POP American Brasserie

By Nyima Pratten, 2015-05

What: A nostalgic 1970s American Brasserie at the restaurant-stalwart that is Three On The Bund
Where: 7/F, Three On The Bund, 17 Guangdong Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu. Tel: 6321 0909. Web: www.threeonthebund.com
Why: To see the brand new concept that has taken the place of New Heights
 
If you hadn’t already noticed, New Heights, on the top floor of Three On The Bund, closed at the end of last year and the space has re-emerged, like a phoenix from the flames, in the form of POP American Brasserie. The restaurant takes its cue from 1970s American culture, with POP artwork and a themed menu that looks to offer homey dishes in a cosy environment. Chef David Chauveau, formally of Sir Elly’s at the other end of the Bund, has turned American classics into contemporary dishes for the Shanghai crowd. Although the layout of the restaurant has been changed, and the bar had yet to be opened on our visit, the restaurant still has that prime Bund-view.
 
On our visit we settled in with “The Diva” (RMB 198), a lavish cocktail combining peach vodka, liquor and sorbet with elderflower syrup and Perrier Jouet champagne. The perfect summer drink to sip on whilst taking in the stunning Shanghai vista on the restaurant’s terrace.
 
Apart from cocktails, Champagne is also available by the glass or bottle, along with New World and Old World wines, to turn your meal into an occasion to remember. We chose to share, family-style, a selection of the appealing cold and hot appetisers.
The light and healthy spinach endive salad with apple, pecan and honey dressing (RMB 58) piqued our taste buds and left us wanting more. The extremely fresh and creamy burrata salad with tomatoes, pine nuts, pesto and balsamic (RMB 118) trickled out onto the plate when we cut into the centre of the cheese and was gobbled up within minutes. Over on the hot plates, we had rich, seared foie gras served on top of apple raisin risotto with hazelnut (RMB 108), a heavy and decadent dish.
 
The Alaskan king crab cake, with coleslaw and hazelnut (RMB 98) was crisp and buttery on the outside with fresh flakes of crabmeat on the inside.
 
From the fish and shellfish section, we selected beer battered cod “fish n chips” with tartar sauce (RMB 128). Although, due to our over zealous ordering, we let this cool for too long before eating and the batter had lost its crispness. The seared scallops, black rice, shizo and chicken jus (RMB 240) plate more than made up for this, however, in their shear size and meatiness.
 
After these dishes, we made our way over to the meat section where we found an impressive looking Wagyu beef burger with bacon, cheese, onion and fries (RMB 128). This burger came to us quartered, with its red meat on display for the wow factor. The duck leg confit with red beans and bell peppers (RMB 128) was also a rich and welcomed choice.
 
Our vegetarian option, the wild mushroom risotto with truffle and Parmesan (RMB 128), was a surprise favourite. The earthy taste of the truffle permeated the velvety risotto, which made it very hard to share.
 
In terms of sides, we really enjoyed the once again earthy flavour of the trufflepureed potato, along with the crispy southern fried okra and onion rings (all RMB 38). We will be planning a trip back very soon to see the bar in its full glory.