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CITYLIFE / Bars & Cafes

The spot exactly

(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2007-09-14 10:17

Anyone who was at The Spot’s One Year Anniversary Celebration last
Thursday already had a pretty good idea of why the restaurant/bar has
made it through the crucial “make-or-break” first year of operation.
Their success seems to come from doing a number of little things right,
resulting in a following of loyal regulars from an international mix
Shanghai’s populace. The ubiquitous Judy and her diverse team (Canadian
general manager, Indian bar manager, Filipina marketing manager, German
chef/co-owner) have managed to create an atmosphere where it’s hard not
to have a good time, and that went double for Thursday’s anniversary
celebration.

The Spot’s DJ-in-residency, DJ Clint (aka Clintessential), chose an
impressively diverse selection of tracks on Thursday. On the system were
hip-hop, 80’s music, and both classic and modern rock tracks that
complemented rather than clashed with each other (I heard everything from
Prince to Jerry Lee Lewis). And since the theme of the night was
“Hawaiian Luau”, there was plenty of reggae and beach music (from Dawn
Penn to The Beach Boys) which could have sounded corny or obligatory if
they had been played by a less competent DJ. It takes talent to spin
Snoop Dogg and Elvis Presley in the same set and keep people dancing
nonstop throughout.

The live entertainment kept the momentum of the night going. The hula
girls were hot (of course), and the live tribal drums that accompanied
their dancing added to the showmanship. The highlight for me, however,
was the guy who came on stage and began pulling yards and yards of ribbon
out of his mouth while prancing around in a tuxedo, to the sound of
techno music. It was like a cross between a magic show for children and
“A Night At The Roxbury,” so in that sense and it was hard to take my
eyes off it. According to manager Paul Gray, live entertainment is
usually reserved for special occasions because of space constraints, but
in my opinion that’s just one of several reasons to stop by.

Paul warns that the menu will be scaled down in the near future, although
the favorites (such as the Lebanese Shish Taouk) will remain. This should
address one of the big concerns I had on a recent visit, which was that
the menu was about the size of an airplane wing. Head Chef and co-owner
Mark has worked at 5-star hotels and Michelin-ranked restaurants in both
Europe and Asia, and the dishes he’s chosen reflect the influence of both
East and West (one item on the menu is a wrap of chicken marinated in
Chinese ginger and Coca-Cola, of all things). There is also a separate
menu reserved exclusively for dishes from his birthplace (Germany), with
about 10 Schnitzel dishes and 14 main course dishes on this menu alone.

The Tuscany bruschetta, topped with chicken liver mousse and gravy (in
place of the usual plum tomatoes, garlic and olive oil), sounded exotic,
and the portion of mousse on each sliver of bread was generous. The
“Ital-Thai Joint Venture” entrée was the weak link in an otherwise great
meal. Rigatoni and a seafood medley with a spicy Thai cream sauce sounded
delicious on the menu, as I was expecting the cream in the sauce to
balance out the spiciness of the Thai seasoning. But the consistency of
the sauce was more watery than creamy, making the dish much spicier
overall than I expected it to be. Last but not least, the Kaiserschmarrn
Austrian Emperor’s Pan Cake was a memorable way to end the meal. Thick,
flaky pastry crust pieces topped with powdered sugar were complemented
with almond slivers and raisins, and served alongside a ramekin of
applesauce. The dish had a granulated (almost sugary) texture to it,
which was subtle enough to add to the dish, rather than detract from it.
On my next visit, I plan to order exclusively from the German menu (if
it’s still in place), since that seems to be the chef’s strongest suit.

The range of prices on the menu didn’t deviate substantially from what
you’d expect at an eatery of this genre. Mains started at 50ish rmb and
go up from there, and booze was in the 40-50rmb range for beer and
cocktails.

Other highlights: The Spot has weekly Texas Hold’ Em nights on Monday and
Tuesday, as well as televised Major League Baseball and Premiership
Football when in season. Daily happy hour with 2-for-1 drinks from
17:00-20:00.

The Spot
Address: 331 Tongren Lu, next door to Mint, near Beijing Lu
Tel: 021-62473579

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