The articulate steak & withdrawn chef

Steak house: The welcoming environment of the restaurant features an open Japanese style kitchen and a well-stocked bar. [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

The traditional Binchtan (Japanese White Charcoal) made from Japanese Ubame Oak on the open grill kitchen, is promised to deliver smoky yet succulent meats, and it delivers. The end result of the excellent produce and the traditional Japanese grilling method is a crazy variety of beef. The Argentinean Gaucho is flavorful; the Chicago style prime rib is good honest beef; and the juicy but firm tenderloin is a feast for the ages.

For the other main course, the Sakura Ebi Capellini with Nori and Bonito Flakes, is not only the pride of the restaurant but one of the best pasta dishes in Shanghai. The Sakura Ebi, sweet and perfumed, is fried with a perfect skin and well matched with the seasoned pasta.

Desserts are intense. The chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice cream and flame orange peel is rich in both flavor and texture. Another dessert is a take on a classic — a much lighter and less creamy strawberry mille feuille. And the reduced amount of cream in no way makes the dessert dry, dull, or less satisfactory for sweet tooths.

The fresh berries and the crispy layers offer enough to the palate, making us wonder, what’s the point of so much cream in mille feuille? It’s a nice finish to a meal that deserves another round of cocktails from the bar and lots of cheers.

IF YOU GO

Flame Bar and Grill Address: 2-20, Jing’an Kerry Centre, 1515 Nanjing Road W 

Tel: 021-5285-6269 Average cost per head: 250-300 yuan

Special promotion: The monthly Shanghai Beast Burger Challenge at Flame, a burger eating competition for big stomaches to finish the more-than-five-layer burger in 15 minutes for free, is on going at the restaurant. And we hear there is yet to be a winner for December. Winners receive, aside from the free food, a 1,000-yuan dining coupon of the restaurant.