Dining at Kerry Hotel Pudong, guests can experience an integrated three-in-one dining concept – The BREW – a craft brewery showcasing six award-winning beers and one cider with a gastro pub menu, The MEAT – a contemporary steakhouse and speciality grill, and The COOK – an all-day dining restaurant that features 13 “live” kitchens.
The craft brewery (The BREW) and meat aging room (The MEAT) at Kerry Hotel Pudong is a first in Shanghai, and The COOK is also the first restaurant in Shanghai to offer an à la buffet concept (all dishes on the buffet are made to order) and a cheese vault.
The COOK
The COOK – Kerry Pudong’s main restaurant impressed me in many ways from the great selection of international cuisines at its buffet lunch to its beautiful interior design. The COOK’s interior showcases a bold mix of traditional and modern materials and finishes, such as handwritten menus on rustic wooden blackboards, Corian marble counter tops mixed with rustic cratestamped timber drop ceilings and custom-designed tiles. All these design elements blend together to produce an eclectic lifestyle theme that reflects a bustling deli-style marketplace in contemporary Shanghai.
High, uneven ceilings with distressed wooden beams and pipes, slate-grey granite stone floors and wraparound glass windows provide expansive views of the Kerry Parkside courtyard, bringing in natural light. These design elements frame a spacious marketplace intermittently punctuated by kitchen islands, food and merchandising columns and shelving. While the COOK can seat 360+ people, there was still lots of space for me to walk around the “live” kitchens to check out what’s available. The visual display counters and shelves of gourmet merchandise and foodstuffs allow guests to wander through, touch the products while the open theatre kitchens make interaction easy between guests and chefs.
Guests can choose to enjoy an à la carte meal or buffet at The COOK using a special Kerry card issued by the staff at the beginning of the meal. At each food station, the staff will swipe and record your order on the card – you pay for what you have ordered or the buffet price (then it doesn’t matter how much was recorded in the card) after you are done with your meal at The COOK.
The best part of the dining experience at The COOK is you order what you want to eat at the food stations, swipe your card and The COOK staff will deliver your food direct to your table; no more waiting around for your order to be cooked or worse, your prepared order getting “stolen” by another guest!
The culinary experience at The COOK offers a global snapshot of cuisines ranging from Chinese wok and steam baskets to an Asian noodle station and the Japanese sushi, sashimi and yakitori kitchen. An orchard deli and butchers’ block, an Asian barbecue station, a coffee counter and beverage bar, the patisserie, the wine cellar and cheese vault round out the culinary smorgasbord.
My personal favorites are still the ones that we have back home in Singapore – Nasi Briyani, Laksa, Carrot Cake – the taste is quite authentic and enjoyable, especially after 2 weeks away from home. You can get these dishes from the following food stations:-
Asian Noodle Shop: A team of Malaysian hawker chefs from Kuching, Sarawak, bring originality, colour and lots of spice to the Asian Noodle kitchen. Armed with generations-old family recipes, these chefs have their own unique style of noodle cooking and preparation, mixing and matching flavours and spices. Classics such as seafood laksa and Sarawak kolomee (dry-tossed noodles) are a must.
Indian Kitchen: Led by Chef Amar Singh Panwar, a 20-year veteran, the Indian Kitchen presents authentic North Indian cuisine specialities, including Tandoori Lamb Chop, Lamb Shish Kebab and Butter Chicken.
Thai Kitchen: Led by Chef Damrongsak Khammongkhon who has worked in Japan, Bangkok and China, the Thai Kitchen features authentic Thai dishes with a hint of Chiang Mai. Sample the ever-popular Papaya salad, Massaman Beef Curry and Thai Fish Cakes – you will be transported back to the Land of Smiles right here in The COOK.
Asian BBQ Kitchen: Featuring a selection of Asian BBQ favorites including Chinese and Southeast Asian specialties. Guests can enjoy Canton-style roast duck or Malaysian chicken wings or satays with authentic peanut sauce and Filipino lechon (roast pork). You can also try out the Peking Duck here at The COOK but I would say the Peking Duck at Kerry Beijing Horizon Restaurant is still one of the best I have tried.
