Speak Chinese - Maneo moderately memorable

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CITYLIFE / Eating Out






Maneo moderately memorable


By Aubrey Buckingham (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-03 10:14







It takes quite a bit to satisfy the fickle mob. A restaurant can wow them
with fancy bells and whistles, but at the end of the day they are still
going to complain about one thing or another.

Maneo, for some reason, has been unable to garner such complaints. Random
conversations with local denizens have uncovered no ill will towards the
Tongren Road restaurant. Since it's opening at the start of the year, the
M-group eatery has turned the tides for all involved.

Not only has the group shown that it can bring innovation to the middle
market in the same vein that higher-end Mimosa does for the upper scale,
it has also proven to be a renaissance of sorts for Californian chef Brad
Turley.

While his former kitchen of 239 developed a solid following, it is here
that Turley truly gets to shine. While most modern cuisine looks to lose
the form, if not flavor, of yesterday, the burly Turley casts his steely
gaze on what most plebs have come to savor and, to use the old cliche,
"kicks it up a notch."

His work with cheese, for example, is a throwback to the good old days,
when chefs were less intent on putting the newest thingamajigs on a plate
and instead packed their offerings with spades of taste. Frogs legs, beef
Wellington, and crepe suzette were the dishes du jour 30 years ago, but
these strong tastes have admittedly fallen out of favor as consumers are
now buying into the "less is more" mantra.

Not Turley though. The recently-married chef is still carrying a torch
for food that fills the palate as well as the stomach. His blue cheese
burger is something out of left field. Soggy ground meat smothered in
fetid dairy may only sound appealing to the most devout of food
enthusiasts, but while the best Shanghai burger debate continues to rage
on foodies can try something that is not just bar food fodder.

The Sunday brunch at Maneo has been especially well-received, picking up
a reader's choice award from that popular local publication. In a realm
dominated by the big hotels and their extensive array of tasty treats,
the fare on offer simply stands out on its own.

Diners can enjoy an a la carte buffet for just 158 yuan (US$21),
considerably less than most five-star destinations. The verdict on this
is that the meal presents excellent value for money that even the
teppanyaki joints will be hard-pressed to match.

All bases are covered from the get-go - fruit, granola and yogurt is a
good way to start, as is the chilled grapefruit and sugarcane dressing.

From there guests can move on to the eggs. Egg Boulanger may not grace
most menus these days so diners are encouraged to try this holiday bread
baked with sugar, milk and egg (of course). Compared with this dish
French toast seems so passe.

Chef Turley's Californian roots show in his frittata offerings. The Zhege
Shanghai brings a nice local touch with shrimp, yellow shoots and bean
thread noodles, while Les Champignon offers more mushroom than you can
shake a stick at.

A word of warning, however, when sampling The Californian, is to eat big
bites. The brie and crab mixture seems more dense in the center, making
the rims seem a little dry.

Moving on from more than ample starters, diners can find a mixed grilled
plate to tickle the carnivorous fancies within, or go with a sweet and
tangy teriyaki salmon on soba noodles - a lovely Asian touch.

While the food drew no complaints, service left much to be desired.

Restaurant Manager Kylee Strawbridge once threatened physical violence to
any scribes who criticized her staff, but waiters who forget to bring
desert spoons three times in a row are a product of poor bloodlines, not
just poor training.

It might prove beneficial in future if a manager was on duty during the
expat-dominated session, as the chef cannot be expected to handle the
floor and the kitchen. Kinks aside, the food more than made up for the
inconveniences.

Maneo
Address: 333 Tongren Rd
Tel: 021-6247-9666























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