At Shook!, your whole dining experience is designed to be playful and quirky. The décor is fresh and colorful, befitting the restaurant’s location in the Swatch Art Peace Hotel. All night, little surprises through our meal made Shook! a fun trade-in for the usual Bund affair. We only hope that the pan-Asian fare gets a little more attitude.

We began our meal with a selection of sashimi (RMB230) and larb gai (RMB90), a Thai minced chicken salad we rarely see on Shanghai menus. Our fish came in a gold lacquered drawer with soy sauce, an out-of-place plop of tartar sauce and pickled ginger. The sliced scallops and salmon are highlights, but otherwise, presentation outshines quality. The larb gai, with no spice whatsoever, has barely a whiff of fish sauce. Extra cilantro, finger-thin lettuce “wedges” for wrapping and the added lemongrass made this dish completely different than actual Thai larb.

Of our mains, the best was the tender, 14-hour slow-cooked lamb shank served over a creamy, egg and lemon flavored risotto (RMB175 and cooked just right, according to the Italian at the table). A spoonful could win over Martha Stewart.

On our waitress’ recommendation we tried the codfish with tumeric, mustard seed and palm sugar (RMB255). The intriguing combination of ingredients made our head swirl with visions of spice markets, but the dish itself turned out to be rather forgettable, with a portion of fresh cod sitting in a simple sweet tomato sauce with pieces of salty, random gnocchi.

Shook!’s tiramisu (RMB75) has crunchy chocolate cookies on top and a coffee and vanilla panna cotta below, and the flourless chocolate cake (RMB88) has an almost fluffy texture without being overly sweet. Both are good but not exceptional.

While the dining experience here is fun, the food isn’t as memorable. Shook!, you have the view, the service and the drinks. Now just show us some memorable food.

Our rating: 3/5

DETAILS

What:Shook!

Where: 5/F, 23 Nanjing Dong Lu 南京东路23号5楼

Tel: 2329-8522

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