Some other must try food stations at Kerry Hotel Pudong The COOK include:-
Western Kitchen – Pasta Kitchen & Butcher’s Block: Includes a selection of pastas and features a daily homemade specialty prepared and served a la minute, Western soups such as traditional New England seafood chowder and a daily chef’s special. Homemade sausages and burgers along with grilled cuts of meat, such as beef ribeye, rack of lamb and pork ribs, as well as oven-roasted or grilled seafood and poultry. In addition, a selection of small plates and sides such as carpaccio, garlic spinach and grilled asparagus, are on offer.
Japanese Grill, Tempura and Sushi/Sashimi Kitchen: The COOK’s Japanese kitchen benefits from seafood being delivered directly from China’s coastal areas of Dalian and Qingdao as well as from Australia.
Wok & Steam Basket Kitchen: Asian and local Chinese favourites are made-to-order and delivered piping hot from the Chinese kitchen’s wok and griddle. Traditional steamed classics such as Shanghai’s famous xiaolongbao (pork dumplings) as well as oversized steamed buns with honey roasted pork, take centre stage.
The amount of options to choose from at The COOK is just overwhelming – while we tried to sample as many as possible but I think we have only just barely scratched the surface of the buffet! That’s how wide the buffet variety at The COOK is! The COOK is open daily from 6:30 a.m to 10:30 p.m and serves a daily buffet breakfast from 6:30 a.m to 10:30 a.m. A La Buffet lunch and dinner at Kerry Hotel Pudong The COOK are priced at RMB 238 and RMB 288 (subject to 15% surcharge) respectively .
The MEAT
The MEAT, a contemporary steakhouse and specialty grill with seating for 112 people. Diners at The MEAT are greeted by the theatrically lit “Ageing Room” window dominating the restaurant entrance. Built into a patchwork leather wall, a window frame of polished stainless steel and glass encases hanging meat carcasses, presided over by the restaurant’s house butcher who assists guests in selecting the finest cuts of meat to suit their fancy. The MEAT is open nightly from 5:30 p.m until 10:00 p.m.
A scarlet-hued vertebrae-inspired light fixture stretches down the expanse of the restaurant and makes a dramatic visual centrepiece to the restaurant and counterpoint to the gleaming tops of The BREW’s glass-encased brewery vats below. A lounge area beckons with pony hair-and-leather wingback armchairs, next to wall-mounted wooden bullhorns flanking a fireplace. At the tail-end is a scarlet-hued “vertebrae”-inspired light fixture that stretches throughout the length of the restaurant. To either side of the “vertebrae” is booth seating, where diners enjoy the sweeping views across Century Park.
Simple presentation and preparation of quality Australian Angus beef sourced direct from farm to table define The MEAT’s dining experience. The signature dish of The MEAT is the Ningaloo Tomahawk – a 1.8 kilogram chunk of prime rib good for four persons, brought table-side and expertly carved into juicy chunks and served right in front of diners by The MEAT staff. Our Ningaloo Tomahawk (Marbling Score 4+) 招牌澳洲神户战斧牛排4级+ (RMB 1288) is as intimidating as it is appetising. Try the yummy pieces with The Meat’s selection of 3 house-made sauces + 2 types of mustard. If you are wondering why the Ningaloo Tomahawk tastes so good, that’s because the meat had been dry aged in Australia for 14 days before arriving at The MEAT where it was aged for a few more days in the Ageing Room. The meat was then cooked over a three step process that involved cherry wood, a pizza oven and temperatures upwards of 350 degrees Celsius. Do expect to wait for your Ningaloo Tomahawk to be prepared – while you wait, you would typically be served with some tasty Caesar salad (included with the Ningaloo Tomahawk dish price).
