Shanghai Club, ITC grand Central

Dinner table for bloggers at ITC Grand Central

Crisp white linen, sparkling opaque glasses, polished silver cutlery, long set table and a well planned menu, Shanghai club definitely had a lot planned for us. As I enter, I was elated by the ambiance, restaurant set up and smiling faces of the service people. My friend introduced me to other bloggers, the food and beverage manager greeted us with a warm smile. Smile is all it takes to make a good impression. :P

We were given a detailed explanation in regards to the follow of event and sequence of service. I was served Cherry & Plum sangria which was crisp, smooth and light in taste, which was later the hit of the evening.

Cherry &Plum Sangria

 Till the time everyone was seated, another sangria was served. A marsala red coloured drink with slices of citric fruit, tasted a bit acidic as the wine was Shiraz and a bit strong for beginner's palate.

Very berry Sangria

While everyone took their seats, the first course Singapore chilli crab with egg white was served. Eating crab in a luxury property, doesn't quite go well, isn't it? Well you are wrong, the General Manager (Mr.Kuldeep Bharti)  and F&B Manager (Mr. Gaurav Soneja) made us very comfortable by giving us company, while we started digging into those scrumptious crab with our hands. Yes, you read it correct, those crabs were enjoyed in a desi style. The delicate flavours of the cooked meat of crab and coating over the shell were so good that I couldn't resist licking my finger.

Singapore Chilli Crab

We were assisted with two more sangria; Classic Spanish and Watermelon & Basil, the latter was so refreshing that I chose to sip it in between my meals. 

The sequence of course was given a twist, crab being served as first course followed by appetizer, soup , main course and end with a dessert. 

Steamed scampi with hot bean and mango, Crispy pomfret tossed with Chinese barbeque sauce and Prawn bamboo shoot & waterchestnut shumai were served one after other. 

The latter two were delicious, they were so good however scampi was a bit of a letdown after crab. The sequence somehow didn't work well for me. Instead of building up the palate, it was a drop down in taste. However, the shumai and pomfret were really tasty, the crispiness of pomfret and well cooked texture was a good combo. The flavour of prawn with waterchestnut was a hit, I eat four of them. :P

Prawn & Waterchestnut shumai

Seafood chilli butter soup was a little spicy for few on the table, it tasted well for me.

In the main course, we were served Stir fried Lobster with guzion sauce, Steam river sole in ginger soy, Stir-fried Asian greens & lotus stem with burnt garlic. While in starch I was served mix vegetable fried rice, lotus leaf wrapped steam rice with shitake and Wok-tossed noodles.

Four range of Sangrias 

I would suggest that you start with steam rice flavoured with shitake, it being a delicate flavoured rice, the taste can only be understood if you eat it before other dominant flavours.

On a usual occasion, I would eat food with chop stick to control my intake. But who cared here?   :P

River sole and Lobster were my favourite in the mains, I liked the light flavour of the ginger soy sauce whilst the strong dominant flavour along with lobster. The starch was just about the usual, I found noodle a bit too dry (since they mentioned wok-tossed) and fried rice was just fine.

The best part was yet to come, the dessert were served on a plate. The presentation itself waived a green signal to my tummy. ;)

Jasmine flavoured tiramisu, home made vanilla and red bean ice cream and new world star anise torte. I experienced an interesting amalgamation of flavours, specially when it came to star anise and chocolate. It was divine and so was jasmine flavoured tiramisu. Ice cream was given a miss after tasting, as it didn't soothe well for my palate. 

Couldn't wait to taste it....sorry for a bad picture :P

Overall the experience was awesome, when it came to the food, service, ambiance and not to forget the interaction with the hotel staff. 

So please go and try their menu and share it with your friends.

Do comment and share this experience.
Spread the love of food as it is the purest form. :)