Shanghai Restaurant Review: Roast & Wine Merchants

By Cristina Ng, August 1, 2018

The Place

Roast & Wine Merchants is located prominently on the corner of Yanping Lu and Wuding Lu, just a stone’s throw from a wealth of foreigner-friendly dining options.

If you are going to call your place Roast & Wine Merchants, the expectation is that you provide two things: excellently roasted meats and an extensive list of wines covering a broad range of prices.

However, the unfortunate truth is that only the wine list delivers. Choose from unique offerings including a double fermented Valpolicella Ripasso (RMB505) and good value Grillo (RMB45 per glass). You don’t see Lambrusco (RMB255) in the sparkling section on very many Shanghai wine lists either.

The Food

The bill of fare is divided, confusingly, into two categories: nourishments [sic] and sustenance. According to their system, Buddha bowls and charcuterie fit into the former, while roast beef sandwiches and pies both fall into the latter. It is basically Western food that leans American.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Speaking of confusion, we were initially excited to find we arrived on Taco Tuesday with all tacos going for RMB20. Imagine our dismay than to find the regular price is three for RMB58, in other words, two kuai cheaper. Strange deal, dudes. No amount of mango salsa could save the dry, under-seasoned jerk chicken variety, while the spicy pork belly, oozing with umami-laden gochujang sauce, would’ve been a knockout if less salty.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

The story behind the Cuban sandwich (RMB98) is that Chef Calvin based it on a former neighbor’s mojo chicken, but he switched the protein to pork instead. Now we are all for innovation, but a Cubano should taste like a Cubano. This one comes with pan-fried mortadella instead of ham, aged cheddar (doesn’t this chef know aging is the enemy of melting?) instead of Swiss cheese and thick pickles instead of thin ones. There should be enough cheese to hold everything together, and the mustard, good god, should be yellow. Furthermore, someone should be shamed for the ridiculous amount of dressing on the side salad that ran off with the sole mission of drowning our sandwich in a wet mess.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

At least we don’t hate the roast chicken (RMB158/whole), but it is difficult to praise a place called Roast for doing a mediocre version with lightly tanned skin and zero crispiness. The high point of this dish is a truly luscious signature jus that combines the flavorsome backbone of a really good barbecue sauce with rich pan drippings.

Even the mac & cheese (RMB58) is an aberration. It looks great with crisp cheese on top, but dig in for a cross-section of wan noodles with an egg-based “sauce” that resembles the worst scrambled eggs you’ve ever had. Just no.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Do you remember no-bake desserts? Not the healthy raw craze we’ve got going on this century, but the boxed treats of our youth? That’s what the chocolate pot pie and lemon pie (both RMB58) brought to mind. Thick Oreo crusts, cheesecake filling, and fudgy puddings abound and we actually liked it.

Food Verdict: 1/3

The Vibe

Roast & Wine Merchants has the appearance of a nice neighborhood wine bar and restaurant, but the book doesn’t match the cover. Service is attentive, yet there’s a whiff of desperation as if they sense something major is missing from the equation. It is. And we hope they get the memo.