The MEAT is not just for meat-eaters and carnivores; The MEAT’s mouthwatering menu also offers organic poultry and a premium selection of fresh seafood. The Hot Ocean Platter is perfect for sharing, featuring baked Alaskan king crab, grilled king prawns, rock oysters, Boston lobster, crab cake and a scallop & bacon roll. I strongly recommend ordering these dishes at The MEAT (see picture below):
Boston lobster bisque shooter 波士顿龙虾汤 (RMB 38)
Iberico ham & melon 西班牙火腿蜜瓜 (RMB 268)
Jumbo lump crab cake 炸蟹肉饼 (RMB 128)
The dessert selection at The MEAT is just as interesting. I recommend The MEAT ice cream lollipops “扒”棒棒糖冰淇淋 (RMB 125) for fun and flavourful bites or the Rock & Roll berries on Nougat Glace 摇滚冰淇淋 (RMB 95).
The BREW
The BREW is a craft brewery with its own signature beers created by the resident brew master, a first for a hotel in Shanghai. The BREW is also a lively, contemporary bar with pub-style favourite dishes, live music entertainment and seating for 195 people, including an outdoor patio.
The brewing team behind The BREW, Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai’s craft brewery, had also won a series of accolades for its handcrafted beers at several international beer competitions held recently such as Beerfest Asia 2013: Gold Medal for Skinny Green; Silver Medal for Pils and Bronze Medal for Mash Citra IPA.
The BREW’s interior design revolve around the “flying brewery,” custom designed and built three-storey stainless steel vats used for brewing and storing its signature brews. The BREW is open daily from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.
The BLOCK
The BLOCK – Butcher Shop at Kerry Hotel is adjacent to The MEAT, with direct access from the Kerry Parkside shopping mall. The butcher shop is not only an extension of The MEAT, which has established a reputation for its meat in the past two years, but it now offers the local community the hotel’s meat and seafood quality to take home. The BLOCK operates seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Kerry Hotel, Pudong, Shanghai provides seamless access to multi-brand shops and boutiques, dining and entertainment facilities within the Kerry Parkside shopping mall as well as to the office tower and Residences at Kerry Parkside, a service apartment tower. The Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), the city’s largest trade exhibition venue with more than 300,000 square metres of space (3,229,173 square feet), connects directly to the complex via an enclosed footbridge and walkway.
Across the street from Kerry Parkside lies Shanghai’s largest public gardens and the city’s “green lung”, Century Park, providing 140 hectares of greenery. Century Park is the largest eco-city park in Shanghai and its landscaping combines British, Japanese and Chinese gardening styles. With large areas of grassland, forests and lakes among its main features, there are scenic spots like islands, country gardens and grasslands.
The Kerry Parkside complex’s own underground subway station (Huamu Road at Line 7) connects Kerry Hotel Pudong easily to the rest of the Shanghai metropolis.
Getting to Kerry Hotel Pudong from Pudong International Airport
With the Maglev express train station a seven-minute ride away from the hotel, Kerry Hotel Pudong guests can arrive at Pudong International Airport and be whisked off to their rooms for check-in within 15 minutes; Kerry Hotel Pudong offers a complimentary shuttle service to and from the Maglev train station (at Longyang Road Metro Station)
The Maglev train operates every 20 minutes daily from 7am to 9pm. One-way economy fare costs RMB 50 (USD 7) and VIP seats cost RMB 100 (USD 13). Passengers can purchase tickets at the Ticket Centre on the day of the journey. The journey takes about eight minutes per way.
Pudong International Airport can also be reached in approximately 30 minutes via the airport expressway. Guests can arrange for a hotel limousine (BMW ActiveHybrid 7) transfer service (at a fee) for convenience. With a comfortable ambience, supreme rear-seat entertainment, Bang & Olufsen high-end audio system and the brand’s exclusive appearance, the ride on Kerry Hotel Pudong’s BMW ActiveHybrid 7 allows guests to indulge in pure relaxation. Complimentary Wi-Fi access is also provided throughout the limousine experience.
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