Nowadays, a considerable selection of different foods seems to be essential for a hearty Sunday brunch. Unlike the normal buffet, what Sunday brunches should satisfy is not only a stomach without breakfast but also an imagination for delicacies, light wines, and fun.

All of these can be obtained from the new Sunday brunch called "Chill out" offered by the restaurant Le Bistrot at the Le Royal Meridien Hotel. At least for me, the buffet turned out to be a great dining experience last Sunday, as the morning was beautifully warm and the food was plentiful and diverse.

Located on the 11st-floor lobby of the hotel, the Le Bistrot restaurant has a spacious dining hall and a harmonious environment. Trees are planted among the dining tables and a gentle wind breezed softly from the open balcony outside the lobby. In addition to the cozy atmosphere and brisk live music played by a four-member resident band, the restaurant also offered a spectacular view of the People¡¯s Square, and compared to the busy crowds downstairs, I felt even more delightful and relaxed on that sunny sparkling Sunday morning.

The "Chill out" presents a full combination of Eastern and Western cuisines, and the latter seems to be more stressed at the Le Bistrot. To start this ample brunch, a good choice is the egg benedict, a kind of dish which looks like a mini burger containing a medium- fried egg. There were three kinds of egg benedicts served on the court: classic style with hollandaise sauce, Mexican benedict "Rancheros" with chunky tomato sauce, and Japanese benedict with Soya sauce and wasabi flacoured hollandaise.

The Mexican style I tried was savory and appetizing. The egg was slightly fried so that the yolk im-mediately flowed out when nipped with a fork, and when mixed with the tomato sauce it created a strange and delectable flavor.

The egg benedict.

Another cold dish worthy of recommendation was the spicy duck tongues served in small dishes. Presented together with various kinds of salads and appetizers, the duck tongue dish was not conspicuous but surprisingly palatable. It tasted pretty soft outside, and crispy within, and each one well absorbed the flavor of spice and soy sauce, which was very appetizing and refreshing.

Near the court for small cold dishes was the seafood station, which served fresh shrimps, red flower crabs, mussels, clams, razor clams, scallops and king crab legs. Actually, I was very impressed by the generous seafood served when I came to the Le Bistrot for the first time; it reportedly remains a stable popularity since the restaurant opened. In addition to this plentiful food selection, there were many kinds of sauces served alongside for diners.

On the Japanese cuisine court, diners can easily find the raw or smoked salmon, as well as fresh mackerel, trout, and cod with different caviars. Nearly twenty types of
sushi were also available there, with delicate presentations. Here I would Sunday brunch in the sunshine like to recommend the Japanesestyle noodles made of buckwheat, which were also served in a small portion. The noodles looked a bit dark and as thin as spaghetti. After pouring some soy sauce into the noodles, it tasted cool and slippery in the mouth, bringing a fresh pleasure to the taste buds. This dish was very suitable to have in the spring.

Italian and French style dishes can be reached at the Allure, another restaurant at the lobby which is also included in the Sunday brunch spot. A must-have dish there was the chicken with cream and mushroom because its recipe is said to have come from a three star Michelin chef. The chicken which had been cut into big pieces had a strong cream flavor and a savory taste. The meat was rich and very succulent and the mushroom brought out a flagrant smell.

The balcony outside the lobby was a nice place for a barbecue. Grills and ovens were set up there and different kinds of barbecue meat, including sausages, were prepared for diners. The balcony also made a good place to dine and chat with friends, since the weather was warm and splendid. However, the seats were limited and, eventually, some guests had to move their indoor seats outside.

A total of 240 seats at both Le Bistrot and the Allure are available for the Sunday brunch. The buffet is priced at 418 yuan per person and 150 yuan per child, each comes with a 15 percent surcharge.

The Le Bistrot Lobby, Le Royal Meridien Shanghai
Location: 789 Nanjing Road
Tel: 021-33189999ext7008