新天地 is the most over-rated place in Shanghai, but I was there every day during my short trip there. I guess it's the touristy kind of thing to do to go to 新天地 and have over-priced dinners there, buy over-priced tea leaves, and also wasted calories on over-priced pastries! Ha!
Fountain looked interesting as we were walking around searching for a nice place to have dinner and we settled ourselves in the al fresco section. And then I spotted "Singapore Laksa" on the menu! Something tells me that this is a Singaporean owned establishment - and I'm right. I'm sitting in one of Justin Quek's restaurant.
Not too excited about being in a Singapore "related" place while overseas, but I decided that I should be open and might just be pleasantly delighted.
I have a craving for beef, as I realised that it is virtually impossible to find beef on the menu of restaurants in China. So the Sirloin Steak was calling out to me from the menu. But despite paying > RMB400 for the steak, I think I can get better ones at Jack's Place for SGD30.
The beef is tough and a bit overdone, although the jus is nice and savoury, just how I like it. The fries are quite good, but I'm not a fan of fat fries - give me McDonald's skinnies anytime! :) I just don't think this beef is worth it's price!
We ordered a serve of the Clam Chowder as it was a chilly night and I wanted something hot and soupy. It was decent chowder and does not taste like canned soup. J wiped out the soup plus every bit of the bread bowl! He's a hungry man!
I decided to order a glass of Greenpoint NV Sparkling Wine. I had this in Preggo's the week before and it's quite delicious! I like the sweetness of the wine without it being too tart like most white wines are, and the bubbles helped to add a bit of glamorous for the night.
The highlight of the meal is the Mussels in White Wine Sauce. But I didn't get to take a pic of it because it was really dark by the time it arrived, and I couldn't take decent pics of it, and also one taste of the white wine sauce got me hooked and I just didn't bother with any photography! :)
The soup is so buttery and creamy and laced with white wine - it is like nothing I've tasted before. Is this how the white wine is supposed to taste like?
Yes, if I dare to say this....it is better than the mussels I had in Brussels Sprouts! Ooops....no offense to the Stroobant empire - I still support my favourite Belgian chef! :)
After this dinner, I went back to the hotel and did some research on Justin Quek's restaurants in Shanghai and learnt that he has a few more. But after the one hit and some misses in Fountain, I'm in no hurry to go and try his other restaurants within the vicinity of 新天地。
