Käfer by The Binjiang One
Add: Fucheng Lu, Shi Bu Jie, You Long Garden / 浦东富城路拾步街由隆花园, 近滨江大道
Tel: 5877 7500
Hours: 11:30am-11pm
Price: [brunch] 358 RMB [lunch] 148 RMB [dinner] 400+RMB
Visited on: Jun 2012
Please note that this is an arranged tasting.
Käfer by The Binjiang One is a collaboration between two entities, namely the BLN Restaurants & Caterings (most known for their Paulaner restaurants) and Germany dining brand Käfer. It’s located in a corner of Lujiazui that I’ve never ventured to before, and upon entering the airy restaurant, I was surprised to find it abuzz with a mix of local and foreign diners. The brunch deal here, 358 RMB for a free flow of wine and other drinks, an appetizer and dessert buffet, in addition to an all-you-can-eat a la carte menu, has apparently attracted quite a following.
The theme is contemporary European dining, though there are some Asian dishes on the a la carte menu as well as on the buffet table, presumably to cater to different types of guests. Green bean soup for dessert? It’s got to be a request from Chinese patrons.
Here are a few things you can expect from the buffet table.
Cauliflower truffle soup, also from the buffet.
I ordered a few a la carte dishes before going off to the buffet, not knowing that it would take the kitchen no time to conjure everything up. It was unfortunate because the hot dishes were already lukewarm by the time I actually got around to tasting them. On another note, we ordered the Strammer Max (fried egg with smoked salmon and rye bread) but were instead served the Eggs Spanish Style (scrambled eggs, manchego cheese, and serrano ham). I finished the dish before realizing this – too hungry, I suppose…
The slow-cooked Mongolian lamb chop was indeed very tender, its flavor in sync with the accompanying thyme jus and grilled pepper. If only I had this while it’s still hot.
Grilled sea bass with sauteed zucchini and sepia risotto. Cold fish, no comment.
With still some room left, we proceeded to order a few more dishes from the a la carte menu, like this leek and ricotta tagliatelle served with a wonderfully aromatic truffle sauce.
And, tranches of beef prime rib with black garlic jus and princess beans.
A glass of Bilyara Chardonnay.
I sampled quite a few desserts from the buffet table but found most to be not so memorable…
Finish with a cup of coffee.
Brunch at Käfer wasn’t a wow experience, but if you’d like to sample some of their offerings, come try their lunch set (148 RMB) and afternoon tea (88 RMB), I heard they even have a snow bar for those who dare to embark on a sub-zero journey…
We have had several meals in Kafer including a couple of brunches and have never had any complaints. Pity you had this food experience but as we all know we can hit a bad day.