By Aubrey Buckingham (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-13 11:22

An old favorite has received a much-needed facelift at The Bund Brewery, bringing affordable bites and specialty beers to the city's nightlife center.

 

Formerly known as Fest Beer, the old serving ware remains in use and the old logo continues to adorn the premises despite the tasteful renovation. The new bright, fresh and vibrant look is a much better reflection of the times and stands out for its stark simplicity in a zone of extravagant interior design.

 

The Custom House project is the latest venture from German restaurateur Frank Steffen. The Munich native was behind the crucially-acclaimed trio of Arch, A Future Perfect and to a lesser degree, Syzygy, as well as various catering concepts. Each restaurant featured intelligently designed menus that maximized a core set of ingredients that kept food costs low and prices attractive.

 

To a degree, Steffen has replicated this winning formula here. However, during a recent conversation with the former Siemens consultant, it was apparent that his heart is no longer in it. The 31-year-old was badly affected by the very ugly and public spat over the rights to Arch, and despite a spell meditating at a Thai monastery, the whiz-kid seems to have lost the same passion and drive that made him a household name here.

 

This is not saying that The Bund Brewery lacks the polish that his other outlets packed in spades. It simply lacks the passion. The beer is a case in point. What should be regarded as the key element in any gastro-pub worth its salt, instead the 38 yuan (US$5), 48 yuan and 88 yuan lager or dark beer offerings were flat and lifeless.

 

Again, the right idea is at work here, with imported equipment, hops from Germany and America, German malt and Canadian barley, but if there's a lesson that former Henry's brew master Gary Heyne taught this city, it is that dried yeast strains just do not cut it. It still tastes much better than industrial pints, but the early days of Henry's were much more promising.

 

The food is a much better reason to visit the Hankou Road outlet. With a menu designed by group Executive Chef Kip Oxman, the fare stays true to the roots for fans of the group's other diners.

 

The cheese-stuffed jalapeno peppers (35 yuan) were hot and fiery, great snack food to go with booze. Clearly in excess of 3,000 Scoville units, they are certainly not for the faint-hearted.

 

The grilled jumbo prawn salad (70 yuan) is hit and miss, depending on your luck. When done right, the juicy succulent prawns make for suitable bed-fellows with the pungent goat's cheese, corn, black beans and arugula. It would be wise to ask for the kitchen to go easy on the sweet vinaigrette though.

 

Bund prices are a sore issue with just about anyone who is not a visiting CEO or rock star, so the plan to offer happy punters visiting nearby nightspots affordable grub is one worth championing. The 160-yuan bone-in ribeye steak delivers some of the best value for money south of the Yangtze. The Qingdao beef was grass-fed and hence more structured, but this is ideal given the cut of meat. The beef offered herbaceous flavors and a great bite and arrived cooked to perfection. A mushroom-parmesan gratin provided balance to the dish.

 

The Bund Brewery is still rough around the edges, but it is only a matter of time before it smooths out the kinks. The main complaint is the lackluster beer, but again, with enough patronage, the local brew master can churn out fresh batches with more regularity.

 

It will also be tragic if Steffan continues to wallow and forget the good work that he has achieved previously. If he does find his drive once more then even money says the new champion for Off-the-Bund locales will flourish in the same vein as its more illustrious neighbors.

 

The Bund Brewery
Address: 11 Hankou Rd

Tel: 021-6321-8447