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cityweekend

[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]Spanish | Mistral[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]August 2010[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]The people behind Tara 57 are going Spanish with a new foray into the food of the moment: tapas. But, for now, Mistral is no el Willy. Nor is it trying to be. Personable Chef Joaquin Campos (formerly of Torres Wines and a native of Malaga, Spain) leads the kitchen. He’s all about understated flavors–you’ll get less zany experimentation, with a focus on market-fresh ingredients. Essentially, it’s simple eating in Mistral’s gorgeous, white-washed interior. Food is offered as tapas or full plates. We ordered (and are giving prices for) all tapas-sized plates. First to the table was eggplant hummus (¥35), with a lingering creaminess from the chickpeas. Campos’ ahi tuna tartare with avocado is best, both for the fresh fish with a just the right hint of lemon and bitter parsley pesto drizzled on the plate. Our favorite was the salmorejo concocted with tomato and bread and improved with cheese and tuna. Then we ordered the “queen shrimp” en Papillote out of curiosity. The sizeable package of foil turned out to be mostly air with only two large tiger prawns (albeit sweet, juicy ones). Still, for ¥80, it was like opening a box of Godiva chocolates to find just one left. The codfish with tangy, pink raspberry garlic aioli (¥80) also suffered similarly: the two slices of pescado are credit card-sized and as thinly cut as sashimi is. Fortunately, the portion problem occurred with just the seafood. Our appetites were sated by a sizeable portion of delicious, medium-rare tenderloin with foie gras and port sauce (¥80). Mistral’s space would impress any guest. We just want more food. [HTML_REMOVED]■ Joanne Yao

 

Most Recent Reviews

shanghailove

We live in the neighborhood and really enjoy coming to Mistral. We tried many of the tapas (croquettes, mixed platter, mixed fried seafood...) All have been delicious. Seafood paella is also decent, and love the steak with foie gras and port wine sauce. Cozy and charming, it would be even better if the kitchen was just a little more consistent.

 

1 week, 1 day ago

fattoro

Love the intimate setting. The second floor dining room was a little cold. Service was decent but our waiter was very absent minded. Food choice was priced OK but the Spanish cuisine here is a long way behind El Willy. A lot of misses with only a few basic things done ok. The fish had so many bones that i practically gave up after my third bite.

For full review and pictures please check out my blog: http://fattoro.com/2012/02/19/mistral-foul-ball/

 

3 months ago

sushi88

very nice and cute restaurant... minimalist design, lots of candles, very mediterranean and romantic. service needs to improve but THEY HAVE THE BEST RICE IN TOWN!!! paella excellent! mushroom risotto fantastic!!

 

5 months ago

orono

Nice tiny place with a great intimate ambiance. The food is good but not amazing (I love spanish food) and a bit pricy... But the overall atmosphere and feeling kind of make up for it.

Booking in advance is recommended.

6 months ago

est83

My first time there about a year ago was good, but not memorable, just average, but this last time I must say I had one of the best dinners I had in town, we when there to try the new seasonal menu and was very impressed.

After an amazing Goat Cheese Salad with Figs, I asked about the Chef and was informed that he was new in the kitchen, Spanish but coming from Franck, my favourite restaurant in Shanghai, which explain why the big improvement in food. For mains we shared an expensive but worth-every-penny Lobster Rissotto at 168rmb and a Duck Magret, probably the best duck dish I ever tried.

On the bad side, I must complain that their wine menu is way too limited and many references were not available, no excuse for that if you want to be a top restaurant... We decided to go for Spanish sparkling wine and ended up having a fantastic night!

Bravo for the new Chef, you made Mistral a place to recommend!

 

6 months ago

jandebeer

We went there during SH restaurant week on Sat 10-Sept-2011 and were disappointed and will not retun to this cozy place. We did choose the set menu for this event (240RMB) this was a 4 course menu so the price was attractive but the meal was disappointing. The appetizers were not appealing and very basic. The waitres informed us that the main course, Lamb, wa sold out. Later we realized that the manager and the waitress got in a pretty bad discussion and learned that the lamb was not sold out and we still got the lamb. Apparently it got lost in translation between the waitress and the chef. The lamb was really good and this was clearly the best part of the meal. The four courses were served within one hour we had informed the manager that we had the feeling that they were running a food race and that they could slow down the pace but they did not understood this. When my wife ordered another glass of white wine the waitress informed her that this wine was still available but not cooled. The desset was cheesecake that tasted ok but can be found in every bakery or coffee shop.

This was really disappointing.

 

8 months, 2 weeks ago

theagency

Dear All

Thank you for your comments that really help us to improve our service & quality !

We're working really hard on giving you the best quality, food & service and we will be more than pleased to welcome you once again in our place.

Mistral Team

10 months, 2 weeks ago

aelred

Passed it the other day and thought about going in for lunch -- but when a sign outside says "We now open lunch" it doesn't fill me with confidence that they're paying attention to detail when it comes to hygiene and service.

12 months ago

carlaut

NO WAY !!!!!!!! VERY BAD FOOD, SERVICE & OVER PRICE !!!1! The location is amazing but ....... can't compensate at all ..

long way to improve !!! also the wine list (very low)

 

1 year, 2 months ago

weitchi

Not the same average quality for all their tapas (some are amazing, some are just really basic) and I was a little bit disappointed with their paella (I went several times in spain) but the place is cozy and human (not this kind of super big restaurant crowded) and you can easily have a talk with your friends here. As it is a small venue, it is better to book in advance.

 

1 year, 3 months ago

tp

We were there in late August on a Sunday night. The only thing we liked about this restaurant was the venue itself - very cute place and perfect for a romantic dinner. Food was ordinary and way overpriced for the quality & minuscule portion. The cod with raspberry alliou was a disaster. we originally ordered a full portion of the cod but they made a mistake and brought a half-portion to the table. When we saw the scallop-sized awful looking cod with watery "raspberry" sauce around, we quickly accepted the half-portion and felt grateful that we didn't have to pay double the price for the lousy dish.

 

1 year, 8 months ago

lucipher

this little tapas restaurant certainly has its charms. the menu on the chalkboard adds a nice touch, but it was very inconvenient for us when we were trying to order our food and had to all walk up to the chalkboard to read the menu.

we really enjoyed the cod with raspberry aioli and the eggplant hummus. Both were flavorful and made well. However, the portions were very very tiny.

The seafood paella came in a big piping hot pan with squids, clams, shrimps, and mussels. It tasted great, but I thought the rice was too hard on the bottom, though perfect on the top.

 

1 year, 9 months ago

fatcow

We had a fantastic experience here. Tasty and innovative tapas, nice atmosphere, warm service and an affordable wine list to boot. Really can't find any fault here except that when we went they were out of the Iberian ham. Try the fried goat cheese, tuna tartar, cod w/raspberry aioli, and mussels w/white beans.

 

1 year, 10 months ago