The Place
Just about everyone remembers Madison fondly, Austin Hu’s beloved restaurant and erstwhile brunch spot that closed in order to relocate to Huaihai Lu.
For whatever reasons, that relocation hasn’t happened yet, and in the meantime former Madison sous chef Andy Xu and other kitchen and wait staff have spun off and opened their own new restaurant: Reunion.
Set in a prime spot on Yongjia Lu, Reunion is an affordable (think RMB48 for lunch sets or RMB200-250 for dinner) American-style bistro and bar in a plum spot on Yongjia Lu. Xu also plans to revive a version of Madison’s extremely popular brunch in future.
The Food
The menu is filled with dishes that sound safe if not exciting, and a few typos here and there (rarely a sign of good food to come) fill us with faint anxiety. Seared kampachi with caviar and sour cream (RMB88) and tuna cube with avocado, cashew and yoghurt (RMB48) seem like the kind of thing Austin Hu would have been cooking five years ago.
Despite all this, the food is delicious and executed very well. Crispy pork belly with green apple, a delightfully tart, sauerkraut-y red cabbage confit and a simple dollop of grain mustard is outstanding value for RMB52. 
Chicken liver foie gras mousse with pear mostarda (RMB55) was also really good. Honestly, foie gras can end up tasting samey at a lot of places, but this one was surprisingly complex. Tart, lightly funky and helped along with a note of chicken liver at the end. The brioche was good if not perfect, but there was a lot of it. 
Main courses also side with convention, and are led by housemade pastas like porcini ravioli with hazelnuts (RMB138) and tagliatelle with lemon confit and saffron cream sauce (RMB118). Quite honestly, portions for the appetizers are pretty large so we’d consider eating more of those for mains if need be. 
Or, treat yo’ self and get the chimichurri M3 ribeye for two (500g, RMB533). We did and had zero regrets. Very juicy, medium rare as requested, with a nice, peppery, salty crust on the outside. Steak sticklers might note it could have been rested a little longer before being sliced – or just not be sliced in the first place. It made no difference to us.
The price also includes a rich potato purée, which must have been about 80 percent butter (as it should be), sautéed button mushrooms and a heavy horseradish cream, presumably to dip your steak in.
For desserts, deconstructed strawberry cheesecake looked a bit of a mess but tasted good, although perhaps not RMB72 good. 
Super classic Vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh grapefruit and clementines (RMB48) – pretty nice despite being topped with cress leaves. 
Food verdict: 2/3
The Vibe
If food is what Reunion does well, then atmosphere is its Achilles heel. With kinda bland, unimaginative interiors, the place, like the menu, lacks a sprinkling of character that Austin Hu used to make Madison’s menu and vibe special.
The dangerously insipid soundtrack needs to be re-thought as a matter of urgency – there is only so much Dido one person can listen to whilst eating, or in general.
That said, Chef Andy Xu obviously know how to cook great stuff, and we hope he plays it less safe and gives Reunion more of a distinct personality in future.
Vibe verdict: 0.5/1
Value for Money
At around RMB200-250 a head and wine for around RMB50, we’ll certainly come back to Reunion again the next time we need brunch or good quality food and wine that won’t bankrupt us. 
As for the brunch, there’s been a lot of stiff new competition (namely Table No.1, El Willy, Liquid Laundry and Mr & Mrs Bund) filling the gap that Madison left, but as Austin Hu well knows, a little soul food, or at least food with soul is exactly what people want in the morning – we hope Reunion will be able to oblige.
Value for money: 1/1
TOTAL VERDICT: 3.5/5
Price: RMB48+ for lunch, RMB200-250 for dinner.
Who’s going: mixed bunch of locals and expats
Good for: dates, small groups, casual and formal occasions, brunch (in future)
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