[SHANGHAI] Waldorf Astoria Brunch Tour
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Waldorf Astoria
Address: Waldorf Astoria, Heritage Building, 2 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu
. 上海外滩华尔道夫酒店 中山东一路2号, 近广东路
Tel: 6322 9988
Hours: 11:00am~3:00pm
Website: www.waldorfastoria.com
Price: 588rmb+15%, +100 RMB for free-flow Veuve Clicquot Champagne and red and white wine
Update: Brunch at Waldorf Astoria is now 888 RMB + 15%/person. Gasp.
The Sunday Brunch Tour at Waldorf Astoria is a lavish parade of food. It commences at the Long Bar, which used to be the gathering place for la crème de la crème of Shanghai back in 1920s, and, interestingly, is also where the first KFC in Shanghai was located. Colonel Sanders’ fried chicken has since been replaced by flutes of Veuve Cliquot champagne and freshly shucked oysters, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Waldorf Astoria Lobby
We started the tour at the Long Bar with pre-brunch drinks and appetizers – freshly chucked oysters, smoked salmon, shrimp cocktails, and the likes. Food and drinks aside, the venue itself is worth spending some time in. The decor is all dark leather and dark wood, with an impressive 34-meter-long bar that was reconstructed exactly according to old photographs. Take the time to soak up up the unique charms of this legendary space, but resist the temptation to overdose on oysters – you will need that stomach space for a latter part of the tour.
Waldorf Astoria Long Bar
Dark wood, leather
Free flow of champagne (+100 RMB)
Waldorf Astoria Long Bar
Chair
Freshly shucked
Oysters
Appetizers, with champagne
Delicious!
Long Bar
Next, we headed over to the Peacock Alley for some coffee and an assortment of house made pastries, but for the most part this venue is skippable – we found the same muffins and croissants at the next station, and unlike the charming Long Bar, Peacock Alley doesn’t have as much draw in itself.
Peacock Alley
Peacock Alley
Pastries
Victoria Arbrinothe No 66 coffee machine on the far right
Pastries
The Brunch Tour culminates at the Grand Brasserie and its buffet of oysters, caviar, tartare, roast carvings. There is also a long exhibition kitchen dishing out made-to-order dishes – a medley of Waldorf signature omelette specialties (with an ingredient list that reads foie gras, lobsters, scallops, truffle), Duck Confit with Orange Sauce, Crab Bouillabaisse with Pommes Cocottes, Vanilla Belgian Waffle, Brioche French Toast with Caramelized Orange…We were unfortunately stuffed beyond capacity by this point and had to skip the dessert selection (other than sampling a few rather unimpressive macarons). So pace yourself and choose wisely.
Grand Brasserie
Grand Brasserie
Grand Brasserie buffet
Caviar buffet? But of course.
Other goodies
Open kitchen dishing out a la carte orders
Christofle
Perigourdine Omelette (foie gras, truffle, confit duck leg and onion)
Confit Duck Leg, Spicy Red Cabbage and Orange Sauce
Crab Bouillabaisse with Pommes Cocottes
Brioche French Toast with Caramelized Orange
Our waiter could’ve used more smiles, but service was friendly and smooth for the most part. Plates were cleared away promptly and champagne refilled as soon as we took a sip. A problem, however, was that the egg dishes and the main courses came out of the same time, so that by the time we got to the main courses they were already cold. Bummer.
Buzzed…happily.
But who really cares about food when you are at the Waldorf Astoria? The whole point of the brunch “tour” is to see and be seen. And potentially rubbing shoulders with celebrities, too.
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Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Shanghai | The Thirsty Pig
5 Jan 12 at 10:03 AM
i go there yesterday for my b’day. i expect so much after reading your article . turn out a bit dispointed , the hot dish is not as good as i imagine and not up to par with similar dishes i tried in other place. for the truffle they only put a little bit in so i can not really taste them at all. for the price 888 + 15% ( with alcohol ), is not worth to come back again. at the end for me it’s only about the oyster and the champagne( the only thing that’s good )
monique
19 Mar 12 at 5:48 AM
I’m so sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. It seems like they have increased the price a lot since I last visited (which was over half a year ago already, wow). 888RMB is definitely very expensive for brunch…
sugarednspiced
20 Mar 12 at 5:43 PM
I was there with several friends (fellow Australians) last December, and really enjoyed it – food, wine selection, and company. They have some terrific Aussie whites on offer in the Grand Brasserie, and the oysters were the best I’ve had in Shanghai (or China, needless to say). The only thing I didn’t much fancy was how you only get 1 hour or so in the Long Bar before they start to usher you around to the other, larger and less intimate venues. It’s nice to see the entire ground floor of the hotel, but it also means moving from table to table in the middle of your meal. Diners with mobility issues, or small children, be warned.
Diana
18 Apr 12 at 5:36 PM