Restaurant Review: Prime 1921 at Sasha's
By: Misty Sloane
What: Fine dining for the big spender
Where: 2F, 11 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu. Tel: 6474 6628
Why: For the history, and perhaps a steak
Even expats fresh off the boat have heard of Sasha’s, although most visitors come for the beer garden rather than the dining experience. The three storey villa is ripe with historical anecdotes – the home of the famous Soong sisters, the building saw many an important Communist party meeting go down during the 1930s and 1940s.
In an attempt at rebranding and relaunching, the second floor dining room has received a new chef and a new menu. While the chef is French, the menu is more global, purportedly focusing on “cuisine designed with wine in mind”. From the centerpiece of pink Himalayan sea salt to the non-descript jazz playing on low, the atmosphere feels like late 90s fine dining and the menu reflects it, reading like a who’s who list of classic dishes. From the crab cake to the rib eye, there aren’t any risks on the menu.
We’ve stopped by Prime several times to varying degrees of satisfaction, but in the end we discovered that the safest bet was to stick to ‘the turf’. For appetisers, the highly-recommended duck foie gras (RMB 95) and ox tail carpaccio (RMB 90) lived up to the hype. The foie, although more of a pate than the menu hinted at, was sublime, offering a sweet and savoury take on the dish that was crowned by a subtle corn cress accompaniment – not one we’re used to seeing, but one we’d happily welcome again.
When it comes to mains, the prime cuts from the grill are outstanding. An impressive tomahawk (RMB 800) carved tableside came equipped with gourmet mustards, flavoured sea salts and organic vegetables. Perfectly cooked to a medium rare, the well-marbled steak ensured no one went home hungry. We also loved the stockyard ‘black label’ wagyu rump (RMB 400), but were less impressed with the peppercorn sauce. It seemed the saucier got a little happy in the kitchen, throwing enough peppercorns in to the sauce to make it reminiscent of lentil soup, but it came on the side and was easily avoidable. Just to prove that the steak menu is the way to go, we also tried the grass-fed veal chop (RMB 220). Served on the bone, it was remarkably tender and flavourful – another medium-rare win for 1921.
The kitchen runs into some trouble with its few non-beef items; the Rougie duck ‘la fuente’ (RMB 220) came smothered in a dark cherry sauce that did little to distract from the tough meat. The striped sea bass (RMB 180) was a confusing mix of ingredients. To be fair, the menu did list them, but we honestly thought it was a misprint. The fish came with refried beans, peanuts and coriander coconut curry. While all respectable by themselves, there was no cohesion to the plate and it left us confused and underwhelmed.
Desserts took us back up again to finish the meal on a high note. A rich fudge brownie (RMB 65) relied heavily on the former part of its name to create a thick, creamy block of chocolate with a crispy brownie crust, and the soufflé (RMB 65), delightfully citrusy with a warm Gran Marnier sauce, was as light and airy as can be.
Servers are still in the process of figuring everything out – two of our waiters recommended the “house red” when asked for a pairing, not exactly what you’re hoping for when being served “cuisine designed with wine in mind” – but they try hard and the sheer effort makes up for any mistakes. Overall, there are improvements to be made, but it’s a welcome change to Sasha’s.
