A contemporary Chinese restaurant in Luwan that is local yet a world away.
Located in the quiet grounds near the 2010 World Expo Site, the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Luwan sits in a brand new neighborhood among unopened office buildings and shopping centers. Its calm surroundings make you feel as if you are a long distance away from the bustling People's Square, the Bund, and Lujiazui areas. The reality is that the hotel is in the central Luwan district, close to all attractions, and yet a world away.
The hotel has plans for one more restaurant, a rooftop bar, and even a café for guests from the hotel as well as the shopping mall next to it. As of now, two are fully running: their all-day dining option City Bistro and the modern Chinese restaurant, Blue Moon. There is a Chinese story that claims the best fish is caught under the blue moon, thus the restaurant has an aquatic, night-time and blue theme. In the main dining room, there is a massive fish tank which decorates the open kitchen. There are nine private dining rooms, each equipped with their own washrooms and flat-screen TVs.
As part of a group-wide initiative in China, the Marriott Luwan uses local beef farmed by suppliers from minority groups in China. The project arises from the Marriott corporation's commitment to society, thus contributing to the community where they operate all of their hotels. The beef that was part of this meal came from Jilin province, in Northeastern China, and it was some of the best beef I had tasted in China.
For appetizers, we sampled an assortment of Chinese staples: chilled chicken in rice wine, lotus root with glutinous rice, and sliced beef with chili sauce. The sweet lotus root dish, which I always want to eat for dessert anyway, looked even more dessert-like since it was topped with sprinkles, the kind you find on ice cream. The sliced beef was chilled, in a sweet and spicy chili-honey sauce.
The soup, Beef brisket and daikon radish with carrots, was wonderful because of the beef. You could tell the chef used some high quality bones and stewed for a long time to create the broth, while the daikon and carrot gave just a light addition in flavor. The deep-fried crispy chicken in soy sauce was good, with very juicy and flavorful meat. I especially liked the crispy skin.
The stars of the meal were the two beef main dishes: Black Pepper beef tenderloin and the sauteed diced beef with teriyaki sauce. The beef tenderloin was pan-fried rather than grilled to retain moisture without being too rare, as most Chinese don't like to eat bloody meat. It was topped with a black pepper sauce that you usually taste in black pepper beef stir-fries, but served whole with a fork and knife, not chopsticks. It's a true fusion dish that almost everyone will enjoy. The beef with teriyaki sauce featured beef tenderloin that was braised until tender and then stir-fried with bell peppers and candied cashews and walnuts. It had just the right amount of all flavors - savory, sweet and spicy. The high-quality beef was particularly tender and tasty in this dish.
Of course, for a restaurant called Blue Moon, we had to try the fish. We ordered it Guangdong style: steamed whole and topped with soy sauce and sliced green onions. So easy yet tasty, it's my favorite way to eat fish. The salted-fish and egg fried rice was a fabulous side dish.
For dessert, the restaurant has a lot more fruit-based options, since that is what Chinese like after dinner. Their chilled mango pudding could have used more mangoes and it tasted a bit bland next to the fresh fruit platter. If you're looking for really indulgent dessert, you should head over to their other restaurant, City Bistro, which features ice cream imported from New Zealand.
As we had a chat with the F&B Director of the hotel about the "beef project", we learned that Marriott also has a similar "honey project", using honey from farms in Sichuan province. With so many restaurants importing beef from Australia, the US, and Japan, it's refreshing to be able to try something of such good quality and taste from an unassuming source. I urge any steak and beef lover to go stop by Blue Moon for a piece!
Service quality: very good
Food quality: excellent
Price per head (RMB): 200-300
Environment: very good
Feature dish or menu: Sauteed diced beef with teriyaki sauce; Freshly steamed pick-of-the-day (fish)
Location: 2F, No. 99 Jiangbin Rd., Luwan District, Shanghai, China 上海江滨路99号2层
Tel:021 – 5218 – 8888