Having been a regular guest at the old Embre, I was disappointed to see
this place quietly close down. Our review for the old Embre described this
hidden gem that has "style and atmosphere, and most importantly, the good food,
which puts the restaurant a notch above the rest". I never fully bought the
official reason for the closure; it being too small for the huge success. Why
would a restaurant owner close a profitable restaurant, and wait a few months to
open a new one which isn't much bigger? It's more likely the neighbours next
door didn't like a western restaurant in their garden.
The new Embre opened two weeks ago on Fumin Lu, which is currently Shanghai's
trendy area for restaurants and shops. Otto, Shintori, Casanova, Magnolia and
Coconut Paradise are all just a stones throw away from where the new Embre is
(and luckily for me, also where the new SmartShanghai office is).
Unfortunately my first impression of the new Embre was disappointing. While
the old Embre had lots of charm, the new Embre looks cold and unfinished, with
ordinary Ikea furniture, a lack of pictures on the walls and dark-red colours
that I already disliked in Boona 2 Cafe. The ground floor doesn't seem to know
if it wants to be a Cafe or a restaurant, with small sofa chairs and book shelf
filled with 'bits and bobs' on the far wall, alongside a large bar. The second
floor looks like a big room with just plain tables in it. Embre does have a nice
outside seating area with about four or five tables, but even though it's almost
the same setup as nearby Saleya, it doesn't quite have that romantic and cosy
atmosphere that I expected knowing the old Embre.
Having said all that, I suggest reading on a bit further, because Embre comes
recommended for one reason: the food.
If you manage to understand the
menu (you get two food menus, which is confusing) you get an appreciation of
what Embre stands for: honest, exciting recipes with an Australian influence.
Embre boasts a breakfast menu, sandwich and soup lunch, salads, pasta and
risotto mains, and a good selection of fish and meat mains. You can choose
between a tenderloin, rib-eye or t-bone steak, or have roasted duck with orange,
or King prawns with Corn fritters choose between Cod and Salmon. Yum. I had the
Mango chutney tenderloin Beef Sandwich for lunch which came in home-made tasty
bread, the beef perfectly cooked with a interesting marinade, paired with fries
(my British colleague loved them, and she said she knows her fries) and a fairly
generous mixed leaf salad with tomatoes and a dressing. We sampled the Mushroom
soup, which was creamy and packed with flavour along with chunks of mushroom. In
the name of research I went back for dinner another day and had the Tenderloin
Beef Salad with arugula and thai dressing (68rmb) and my co-eater the Salmon
(77rmb), both dishes very well presented and very tasty. Total damage for lunch
was 110rmb per person and 140rmb for dinner.
Having lived in this city for a few years I'm tired of overpriced western
restaurants that charge high prices to pay their full-page ads in the local
magazines. Embres prices are not cheap, but fair. The food is tasty and if they
put some pictures on the wall and some candles on the tables, I might forget
that they have the same Ikea lamps that I have at home.
The new Embre
Location: 832 Julu Road, near Fumin
Lu
Tel: 021-62488705