Where to lunch on a rainy day

It was another one of those rainy days in Shanghai, and I was still nursing a cold from the day before. I wasn't in the mood to take a taxi to the other side of the river for lunch, so only alternative was the 100 Century Avenue restaurant on the 91st floor. I arrived early, just before noon, and was able to get a table near the window in a quieter section of the restaurant. The dining concept reminded me of Mezzanine at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, where several open kitchens specializing in regional cuisines served the diners in the restaurant. The menu was divided into Western, Chinese and Japanese sections, but there was also a set lunch for RMB180. I wasn't too hungry, so the set lunch seemed like a sensible choice.

I picked the cream of mushroom soup for my starter, and the roasted free range chicken for my main. The soup was quite nice, full of mushroom flavors, but nothing special. The free range chicken was juicy and tender, the way free range should be. Plus the skin was very crispy and nicely seasoned. The main course was accompanied by creamed spinach and roasted potatoes on the side, and a nice creamy dip for the chicken as well.

I felt oddly unsatisfied after polishing off my main course, and decided to order their tart of the day for dessert. It turned out to be a raspberry tart, with raspberry marshmallows and vanilla ice cream on the side. The tart was so-so, the marshmallow was a little on the tough side, but the ice cream was perfect. Overall, I think it was a bit of a letdown, although the view from the 91st floor did compensate for the less than spectacular dining experience.

100 Century Avenue is in the Park Hyatt Shanghai,
100 Century Avenue, Pudong, Shanghai, People's Republic of China