Any expat with a decade or more in Shanghai will tell you that in the old days, hotel restaurants ruled the Western dining roost. So why is it today, despite the massive head start they have on their outside competition (no rent, top-of-the-range equipment, good locations and shared resources), so many hotel restaurants live up to their reputation as soulless, stiff places where one overpays to be underwhelmed?  

Thankfully, there is change in the air as far-sighted hoteliers begin to realise the potential of their restaurants. By adjusting their focus, these few are raising the bar and paving the way for the future. Industry leaders the Marriott Group are taking steps in the right direction, with the opening of BLD restaurants in several of their Renaissance brand hotels. BLD (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner) is an all-day dining concept that is casual, affordable and most importantly, designed to be attractive to non-hotel guests. 

At URBN, they’ve harnessed the passion and drive of the independent restaurateur by outsourcing to a third party, David Laris. In Downstairs, he has created a stylish but casual restaurant with an eco twist that fits with URBN’s green credentials. In fact, the concept is working so well they had to temporarily close in order to extend the kitchen. They’re back up and running now and with a new menu to boot. It wasn’t first time lucky for URBN though. The space was originally roomtwentyeight, managed by the Wagas group, which just goes to show, running a hotel restaurant is tough, even if you are phenomenally successful elsewhere. 

Pinnacle Peak in the City Hotel on Shaanxi Lu is another great example of successful outsourcing. With a character and style all of its own, this steakhouse consistently gets good feedback on service, atmosphere and value.  

At 100 Century Avenue, management is not directly under the wings of Park Hyatt, which may be the reason they’re able to market themselves quite well compared to others. Sadly, when you get there, the quality and service don't always match up to the price. On the other hand, the best tuna steak we’ve ever tasted was sitting at the Long Bar in the PuLi Hotel. It cost RMB 130 to enjoy this fantastic meal, in a beautiful room with great service, but nobody knows about it. The same goes for their restaurant Jing’an, which offers fabulous food and an all round great experience that would benefit from more proactive marketing.  

So are hotel restaurants making a comeback? We think so. Whether they choose to farm it out to the experts or just pull up their game internally there is so much potential for great dining and we dream of a day when every hotel offering is as polished and satisfying as a recent breakfast at the Peninsula – a truly presidential experience. 

Amuse Bouche

Talking about passionate restaurateurs, Bella Napoli & Pizzeria’s owner, Guido was so determined to serve authentic Neapolitan pizza, he had handmade bricks and craftsmen flown in from Sorrento to build his pizza oven – bravo! 

RestauRANT

Something that’s really been getting our goat this month is greedy restaurants leaving a credit card bill open for a tip when you’ve already paid a 15 per cent service charge. This horrible habit must be stopped!

If you’ve got something to say about Shanghai’s dining scene, please let us know. Feel free to send your rant or rave, news or reviews to [email protected].

Web: www.diningcity.cn