Located right next to the Element Fresh in the Shanghai Centre- Portman complex, this is one of a series of Paul Bakeries that have opened around Shanghai in rapid fire in the last 6 months. Hailed from France, Paul's key selling point is that they even import the flour from France. I'd have to agree that basic ingredients matter a lot in baked goods; for some reason, the local flour just does not produce very aromatic breads and cakes (or I'm just prejudiced?) That said, I still think Paul is too expensive to make it an everyday affair. The Centre location has a pretty sizable sit-down area --- atmosphere is great with large windows looking out to a terrace, which will make excellent outdoor seating in the summertime.
We ordered a croque monsieur, a croque madam, and another kind of sandwich, along with some coffee drinks. The sandwiches range in the high $20's to $40', and drinks are Starbucks prices. The food is decent, but I think it's the location that's really worth the bucks. Didn't try their desserts yet, and think I'll go back for afternoon tea next time. They offer a $45RMB set where you can choose a drink + dessert during the weekdays.
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This Australian chain is among the many foreign contenders for the espresso market. Since I'm always in favor of the minority shops, I try to go here and Coffee Beans over Starbucks. Their drinks are made better than Starbucks in my opinion. They use the "green label" type of milk that ordinary consumers cannot get their hands on. One time I asked the barista if I could buy their milk, and instead, he taught me how to make perfect frothing with your regular Bright Light milk (blue carton kind which tends to puff up too much when you try to froth). The trick is to heat up the milk a bit (but not burning it), put it in the frig for a couple minutes to cool down, and then froth it. I tried it and was happy with the results.
Anyhow, my point is that Jamaica Blue is holding its own in this competitive markets, and they just need to have more locations to compete with the bigger guys...
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This is a express cafe franchise created by my friend Kelley Lee before she opened the City Diner. When I first found out that this cafe is just down the street from me, I was really excited. I really liked the energetic orange logo and the creative name. However I'd have say the price is on the high side, probably because it's paying substantial amounts of rent to the Summit and there's less foot traffic. I'd make it a everyday visit if the prices were cheaper by 1/3. Also, the cafe can pay more attention to the food itself. The forte of iiit should be its panini sandwiches, but some of the fillings like eggplants, bellpeppers can taste pretty bland. Given these are pre-made, it shouldn't be too hard to check on the flavoring ahead of time. The Jamica Blue cafe across the street has been stealing iiit's customers since it opened last year, even though their food selection is more limited. I feel iiit can definitely do better on the food side while keeping the prices lower.
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Cafe serving yummy sandwiches, steaks and other creative dishes..
This cafe used to be on ChangShu Rd hidden in a cute courtyard. I guess it was too hidden so it was shut down and moved to the current location on Julu Rd near Fumin Rd. Embre joins a group of chichi restaurants-hidden-in-old-houses on this stretch of Julu Lu, including Velvet Lounge/Casanova, People 7, Shintori, Nepali Kitchen, etc. The new place is in a 3-story non-descript building, with minimal deco and no trees. There's a small garden out front, although it's a bit close to the sidewalk so not very private. The wait staff doesn't appear to be carry-over from the old place and doesn't seem to know about the old place. The menu is the same as that at the old location, which has a similar look as those of a Future Perfect and Arch. I usually get the sandwich set (~$60-70RMB), which comes with a soup and a nicely dressed salad on the plate. My favorite is the caviar with eggs on Italian bread. The bread is done less crunchy than at the old place (hmm, I just really miss the old place...) The breakfast can be order a la carte, but I find the pricing to be on the high side if you starting adding everything you want up. The meat and fish entres are done with an interesting tangy twist in the sauces; prices are reasonable for the taste and portion you're getting. The juices are way overpriced --- they should consider giving drink discounts to people who are ordering meals.
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French cafe that serves crepe in Shanghai...
This location on the corner Urumuqi Rd and ChangLe Rd just opened in July. I used to go to their XiangYang Market location until the Market was shut down June last year. This old cafe was more "frenchy", crowded tables, full of smoking foreign tourists, and served crepes from the crepe station. This new one as well as their two other branches in HongQiao and north JingAn's TongLe Fang (Haifang Rd), are more like full-range restaurants than casual cafes. I'd say that with the spanking new furnitures and decor, the casual romantic French feel is lost somewhat. Also, they need to beef up on the waitstaff and turn that thermometer way down! The Mon-Fri business lunch for $55RMB was a pretty good deal. You have a choice of pastas, sandwiches, or quiche to go with a soda or coffee/tea. They also write their daily specials on a chalkboard and bring it to your table. Brunches are $125RMB. At the moment, they have not set up the crepe station, so there's only one kind of sweet crepe you can order. I'm looking forward to being able to order savory crepes again soon. I will also check out another crepe shop, La Creperie, which is not far down on near DongPing Rd. Why aren't there just little take-out shops that sell crepes on the cheap?? No need for fancy deco...
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