kitchen’ and ‘ Market Kitchen’.
We enter the super sensual atmosphere, the smart decor , industrial-chic, is warm and welcoming, The place is packed. A long a noisy table with a large group o f models , photographers and possibly editors from Vogue, are loudly speaking in English with a mis and accent of italian and French. They had spend the last two days shooting in the hotel for the celebre magazine.
Extremely handsome and beautiful Chinese waiters and hostess speaking in a perfect English, ( certainly better than mine, some of them studied in England, I asked!) hand quickly menus and drinks. With a menu we are offered the specialty drinks of the house, a fresh Lychee Martini and a Kiwi Mohito, with a rustic wooden tray of a delicious snacks while we wait for our order.
My sea bass with Pomelo , elegantly decorated is absolutely superb, I must admit it’s among the best dishes I ate in China. I don’t need to mention the wide array of incredibly tasty and well presented desserts. One of the waiters tells me that t he culinary team at Table No. 1 by Jason Atherton includes Resident Chef Scott Melvin, who managed both kitchens at Maze and Maze Grill, as well as sous-chef and pastry chef from the same restaurant in London.
With a menu created to encourage interaction, we enjoyed several desserts at the same time , coming in sharing portions we could afford a few. My favorite was the warm chocolate cake, cherry tea and white chocolate ice cream topped with a very hot Valrona chocolate sauce. The pictures on the post well represent what was presented to us in less than a few minutes.
The best , was left for the end, an iced liquor Williamine, on The Roof at Waterhouse. This magic cocktail bar, offers a splendid view of the Huangpu River . What a cozy getaway from the city.
” Could you please she the Concierge to me please? ” – Sir, do you have any availability for a room for tonight?”
Joelle’s Tips:
The Restaurant: Table NB1 :
The Hotel: The Water House on the Bund
