Brunch at Shanghai's M on the Bund

View from M on the Bund in Shanghai

We returned to the Lu Jia Bang Fabric & Tailor Market to continue several "build your own clothing" projects we'd begun the preceding day. And then we lingered over brunch at M on the Bund which was crawling with what the French would call Shanghai's "m'as-tu-vu" set. It and sunny, so despite cool temperatures and a steady breeze coming off the water, we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed spectacular views of Shanghai, the Bund, and the heavily trafficked river. Service was painfully slow, disengaged and frustrating. The food ranged from tasty and well presented to passable but grossly over-represented. The most obvious case of the latter was the Danish Smorrebrod was listed on the menu as "Roastbeef Med Pebberod Krem ~ Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream served with aspic, potato salad and crispy roasted onions; Æg & Kaviar ~ Soft boiled Eggs heaped with Lumpfish Roe and fresh dill Gravlax ~ Cured Salmon with fresh dill & Aquavit, served with sweet mustard sauce." My brother and I ordered after a consultation with the waiter affirmed outr expectations of a decadent feast. In fact, it was a three minuscule open-face teach sandwiches concealed beneath a rat's nest of fresh dill. Literally three appetizer-sized portions, and only the salmon had much flavor at all. Disappointing. Another frustration: although my Bloody Mary was delicious, we waited nearly an hour for coffees, reminding our waiter at least a half dozen times. The highlight was definitely the people watching and the spectacular view of the Bund, just reopened yesterday after extensive renovations for Expo 2010 Shanghai which opens on the first of May.

My wife returned to the Everlasting Spa for full body massage that she's still raving about, so I'm considering going under the palms again before we leave if I can squeeze it in. How does eight days fly so fast? For now, I'm preparing to immerse myself in antiques and porcelain...