By Aubrey Buckingham (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-05-30 10:06

Whether she realized it or not, she was already right. Each dish was a show in itself albeit with some decidedly over the top. The opening act of mushroom soup came served on different plates for each guest. While the bed of rose petals was sweet, the flaming plate was a bit much. The soup itself was not creamy enough and weak.

The emphasis, however, is on healthier dishes, and the sliced cucumbers with walnuts, caviar and wasabi was delightfully refreshing and a stimulant at the same time. The same went for the simple garden salad.

The tasty pork cordon bleu (48 yuan/US$6.30) was not oily and came with a mild pepper sauce, although the addictive spiced beef served in a bubbling bowl of oil smacked of tenderizer. The steamed chicken dumplings came served hanging from a small tree, making you wonder what the point was. The meat was passable although the portions were just not enough.

Another flaming dish was served, this time seven kinds of fungi in a creamy sauce served in aluminum foil (98 yuan). It was a spectacle really, nearly eclipsing the mushrooms within.

The fried rice dish was somewhat odd. Intended to resurrect a dying recipe, it kind of halted the forward thinking nature of the meal preceding it.

It was great - a simple, rustic flavor - but jarring due to the lack of extravagance.

Dessert was truer to form, with pear slices coated in muesli. An excellent snack, the roughage aids digestion and exactly what was needed to end the meal.

IS is interesting to say the least. There is no denying the cool factor, which is what dining experiences should be about. The food is better than average, and the "show" is constantly updated to keep things fresh.

As it stands, the restaurant is a novel luxury, not intended to merely fill the stomach and satisfy the palate but more to introduce an avant-garde culture and immerse appreciative diners.

IS Restaurant
Location: 4/F, Building 7, 537 Haifang Road
Tel: 021-52135399

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