Occupying one of the brand-spanking new marble walled spaces underneath Glamour Bar, Museo is a slick new fine dining restaurant with a curious ‘art theme’ running through it at 5 on the Bund. Not content with being a restaurant alone, Museo is ambitiously aiming to marry fine art with food - right in the dining room, no less.
According to their website, Museo wants to “unleash that inner artist within you” with their ‘Art Jamming Studio,’ where you essentially paint at an easel (they provide) while having afternoon tea for RMB250. We can see this proving a popular weekend option for those with children in the future.
The evening menu, uncharacteristically long for a fine dining concept, has a number of intriguing concoctions, some of which have been given an arty twist. Starters, or mezzanines, as Museo prefers to call them, are named after/inspired by paintings and artists, such as ‘Smile of Mona Lisa,’ which is obviously a deep-fried Camembert with cranberry sauce (duh), and ‘Picasso’s Three Musicians’- aka soft-shell crab.
Museo lets you pick two for RMB130 or four for RMB240. If you’re really feeling ostentatious - flip over to the next page of ‘premium mezzanines’ (basically fancier starters with more expensive ingredients.) We tried ‘Van Gogh’s cold pasta with truffle and salmon roe’ (RMB98).
To our mind the link between Van Gogh and a shot glass of cold linguine seems tenuous at best, but what do we know? Similar concerns were raised with ‘Kahlo’s pandan phicken’ (RMB85)- did Frida like Pandan Chicken? Museo is betting you’ll never know for sure.
Somewhat surprisingly, main courses veer towards simple classics.
We tried BBQ Pork Back Rib (RMB190), but wished we’d gone for Chargrilled Canadian Beef Shortrip (RMB275) instead, since that one makes use of Museo’s Spanish charcoal oven, imbuing a rich smoky flavor into the meat. Undoubtedly our favorite was Chargrilled Aust Black Angus Sirloin (RMB290), served with hearty roast potatoes, Hawaiian black lava salt, garlicky fine beans and a rich caramel-hued red wine sauce.
Deserts also seem to have escaped the arty treatment, focusing on favorites such as vodka chocolate lava cake (RMB95), and a simple vanilla cheesecake (RMB95), albeit with a curiously Oreo-like ‘chocolate soil.’ Not being ones to shy away from danger, we also tried a durian gelato (RMB35), a good choice for thrill-seekers.
At this point we’d say Museo is a better option for lunch rather than dinner, largely due to their good value ‘Executive Lunch’ - two courses RMB200 or three for RMB250. Basically you choose either one of the mezzanines or deserts along with a full size main course, like the ones we mentioned here, essentially giving you the same experience but more food, for cheaper. Similarly good value is an Afternoon Tea Set (240 for two people), offering around nine mini-courses of food plus a specialty tea from Arteastiq.
Price: Approx RMB850 2 Pax, excluding alcohol
Who’s going: Well-heeled locals, rich Shanghainese housewives
Good For: Business lunch, afternoon tea
Bad For: Big groups
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